Alexis Lantgen's Blog, page 10

Midnight Temptation by Shari Nichols

Congratulations to Shari Nichols on the release of her latest Ravens Hollow Coven novel, Midnight Temptation! Read on for an excerpt and a chance to win a $25 Amazon gift card!

Blurb:

When tarot card reader Gillian Howe hosts a supernatural speed dating event, she ponders the stakes of falling in love. Making the perfect match is her passion, too bad she can’t find one for herself. After a chance encounter with a wealthy vampire, she finds herself plunged into a secret society of trancing, blood bonds and human escort rings. But when Garrett Mulroney shows up at the scene, the vampire detective is the last person she wants…even if he is scorching hot.

Garrett has been down this brutal road before and it didn’t end well. His sire tried to force him into a life of debauchery, but he chose to uphold the law instead. Now the one woman he can’t seem to get out of his mind or out of his lust-filled dreams is at the center of his investigation. It’s a good thing she hates his guts, because it helps douse his growing desire for her and focus on the case. But when Gillian’s cousin is kidnapped into the Du Sang Brotherhood, she becomes the prime witness. Now they’re forced to put their differences aside by pretending to be a couple. The more time Garrett spends with Gillian, the more he wants her in his life—and in his bed. Dark forces from his past threaten to resurface…even her love might not be enough to save him from the Brotherhood.

Midnight Temptation by Shari Nichols, hosted by Alexis Lantgen at Lunarianpress.com

Excerpt of Midnight Temptation:

Suddenly, all the hairs on the back of Gillian’s neck stood on end. Her whole body tensed. The chatter and music became muffled. Her eyes flickered across the lobby in search of who, or what, had caught her attention.

Then she saw him.

Six-feet-three inches of tall, dark, and brooding stood at the front desk. Detective Garrett Mulroney? What the hell was he doing here? Seeing him again after all these months sent a jolt of shock rippling through her.

His gaze locked with hers, and for a moment, she forgot to breathe. They both stood there, staring at each other. It was as though he could see beneath her armor, the kind she wore under the little black dress.

The word handsome didn’t even begin to describe him. Mythological titans like Adonis and Poseidon came to mind, males so stunning, they couldn’t possibly be real. But then she thought of other words too, like arrogant, brash…controlling…she could go on.

Mulroney crossed the lobby with a confidant gait, his long legs eating up the distance between them in a few easy strides. Her heart hammered in her chest with every step.

Every female head turned to catch a glimpse of the vampire. The closer he got, the more her body became hyperaware of his presence. He kept his thick head of dark hair short on the sides and longer in the front. The cut showed off the angles and hard lines of his face. Sexy stubble darkened a square jaw, and he looked every bit as dangerous as she remembered. Long, and lean, Gillian could make out the ripple of sinewy muscle beneath the jacket of his grey suit. In the past, she’d always been attracted to the artistic types. So, there was no good reason why she was drawn to this rough-hewn alpha.

But Goddess help her, he was magnificent.

Laughter drifted from the bar, and that’s when she realized she was still standing on a chair, gawking at him like some lovesick schoolgirl. She went to step down and her foot slipped out from one of her strappy sandals. Before she could fall sideways onto the marble, two strong arms wrapped around her waist and caught her in midair.

When she looked up and into Mulroney’s ice-blue eyes, her heart gave a little flutter. Apparently, the legends about vampires having preternatural speed and strength were real. But then, as his gaze filled with a kind of raw, primal desire, she had no doubt the steamy ones about them possessing a certain sexual allure also rang true.

 “You’re lucky you didn’t break your neck,” Mulroney whispered close to her ear and set her on her feet. “What are you doing here tonight, Miss Howe?” The deep rumble of his voice did funny things to her insides.

“I could ask you the same question.” Gillian grabbed the scissors and scotch tape off the table, then shoved them in her black beaded bag. “If you must know, I’m working,” Gillian snapped. Ever since the prickly detective had been assigned to investigate the robbery of one of her clients, a local antique dealer, their paths had collided on more than one occasion.

Mulroney’s eyes did a slow sweep of her from the tips of her three-inch heels to the top of her head. Goosebumps instantly spread across her flesh. Gillian wanted to squirm from the flagrant perusal, but remained still, refusing to give him the satisfaction. Why would she? After all, he had tried to ruin her life. “Interesting work attire,” he murmured.

Her hands clenched at her sides, fighting the urge to tug on her dress again. “I’m sure you didn’t walk over here to comment on my choice of clothing. To what do I owe the unexpected pleasure?” she asked with a healthy dose of sarcasm.

“Trust me, this wasn’t planned,” he said in a gruff voice, refusing to look her in the eye.

Gillian couldn’t help remembering the day he and his partner had showed up at the coven. Peppering her with questions and unwarranted accusations, they’d invaded her safe space, conjuring that too familiar lash of shame, and reminding her of the days when the neighbors used to call the cops to keep her parents from an all-out war.

He kept his hands stuffed in his pockets, his stance casual, but he wasn’t fooling anyone. There was no mistaking the predatory way he kept checking out the people strolling by as only a cop would. She followed his gaze as it took in every detail, restless with intensity, before finally landing on their banner. “Is this a private fundraiser?”

She nodded, not in the mood to elaborate. “Are you here in an official capacity? What’s the matter, no real criminals on the streets tonight?” Or maybe this was personal and he was meeting someone. He’d worked with Alex on several cases, and according to Willow, he was a confirmed bachelor, not that she had inquired or anything.

 “A quick word, please, Miss Howe. We need to talk.” The object of her unhealthy obsession ignored her questions and reached for her elbow, pulling her off to the side. His touch seared through the thin material of her dress, leaving a hot flush along her skin. At five-foot-seven, she wasn’t exactly short, but even in her heels, he towered over her.

“Hold on. I’m kind of busy right now. What’s this about?” Gillian demanded, catching a whiff of his masculine scent, a blend of sandalwood and clean laundry. She fought the urge to sigh and glared at him instead.

“You shouldn’t be here.” Mulroney glanced over at the couple’s tables scattered with rose petals, floating candles, bowls of heart-shaped chocolates, and the Lawrence Charity placards. He turned back to face her and scowled. “I want you to leave. Now.”

“Excuse me?” His words knocked Gillian off-center and before she could process them, an attractive female vampire with dark hair pulled in a tight ponytail walked up to Mulroney and placed a hand on his arm.

 “It’s time. We need to go.” A surge of irrational jealousy coursed through Gillian’s veins like battery acid.

For a split second he hesitated, his gaze still fixed on Gillian, and she sensed some kind of inner battle raging inside him. Then he gave her a curt nod and walked away. Her heart sank.

Brooke approached and crossed her arms over her chest. “What was that all about?”

Not sure what to make of their twisted interaction, or of Mulroney’s ominous words for that matter, Gillian sucked in a quivering breath and let it out. “No idea.”

Giveaway

Shari Nichols, author of Midnight Temptation, hosted by Lunarianpress.com

About the Author

Shari Nichols grew up in a small town in Connecticut where haunted houses, ghosts and Ouija boards were common place, spurring her fascination with all things paranormal. Ever since she read her first Barbara Cartland novel, her life-long dream has been to write sexy, romantic stories. When she’s not writing, she’s reading, going to the gym, or hanging out with family and friends.

Shari’s a member of Romance Writers of America, New Jersey Romance Writers, Liberty States Fiction Writers and Fantasy, Futuristic, and Paranormal Romance Writers. Shari’s new series,  Ravens’ Hollow Coven, is an urban fantasy with City Owl Press.

Saints and Curses

Interview with Science Fiction Writer Brian Schutter

My next interview is with Science Fiction Writer Brian Schutter, the author of Titanborn.

Tell us about yourself! What would you like readers to know about you? 

Brian Schutter: Hello! I’m a scientist turned sci-fi author. I love exploring near future worlds and technologies, infusing them with my real world research experience and the knowledge of subject-matter experts from around the world. I believe that exploring where we will go can help us ask how to act now to write the future we want to see, rather than the one others have tried to write for us. 

What are some tropes of fiction in your genre that you love/hate? Why? 

Brian Schutter: I love the ‘lancer’ trope where an antagonist or anti-hero protagonist has a continual, personal beef with the protagonist. When done well, this character’s actions and pain can open a conversation on systemic abuses in their world. The most recent sci-fi/fantasy instance I’ve found is Catra in She-Ra. She had me hooked by the end of the first episode. 

Alexis: That is a trope that can be very interesting in the right hands! I do think that Catra is one of the most engaging and tragic characters on She-Ra. I always hoped that she and Scorpia would just run away and rule the wastelands together. But she’s never quite able to let go of her rage/love for Adora.

Who is your favorite character in your book? What do you like about them? (or, which character do you hate most and why) 

Brian Schutter: In Titanborn, I love and hate Lakshmi the most simultaneously. She was born from some of my favorite characters in comics/games/literature but also from abusive relationships I and close friends of mine have experienced. I love her continuous creative energy and absolutely hate the way she treats everyone. Needless to say, she’s been incredibly divisive among the fans too! 

What do you like to do other than read or write? Do you have any interesting hobbies? 

Brian Schutter: I love to hike and rock climb. It really helps regulate my anxiety and I’ve made lifelong friends while climbing indoors. I program in my free time and I’m always looking to learn skills that enable me to tell stories in new ways. I’m currently toying with the idea of making a Titanborn simulation game that covers all of the Titan colonization, up to the events of the book! 

I cosplayed for the first time with a group at Katsucon 2020, which was an absolute blast, and I’m excited to do more once this pandemic clears. Halloween is my favorite holiday, and I’ve dreamed of improving my ability to make amazing costumes for a long time. 

Alexis: I love hiking as well! I haven’t done much cosplay, but I do historical reenactment with my family, including Viking and Medieval costumes.

What TV shows/Movies do you like to watch or stream? 

Brian Schutter: Ghost in the Shell is an incredibly formative TV series for me. I still watch it, though I’m starting to feel like I’ve outgrown it a bit. Cowboy Bebop on the other hand, still lights up my imagination every time I watch it. 

The Venture Brothers has become my mainstay for re-watching when I need something in the background. I love the way it explores superhero/villain archetypes in a mundane setting. 

New TV I’m digging are She-Ra (which we are borderline binging through, haha) and the What We Do In The Shadows series. 

Alexis: Awesome! I’m obsessed with What We Do in the Shadows, and I enjoy She-Ra as well. I’m watching it with my daughter.

Titanborn by Brian Schutter

Do you like playing video games? What’s your favorite game right now? Has a video game ever influenced you as a writer? 

Brian Schutter: I play too many video games. Right now, I’m playing Stardew Valley with my partner (in part to have a virtual dog) and I just picked up Observer which is a surveillance state walking simulator (I love these kinds of games) set in near-future Russia. 

What advice do you have for other writers or people just getting started in writing? 

Brian Schutter: Talk to your support network and find ways they can help you. Writing is difficult and making writing fiction financially stable takes time and luck. The best thing you can do, in my opinion, is find and ask for help every step of the way. I firmly do not believe in the lone genius writer myth and have yet to find evidence to support it. 

Alexis: Agreed! I have some great writing friends and have belonged to a couple of writing groups, and without them I don’t know that I would have kept going. It’s so important to have support.

How do you choose what books you want to read? 

Brian Schutter: I’ll read the synopsis and generally I’ll know if I want to read it right then and there.  Stories with unique voices and settings grab me very easily. I like to be surprised and to have my biases and viewpoint challenged by what I read. I view reading as a way to travel to new places (especially impossible ones!) and meet people that I otherwise might not get to meet. 

Alexis: That’s one of the things I love about science fiction and fantasy—they so often have new and exciting people and other intelligences, and incredible places.

If you write scifi, what technology or innovations or scientific discoveries have inspired your work? 

Brian Schutter: Tons of stuff! My favorite technologies right now to work with are any form of mind or body altering modification. This can be electronic implants or genetic modification. - In a more general sense, I like to explore how technology shapes our lives, jobs, and communities. Drones, surveillance tech, and social media all fall into this category. 

Science Fiction Writer Brian Schutter, interviewed by Alexis Lantgen at Lunarianpress.com

Learn More About Brian Schutter

Book: Titanborn

Website: https://www.brianschutter.com/

Social Media: Twitter, Instagram, Goodreads, and Medium

Sapience

Interview with Fantasy Author and Playwright Judith Pratt

For my next interview in the series, I talk to Fantasy writer and playwright Judith Pratt.

Tell us about yourself! What would you like readers to know about you?

Judith Pratt: I began as an actor and mime (!) Then I taught acting and theatre history in a college, fundraising materials for another college, and freelance writing for colleges and non-profits.. 

I wrote my first play in the early 1990s. The main character had more of her story to tell me, but it would not fit on a stage, so I wrote a novel, The Dry Country, and self-published it. Now I write stories, essays, plays, and am working on another novel. My plays have been produced in small theatres around the US and—I love this—in Cape Town, South Africa.

Alexis: Exciting! When I first started writing, I actually wrote Reader’s Theater plays for my students (I taught 8th grade English at the time). I like to think it did wonders for my writing, in the since that 8th graders do not hesitate to give their honest opinions about anything, and plays are great for hearing your writing read out loud.

What book or books have most influenced you as a writer?

Judith Pratt: Robin McKinley, Ursula LeGuin, Neil Gaiman, Sarah Addison Allen. A few favorite books: Station Eleven, College of Magics, Practical Magic, Vinegar Girl, Child of a Rainless Year, Thirteenth Tale

Alexis: I’ve read lots of Neil Gaiman and Ursula LeGuin as well.

What are some tropes of fiction in your genre that you hate? Why?

Judith Pratt: Family secrets are revealed. Because it’s incredibly overused, in both plays and novels. But people seem to love it. I do not!

The princess who has to save her kingdom. Another overused notion.

However, if you do either of those things brilliantly (see Stevermer’s College of Magics) you get a pass!

Who is your favorite character in your book? What do you like about them? (or, which character do you hate most and why)

Judith Pratt: Well, the main character, Andrea, wouldn’t be the main character if I didn’t like her. (Although I’m reading an Eric Ambler book where the main character is a jerk, I can’t write like that, sigh!) Andrea can be a pain, but she manages (mostly)  a confusing situation and a difficult family.

Andrea’s stepfather was very hard to write. He’s sort of the villain, so I “hated” him, but I had to give him reasons for his actions. I love to hate Andrea’s little brother, Jake! I have a little sister—who, of course, has grown up and seems like she’s my age now. But I channeled some of her into Jake.

Siljeea Magic by Author and Playwright Judith Pratt, interview by Alexis Lantgen of Lunarianpress.com

What are you doing to de-stress during the pandemic? Is there any coping mechanism you’d recommend (or NOT recommend)?

Judith Pratt: As a writer, I can definitely keep busy with all the story ideas that rattle around my head. Also, my husband and I are lucky. We have a house and a yard, and we live in a place where, so far, the virus hasn’t hit hard.

Walking or cycling are my best de-stressors. A couple of miles in the countryside, looking at flowers and cows and interesting houses, opens up the world and helps me sleep better.

I do not recommend reading the news very often. Facebook and Twitter really destroy my attention span as well as depressing me. Tell me that again when I go headfirst into one of them!

Alexis: I know. It’s so hard to stay away from the news, but it feels so overwhelming and necessary to read it too! I’m starting to hate Facebook more the more time I spend on it, to the point where I’m seriously considering deleting the app from my phone.

What do you like to do other than read or write? Do you have any interesting hobbies?

Judith Pratt: Because I started out as an actor, teacher of acting, and playwright. I go to the theatre constantly. Now, of course, I check out all the virtual theatre stuff. Live theatre is better!

Recently, I began doing Tai Chi, and still do it in my living room, since classes had to be cancelled.

I like gardening. Flowers, not vegetables. For vegetables, we’d have to create a giant fence to keep out the critters--rabbits, deer, and woodchucks. Since I can barely keep up with the flowers, I decided against that!

Alexis: I like the theater, but as a classical musician, my passion is opera. One of the few good things about Covid 19 is how many opera companies started streaming their shows. It’s bee great to see these incredible performances I’d never be able to see otherwise. I also love gardening, and I have several rabbits that regularly get into my garden. I don’t mind too much though, because they’re so cute and I love watching them!

Tell us about a mystery/urban legend from your hometown (or another place you’ve lived).

Judith Pratt: Great question. I went and looked it up. I didn’t think Massachusetts, or New England, had any. However, I’m working on a story where the Wampanoag creature, the nikommo, appears to a contemporary white woman.

Alexis: Interesting! I often wish that more writers from the Americas would use local myths and legends in their writing. So often, even American writers still seem stuck in Europe, with elves and fairies, instead of looking at the amazing stories all around you.

What TV shows/Movies do you like to watch or stream? 

Judith Pratt: My husband and I each have advanced degrees in theatre. But we love Marvel movies, martial arts movies, and movies that are so bad, they are good. Education has its limits!

Alexis: I totally get it. I love opera and enjoy reading great classics, but I’m also a huge fan of Thor movies and comics.

What’s your favorite animal?

Judith Pratt: Ducks. I had pet ducks as a kid. I’ve written a story featuring a magic duck.

Do you have pet(s)? If so, share a picture of your pet!

Judith Pratt: Three cockatiels. Because cats (I love cats!) give me asthma. Here’s a picture of the youngest, Stanley. We didn’t know she was a girl when we named her.

Alexis: She’s so cute!

Stanley the Cockatiel, who would respectfully like you to know that she identifies as a girl even though her name is Stanley.

What advice do you have for other writers or people just getting started in writing?

Judith Pratt: Write every day.

 Read Anne Lamott’s Bird by Bird, and always write a shitty first draft.

How do you choose what books you want to read?

Judith Pratt: I read book reviews in several online magazines, and get Amazon’s list of cheap Kindle reads. I like magical realism, but read other things. So if something looks good, I check it out on Goodreads or Amazon; then list it on Goodreads. 

Also, things fall off the shelf into my hands. Or friends recommend them

Finally, I’m a big re-reader of books I like.

Alexis: I’m a huge re-reader as well. I’ve read Katherine Addison’s The Goblin Emperor more times than I can count. It’s such a great book in an amazing world.

Do you like Greek/Roman/Norse/Asian/African mythology or folklore? What’s your favorite myth? 

Judith Pratt: I like it all. As a kid, I had a book of Greek myths that I loved. And I actually wrote a play, Spiralling, based on masks from Africa and northwestern Native Americans. But I’m kind of obsessed with the Cassandra myth. Another story waiting to be written!

Find out more about Judith Pratt!

Books: Siljeea Magic, The Dry, and The Wright Place

Web site: www.judithpratt.com

Social Media: Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Goodreads

Saints and Curses

Interview with Sci-fi and Fantasy Author Mike Jack Stoumbos

My next interview is with science fiction and fantasy author Mike Jack Stoumbos, author of The Baron Would Be Proud.

Tell us about yourself! What would you like readers to know about you?

Mike Jack Stoumbos: My name is Mike Jack Stoumbos! I am an emerging author disguised as a believably normal high school teacher, living in western Washington with my wife and our parrot.

I am most excited to announce that this summer, one of my stories will be appearing in the Galactic Stew anthology. My novel, The Baron Would Be Proud, can be found on Amazon. I am currently seeking an agent for a new science fiction novel.

Alexis: I’m a teacher in my day job too! Middle School History and High School Music.

What book or books have most influenced you as a writer?

Mike Jack Stoumbos: The novel (and the film) Cloud Atlas were both massive, jaw-dropping WOWs for me as a storyteller. I know they’re not everyone’s cup of tea, so I don’t go around recommending them, but they seriously changed how I look at what I story can be and what it can inspire.

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (series) has had a major impact on my writing in terms of tone and style, just as the classic science fiction greats have influenced content. I most enjoy my own writing when I’m building on science fiction concepts in the tradition of Asimov and Heinlein, but I’m using nuances of language like Douglas Adams or Terry Pratchett. My first published novel, The Baron Would Be Proud received a lot of Pratchett comparisons from early readers.

Alexis: Terry Pratchett and Douglas Adams are some of my favorite authors! I find Pratchett’s work in particular such a fascinating combination of incisive wit and dark realizations with such a huge dose of sympathy, kindness, and warmth to make it funny.

What are some tropes of fiction in your genre that you love/hate? Why?

Mike Jack Stoumbos: In science fiction (and sometimes fantasy) there is often an item or device with incalculable power that people fear or vie to control. As a reader, I get thrown off by the notion that anything can be that powerful or that it can’t be reproduced, especially if it’s technology. I know it’s easier for building an adventure, but I think it’s too easy.

I love the motley crew trope in pretty much any story as long as there are reasons for them to work together beyond money or meeting in a tavern.

Who is your favorite character in your book? What do you like about them? (or, which character do you hate most and why)

Mike Jack Stoumbos: In The Baron Would Be Proud, I did not create any characters I hated. (I can’t say I’d invite all of them to dinner.) My favorite is “the thin man” named Fletcher, a minstrel with a quick tongue and an ear for foolishness. He is simply the most fun to write for, and the one who inspires me to laugh out loud most often.

What are you doing to de-stress during the pandemic? Is there any coping mechanism you’d recommend (or NOT recommend)?

Mike Jack Stoumbos: I am singing! Those who know me in person know that I am always singing, and during more public time periods, I can be found at karaoke venues. However, as I must sing from home, I’m recording myself and posting on Youtube.

Covers, parodies, and originals, from the relative comfort of my home studio. One that has resonated a lot with the general public has been “COVID Home” inspired by a Beach Boys song.

Like many, I recommend having a schedule that isn’t so loose you feel like you’re waiting for the paint to dry, and not so rigid that you’re stressing over completing it. I don’t recommend spending long periods of time on social media, (unless you’re an emerging author or other artist and you need to play the exposure game.) 

Alexis: I love playing music and I think it’s a great way to de-stress and get your emotions out. I’ve been learning ukulele and teaching it to my daughter, and it’s so much fun.

What do you like to do other than read or write? Do you have any interesting hobbies?

Mike Jake Stoumbos: (The Mike Jack also draws!) I do concept art for everything that I write. Some of the sketches are very refined. Others are quick scribbles that I need to get out of my system or use as reference. As a teacher, I diagram on the whiteboard while I teach, and I draw on the whiteboard while I decompress from teaching. I draw a lot of whiteboard dragons, and non-whiteboard dragons...

The drawing, paired with the writing and the performing make an excellent combination for roleplaying games. (And, yes, I GM/DM, and home-brew enough content and mechanics to confuse myself.)

And finally, I enjoy partner dance, usually blues or blues fusion. I am a jack of all trades, hopefully beginning to master a few.

What TV shows/Movies do you like to watch or stream? 

Mike Jack Stoumbos: I really enjoy Survivor, Leverage, and Avatar: The Last Airbender, as well as (most of) the Star Trek series. One of my favorite movies is Galaxy Quest, to the extent that I have a Galaxy-Quest-referencing tattoo. I am always ready to rewatch Jurassic Park, Star Wars: A New Hope, or The Truman Show.

Do you like playing board games or role playing games like D&D? If so, which games do you like best?

Mike Jack Stoumbos: I do enjoy board games and role-playing games. Terraforming Mars is one of the coolest concept executions I’ve played. My wife and I have played a ton of rounds of Sentinels of the Multiverse.

I’ve actually even written a few games and created playable prototypes. I attempted to publish a game called NINJAS!!, a deduction and risk-taking game that played a little like moving battleship; though it was well received locally, we did not manage enough funding to launch it. Perhaps I’ll try again when I have more of an online presence.

Alexis: Cool! I love role-playing games. My husband and I played Scythe for a while, and now we’ve started a game of Vampire The Masquerade with some of our friends.

Do you like Greek/Roman/Norse/Asian/African mythology or folklore? What’s your favorite myth? 

Mike Jack Stoumbos: As a (half) Greek American, I felt a strong connection with Greek mythology while I was growing up; as an adult, I grew much more in touch with my Mum’s English and Scandinavian roots. My novel The Baron Would Be Proud is a single story made up of pieces of many mythologies and folklores and spun together in a way that the Baron Munchausen would appreciate. Of my published stories, one features a wild-west tall-tale (“Haunting at High Noon” in Cursed Collectibles). In July of 2020, Galactic Stew will feature a culinary approach to a Welsh fable of a great golden dragon, titled “A Real Llywelyn Scone.”

I personally delight in retelling or depictions of myths and classic stories that allow for ambiguity surrounding the supernatural or divine intervention side. The tales of the Trojan War fascinate me, and I think the movie Troy does an excellent job of creating circumstances that would turn into these larger than life myths with gods and curses.

Alexis: I think one of the powerful messages of Homer and other Greek poets is that the gods are so ambiguous and yet so powerful and vivid. I remember the scene in the Illiad where Hephaestus fights a river god in an epic contest between fire and water. I could easily imagine battlefield fires raging out of control, and how terrifying that would be to the soldiers of Troy or Mycenae.

If you write scifi, what technology or innovations or scientific discoveries have inspired your work?

Mike Jack Stoumbos: I have fun playing with almost-AI technology, whose emergent behaviors and strange logic create farces and miniature comedies of errors. I also make a lot of assumptions about the direction of VR technology, and take stabs at the possibility of interstellar travel via wormholes.

Alexis: Cool! I’m also fascinated by the possibilities of AI. I think if/when the AI singularity happens, it’s not going to be what we expect. Our understanding of an emerging intelligence is so limited, in part because I think people tend to think in black and white—logical vs. emotional thinking, good vs. bad AI. But I doubt any true super intelligence would be like that.

Sci-fi and Fantasy Author Mike Jack Stoumbos, interviewed by Alexis Lantgen of Lunarianpress.com

Find Out More About Mike Jack Stoumbos

Books: The Baron Would Be Proud and Galactic Stew

Website: https://www.mikejackstoumbos.com/

Social Media: Facebook, Twitter, and Youtube

Sapience

Interview with Science Fiction Writer M. Lavon

The next person I’m interviewing is writer M. Lavon, who wrote Winter’s Divide, a science fiction novel about a global pandemic (because she’s maybe also a psychic?).

Tell us about yourself! What would you like readers to know about you?

M. Lavon: Personally—I have just spent almost 4 months homeschooling my super active school age boys while still working full time (grateful for the luxury, but please don’t ask me about common core math). I am married to a man who accepts my ever-evolving artistic passions with devoted patience. I love crafts, including decorating theme cakes, painting, writing, and creating. Professionally—I am a communications professional who loves to help others tell their story. I manage executive level communications, employee engagement, and operations for a tech company. I have a master’s in communications from the University of Washington. And I recently released a book about a pandemic, during a pandemic, called Winter’s Divide. 

Due to the active pandemic situation, I had to forgo much of my scheduled release activities. However, it has given me an opportunity to connect with new people online and have some great conversations about the book. 

In Winter’s Divide, I really wanted to capture the hardship that people would face during a pandemic and the greater impact an event like that would have on our community. I layered in several social undertones that are so prevalent within our society today and described how they would be magnified by a catastrophic event. I like to tell my readers, Winter’s Divide is gritty and raw, but full of real emotion, it may be heavy for sensitive readers. 

I have been asked a lot about how does writing a book about a pandemic change your lens on our current climate. When I set out to write Winter’s Divide, I knew our current situation was probable. The data and the research were all there, it was a foregone conclusion that a global pandemic was a possibility. Did I think it was going to happen? Honestly, I could not have predicted the timing. I have been truly shocked at the devastation and heart-broken for those that have lost their loved ones or who have had their lives changed forever during this time. 

The other question I get ask often is about the eerie coincidence and similarities between the book and what is happening now, and I can reassure you in no way could I predict what has transpired. I can tell you, if I could, I would definitely have chosen a different release period. 

Alexis: I sympathize! My book, Sapience, has several short stories that refer to a worldwide plague, including one story call “Quarantine.” It’s been such a difficult year for everyone, and so many people are unemployed and struggling right now. It’s not surprising it’s hard to sell books. I just hope things start get better soon (knock on wood).

Winter’s Divide by M. Lavon

What book or books have most influenced you as a writer?

M. Lavon: I am an avid reader. I really like books that inspire emotion. I love to laugh out loud, cry like a baby, fume in anger, and wallow in despair. And I love a book to not let me go, pulling me in and keeping me hostage until the whimpers of the morning breaks into day. There are so many books that have given me those moments and I can’t help but want that for what I write. The first time I cried as a reader, was when I read the Bridge to Terabithia as a kid. I don’t think I every got over that moment and what it felt like to be caught up in it all.

Alexis: I loved Bridge to Terabithia! It wrecked me as a kid—it definitely packs a big emotional punch.

Who is your favorite character in your book? What do you like about them? (or, which character do you hate most and why)

M. Lavon: Hard one! As a writer, you blend what you find interesting into your characters, and you value that “something special” in each of them. It is like asking a parent who’s their favorite child. With that said, I relate the most with Cate, because of her integrity and commitment to her people. However, there is a character that is a break-out from book one going into book two, that I admire the most. She is so strong, such a natural leader, and she really writes herself. 

What are you doing to de-stress during the pandemic? Is there any coping mechanism you’d recommend (or NOT recommend)?

M. Lavon: I am a writer to the core. I have been writing a lot. I have about a 10k word count per week, which keeps me going. I also have a little garden that helps. Shamefully though, I am a horrible Gardner, but I seem to be able to keep the kale, lettuce, and tomatoes alive. Other than that, my life is pure chaos on a regular basis.  

Alexis: I wish I could do more writing! I think it’s just too distracting with a toddler and a six year old at home. But I have been writing in a journal at least a little, and I’m trying to do some writing everyday. I also love gardening.

What do you like to do other than read or write? Do you have any interesting hobbies?

M. Lavon: I am a hobby addict and probably need some sort of professional help. I have been a painter for the majority of my life and spent a short period in fine arts school. I even painted a mural on the front of a local bar when I was younger, which is still there. I am also a hobby cake decorator; you can see my stuff on Instagram @ LaVon Studio Cakes. I most recently took up knitting, you may or may not find a knitting Easter Egg in Winter’s Divide. I am a craft master. It is really kind of ridiculous, actually.

Alexis: I used to knit and crochet quite a bit as well, and then for a while I did nalbinding and tablet weaving, because my husband was really into Viking reenactment. Lately I’ve been sewing face masks.

What TV shows/Movies do you like to watch or stream? 

M. Lavon: I am a binge watcher; I prefer my shows stacked up and ready to consume. I will go and watch an entire series in a couple of days, then not watch TV for weeks. A few on my must watch list are: Handmaid’s Tale, Blacklist, Lost in Space, and Expanse. I do like a good DIY show or a home show. I also have a weird fascination with real estate and architecture shows.  

What advice do you have for other writers or people just getting started in writing?

M. Lavon: Start to build your community BEFORE you come out with your book. Especially, if you are writing under an alias. Have a following ready and waiting in anticipation for the first release. It is so important. There is an appetite for getting the first look before the book is released, reviewers like to see it before its published, so get your list ready. If you go Indie/Self-published, be committed to what that means, because many agents or traditional publishers will not take on a book that has been released already. And If you go traditional, be prepared for the “long wait”, the process is grueling even if your manuscript is amazing. 

How do you choose what books you want to read?

M. Lavon: I have such a crazy book list; it is all about my mood. Sometimes it is all non-fiction science books. I spent an entire year dedicated to quantum physics, astrophysics, artificial intelligence, and the history of computing. Another it was environmental science and arcologies. But I can swing the other way and get lost in a space opera or something like Crazy Rich Asians. My favorite genre is dystopian fiction though.

If you write scifi, what technology or innovations or scientific discoveries have inspired your work?

M. Lavon: I am fascinated by the internet of things and artificial intelligence. That connected ecosystem is really interesting to me. The ghostly predicative nature happening on someone’s behalf, anticipating someone’s every need, without expressing it. There is something creepy and curious in that. Like “how did you know I really wanted a cupcake, to buy a pair of open toed roman sandals, and it’s time to take the dog to the groomer…um… thanks.”

I just started writing a new young adult series that is staged in an archaeology and I explore that connected world, it has been a lot of fun.

M. Lavon, author of Winter’s Divide, interviewed by Alexis Lantgen of Lunarianpress.com

Find out more about M. Lavon!

Social Media: Twitter, Goodreads, and Amazon

Check out her book, Winter’s Divide!

Winter’s Divide Blurb: 

The end of the world didn’t happen with one single event or happen without warning. No, it happened a little at a time, in plain sight, with everyone watching and doing nothing to stop it. 

As the pandemic that threatens to end human civilization makes landfall in the United States, Cate Winter’s life is turned upside down. After she and her sons fall ill with the mysterious virus, her husband, Tom, disappears. Weeks later, when Cate wakes up from a coma, she is alone—and the world has been torn apart. One-third of the human population across the globe is dead and domestic militants and vigilantes are forcing the government into a civil war. And soon Cate begins to uncover secrets, secrets that have shattered her image of a picture-perfect life and entered her into the most heart-wrenching fight for survival. Can Cate uncover the truth—in time to save the survivors?

Sapience

Interview with Author G. M. Nair

The next author I’m talking ot for my interview series is G.M. Nair! I’ve known G.M. on twitter for a while. He wrote such funny tweets that I bought his first book, Duckett & Dyer: Dicks For Hire, which I loved! He’s recently released his second book, The One-Hundred Percent Solution.

Tell us about yourself! What would you like readers to know about you?

G.M. Nair: Hi! I’m G.M. Nair and I’m an Aerospace Engineer who made the decision to get into the highly unlucrative field of independent book publishing with my niche sci-fi/mystery/comedy series Duckett & Dyer: Dicks For Hire. I’ve also written comedy for the stage and screen and am currently working with the NYC Sketch Comedy troupe Infinite Sketch.

Alexis: Awesome! I didn’t know you were an Aerospace Engineer and that you were writing sketch comedy. Sounds amazing!

What book or books have most influenced you as a writer?

G.M. Nair: Well, in my case, Douglas Adams comes to mind. Really, he comes to mind whenever anyone discusses sci-fi comedies, and for good reason. The Hitchhiker’s Guide and Dirk Gently books are certainly some of my biggest sources of inspiration, since I grew up with them. But I like to think that I’ve put my own spin on them by drawing from other sources like Agatha Christie’s Poirot novels, and basically any comic books written in the last 20 years.

Alexis: I love Douglas Adams! He was one of my favorite science fiction authors, and I loved his book Last Chance to See as well.

 What are some tropes of fiction in your genre that you love/hate? Why?

G.M. Nair: If you’ve read my books, it’s obvious that I love time travel and paradoxes. Especially ones that take a good amount of thinking to untangle. It makes me feel clever. I do hate when the time travel doesn’t make consistent sense, though.

I’ve also had enough of ‘chosen one’ main characters. I wanna see some undeserving schlubs going on adventures.

Alexis: I am also sick of the “chosen one” trope. I think that sometimes the biggest impacts on history happen because of ordinary people make choices or take a stand. Think of all the people having an incredible impact right now just by protesting and documenting and videotaping police violence. I think the “chosen one” trope discounts the importance and impact of everyday people trying to do the right thing.

Who is your favorite character in your book? What do you like about them?

G.M. Nair: Stephanie Dyer is probably my favorite character to write, which is a real shame since she never got a point of view chapter in my first book. I remedied that with the second book to give the readers a little more depth into her character. I really enjoy her kookiness and writing out her dumb jokes but also being able to peel back the veil a little bit when looking at the inner turmoil she suppresses.

Duckett & Dyer: Dicks for Hire, by G.M. Nair, reviewed by Alexis Lantgen at Lunarianpress.com

What TV shows/Movies do you like to watch or stream? 

G.M. Nair: I’m currently going through Cowboy Bebop for the first time, which is a lot of fun. But otherwise, I could just watch The Simpsons, Futurama, or Always Sunny In Philadelphia all day.

What’s your favorite animal?

G.M. Nair: The Kakapo. Hands down. Don’t know it? Look it up.

 Alexis: Omg, I actually love Kakapo! I literally have kakapo t-shirts and my Instagram is almost entirely pictures of Australian birds now, since I liked so many kakapo pictures!

Picture from New Zealand Kakapo Recovery! Kakapo are amazing birds, you guys!

Do you like playing video games? What’s your favorite game right now? Has a video game ever influenced you as a writer?  

G.M. Nair: I don’t play as many video games as I used to growing up. But I remember the Final Fantasy games really influencing my pre-teen and teenage writing. I still have stories from that era backed up in my brain, so maybe someday I’ll get around to it.

These days, I’m just playing Mario on the Switch because I don’t have time to devote to anything more in depth.

What advice do you have for other writers or people just getting started in writing?

G.M. Nair: Accept that your first draft is going to be absolute garbage and just get the ideas out in a stream of vomit. It’s a lot easier to fix a thing that exists than to try and fix something that doesn’t.

Also, don’t take advice from randos on the internet.

How do you choose what books you want to read?

G.M. Nair: Mainly by cover and subject matter. Or if I hear people talking about it. It’s a real crapshoot to get me interested in a book. So I guess that’s why I’m not doing gangbuster sales.

G.M. Nair, author of Duckett & Dyer: Dicks for Hire, interviewed by Alexis Lantgen of Lunarianpress.com

Find out more about G.M. Nair!

Books: Duckett & Dyer: Dicks For Hire and The One-Hundred Percent Solution

Website: https://ds-df.com/

Newsletter: https://gmnair.substack.com/p/coming-soon

Social Media: Twitter

Sapience

Interview with Author James Murdo

The next author I’m interviewing as part of my Interview Series is science fiction writer James Murdo., author of Siouca Remembers and the Wanderers Series.

What book or books have most influenced you as a writer?

James Murdo: So many authors and genres, both fictional and factual, but the book that has influenced me the most is The Algebraist, by Iain M Banks. The earliest epic I read was LOTR (Tolkien), whose imagination is incredible, as is the backstory for why he started writing the books.

Alexis: I’ve never read The Algebraist, but it sounds really interesting! I also love LOTR.

What are some tropes of fiction in your genre that you love/hate? Why?

James Murdo: I prefer to ignore the tropes and let a story tell itself, because for me, that’s more organic (and therefore “realistic”). I don’t think it’s correct that every story needs a villain, or a romance, gratuitous sexualization, etc. Maybe I’m wrong, but those are my thoughts.

Who is your favorite character in your book? What do you like about them?

James Murdo: In my novels, I have different classes of artificial intelligence, and I have the most fun with “data-lects”. They are hyper-smart machine intelligences that guard the data exchange portals of the Wanderer civilization. 

Alexis: I always find AI characters fascinating. I think it’s interesting to imagine what a completely different entity, a non-biological organism, would think or feel.

What are you doing to de-stress during the pandemic? Is there any coping mechanism you’d recommend?

James Murdo: Exercise! Recent sunburn has thwarted my recent attempts, but the burn has almost worn off, and “I’ll be back”.

Alexis: I’ve also tried to exercise to stay calm. Since it’s boiling hot in Texas right now, I’ve mostly been doing online yoga videos.

Tell us about a mystery/urban legend from your hometown (or another place you’ve lived).

This isn’t so much from my hometown as my mother’s. When she was younger, she shared a bed with one of her sisters, and every night they’d take it in turns to turn off the room light, then jump back onto the bed as quickly as possible to avoid “Sam Sam the Mad Axe-Man”!

Do you like playing board games or role playing games like D&D? If so, which games do you like best?

James Murdo: Articulate – try it if you haven’t, but be prepared for arguments! It’s a game where you describe as many words as you can to a teammate in ~60 second turns. I have a twin, so when we play at Christmas time and we’re on the same team, we smash it. 

What advice do you have for other writers or people just getting started in writing?

James Murdo: Find critics (harsher the better), proofreaders (multiple) and invest in an editor. It’s important to have a solid foundation to build on, and readers always pick up on bad spelling/grammar first. Read as much about the process of publishing as you can before deciding whether to go self/indie/trad. Kboards is an invaluable forum website for help. Finally – marketing. Learn it. Unfortunately, that’s an important aspect of selling books. You could write the best novel in the world, but if nobody knows its there, you’re publishing straight into a black hole.

How do you choose what books you want to read?

James Murdo: More and more via suggestions from friends, however it depends on the genre.

Do you like Greek/Roman/Norse/Asian/African mythology or folklore? What’s your favorite myth? 

James Murdo: Greek/Roman myths are my bread and butter. I have read quite a bit of Norse and varied Asian mythology too, and would like to find out about African mythology. My favorite myth – Prometheus giving us fire! I also like some of the earlier Greek myths about the Titans. A lot.

Alexis: Prometheus giving us fire is such a complex myth. I often think of it as a metaphor for scientific advancement and perhaps how we often treat innovators, inventors, and scientists.

If you write scifi, what technology or innovations or scientific discoveries have inspired your work?

James Murdo: I keep relatively up to date with scientific developments, and I come from quite a tech-savvy family, so all of that funnels into my psyche, for better or worse.

Author James Murdo, Interviewed by Alexis Lantgen of LunarianPress.com

Find out more about James Murdo

Website

Books: Siouca Remembers and the Wanderers Series

Sapience

Interview with Author and Poet Wendy Van Camp

I’m continuing my series of author interviews with writer and poet Wendy Van Camp whose newest book is a collection of science fiction poetry!

Tell us about yourself! What would you like readers to know about you?

Wendy Van Camp: I am Wendy Van Camp, an author, poet, and a blogger.  My writing platform is called No Wasted Ink.  My blog features classic scifi and fantasy book reviews, author interviews of up and coming in genre authors, a top-ten writing craft article list, my own articles and illustrated science fiction themed poetry.  Everything is free to read on No Wasted Ink.

I write science fiction and fantasy stories.  The stories can be found in many magazines, on Medium, and at Curious Fictions. My Austen Regency book is on all online outlets including Amazon as are several anthologies that have published my science fiction short stories.  I have several science fiction novel series in the pipeline.

I am known for my scifaiku and astropoetry.  Scifaiku is science fiction themed haiku.  Astropoetry is any poetry that features the science of the cosmos.  I illustrate my scifaiku and sell them as art prints at science fiction convention art shows.  My first poetry book is “The Planets: a scifaiku poetry collection” and it features 108 poems about the planets of our solar system.  The book is nominated for an Elgin Award.

Alexis: Interesting! I’ve also had good luck selling books at Cons, and they’re really fun to attend. I’ll admit, I haven’t read much science fiction poetry, but I have noticed that magazines like Fantasy & Science Fiction or Asimov’s often include scifi poetry. I think it’s a really fascinating and emergent genre.

Wendy Van Camp’s book, The Planets: a scifaiku poetry collection.

What book or books have most influenced you as a writer?

Wendy Van Camp: I first started reading science fiction as a pre-teen.  The first book I read in genre is “A Princess of Mars” by Edgar Rice Burroughs.  I loved the Thark woman Sola and Dejah Thoris as much as the hero, John Carter.  Next were the juvenile novels of Robert A Heinlein.  The science detail of the stories entralled  me. The stories were geared for young people and were mainly science fiction coming of age tales. They are somewhat dated today, but still entertaining.  Other authors that I loved were Andre Norton, Anne McCaffery, Vonda N. McIntyre, and Ursula LeGuin.  

I found books that highlighted the relationships of the characters and showed a more overview of their world more appealed to me rather than ones that strictly spoke about the science and little else.  These are two different styles in science fiction.  Both appeal to audiences, but for me the character driven stories connected better.  As a writer, I find that my stories are also more character driven and I like to pull in a sense of reality to my world-building, even if the location is far from Earth or far in the future.

Alexis: That’s interesting! I actually really liked Anne McCaffery when I was younger, and I still love Ursula LeGuin. I’m reading a collection of stories by Octavia Butler now, with are incredible—fascinating and dark in the best possible way.

Who is your favorite character in your book? What do you like about them?

Wendy Van Camp: I do not have characters in “The Planets: a scifaiku poetry collection”.  Instead, each chapter of the book focuses on a different planet of our solar system.  I’m a bit old-fashioned in my including Pluto as a planet, but I still think of our home system as having nine planets with additional dwarf worlds.  Using the scientific data as inspiration for my poems, I also included historical connections and science fiction concepts to flavor the science fiction themed haiku.

What are you doing to de-stress during the pandemic? Is there any coping mechanism you’d recommend (or NOT recommend)?

Wendy Van Camp: At first, I spent much time worrying that my family would not have enough food to eat.  Facing those empty store shelves in March was frightening. The stress of watching all my speaking events and conventions close down one by one was difficult.  I focused on learning how to keep my family safe from the virus and to cope with my husband working from home. I was not productive during this time and read plenty of books or watched old movies.  I tried to limit my news watching so that it did not overwhelm me.

In April, I began to reconnect with friends and venues via Zoom and Skype.  I was invited to be a co-panelist on a science fiction podcast as a semi-regular.  I discovered that there was a range of new events where I could read my writing and poetry to new audiences.  Then some of the conventions that I would normally attend in person went virtual and I found that I loved having additional access to these events in this way.

From that point on, I have found that my creativity and productivity have returned.  I am busy writing new stories and poems, keeping up with my blog, and implementing new methods to generate sales online.  I still miss selling at a table or going to an event to do programming as an author and poet, but in some ways this new “normal” has been good for me. As long as both my husband and I keep our health, I am content.

Alexis: I also found it was hard to be productive in the beginning of the pandemic. I think the stress and the daily grind, as well as working from home while wrangling a toddler, was just overwhelming. I’m glad that I’m finally starting to feel productive and inspired again.

Do you have pet? If so, share a picture of your pet!

Wendy Van Camp: My little co-worker is a cat named Biscuit.  My husband saw her at the local animal shelter when we went looking for a new kitten.  He refused to leave the shelter without her. She was a little tawny lump, afraid and alone. She wrapped her paw around his heart at first sight.  Biscuit is now an adult and quite mischievous.  She hangs out with me when I write and loves to steal my fountain pens or play with the elastic of my traveler’s notebook. Pouncing feet is her specialty.

Alexis: Biscuit is a adorable name for a kitty! My husband always tries to act like he’s too tough to love our cats, but then he’s totally thrilled when one of them sleeps on his lap all day now that he’s working from home. Honestly, my cats have loved us staying home during the pandemic.

Author Wendy Van Camp’s adorable kitty Biscuit! Photo by Wendy Van Camp, Interview by Alexis Lantgen on Lunarianpress.com

What do you like to do other than read or write? Do you have any interesting hobbies?

Wendy Van Camp: I am a certified gemologist and enjoy the study of gemstones.  I did the training to aid me as a buyer in my former jewelry business.  I learned a great deal about precious stones and diamonds and pearls.  I felt my years of buying semi-precious stones at gemfairs made me a little better at identification than my instructors, but their knowledge of the stones and their properties/hardness was of aid to me as a jewelry designer.  While I no longer consider myself to be a full-time artisan jeweler, I still enjoy creating the odd piece of jewelry for myself or friends.

Alexis: Gemologist! That’s fascinating! I used to love doing “rock projects” when I was teaching science, and I have a rock collection. Being a gemologist sounds amazing and so creative.

What advice do you have for other writers or people just getting started in writing?

Wendy Van Camp: I know that most people will tell you to “just write”.  There is some truth to this.  You can’t be a writer if you are not putting words on the page.  I also like to tell new writers to find their community.  Knowing other writers, peers who are going through the same learning curve and experiences you are, is extremely helpful.  Our family and non-writer friends mean well and want to be supportive, but sometimes unknowingly they set up roadblocks to the creative process.  Writing peers can give you advice about software and hardware choices, methods of scheduling, be co-workers at sprints and serve as sounding boards.  There are many ways to connect these days.  Online writing communities on the internet, Facebook Groups, local writing associations are all there to help you during those crucial early years.  It doesn’t matter if you are a novelist, a short story author, or a poet.  Finding your people should be a priority.

How do you choose what books you want to read?

Wendy Van Camp: I’m old-fashioned in that I generally find them via word of mouth.  Many of my friends are writers and talking about a good book we’ve just discovered always comes up.  Sometimes they are craft books, but other times they are books we’ve enjoyed.  Another method is by going to conventions and hearing authors read their work.  Many times I have listened to a reading and have ended the venue with an autographed book to take home.

If you write scifi, what technology or innovations or scientific discoveries have inspired your work?

Wendy Van Camp: As a science fiction author and poet, I find that keeping a “commonplace book” of science discoveries, announcements, or facts about other worlds is invaluable to me as a tool.  For “The Planets”, I used science journal articles about our solar system as the inspiration for my poetry.  I would read about the atmosphere, the ground, the composition of the air and I would use this as a starting point for my poems.  Now that my poetry book is done, I am using the same science research as the foundation of a new series of novels and short stories that take place in the solar system.  They are in the pipeline and I hope to debut the first of them by the end of 2020.

Alexis: That’s awesome! I found that learning more about science, especially other planets and moons in our solar system and current theories about AI, helped inspire my book, Sapience, as well. I think keeping a books of science discoveries is a great idea for science fiction writers.

Wendy Van Camp, author of The Planets: a scifaiku poetry collection, interviewed by Alexis Lantgen of Lunarianpress.com

Find out more about Wendy Van Camp!

Books: The Planets: a scifaiku poetry collection and The Curates’s Brother

Website: https://nowastedink.com

Medium: https://medium.com/@wvancamp

Twitter: https://twitter.com/wvancamp

Thank you fro reading! I hope to post more author interviews soon!

Sapience

Interview with Author Joseph Hurtgen

I had a such a good time talking to K.M. Jenkins for her author interview, that I’ve decided to do a whole lot more of them! I find it really fascinating to learn what other authors find interesting and what inspires them to write!

Tell us about yourself! What would you like readers to know about you?

I’m an English professor and a family man. My perfect day includes writing 500 words, reading for a couple hours, adventuring at the park with my daughter, and having good discussions with my students about stories. I’m not your Harlan Ellison type, driving around in a muscle car and skidding to a stop to jump out for a fight. I’m a passivist, permanently in lecture mode, endlessly analyzing. Everything is a theory.  

What book or books have most influenced you as a writer?

Let me start by apologizing here as I tend to try to think in syllabus format as a result of my profession. The books I’ve listed could best be organized into three different classes: Classic Science Fiction; Cyberpunk Literature; Postmodernism.

Classic Science Fiction:

Contact by Carl Sagan; 2001 by Arthur C. Clarke; The Space Merchants by Kornbluth and Pohl; The Island of Doctor Moreau, The Time Machine, and The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells

Cyberpunk Literature:

Islands in the Net, Distraction and Holy Fire by Bruce Sterling; Neuromancer by William Gibson; Snow Crash and The Diamond Age by Neal Stephenson; Software by Rudy Rucker; 

Postmodernism:

Simulacra and Simulation and America by Jean Baudrillard; The Original Accident and Pure War by Paul Virilio; The Crying of Lot 49 and Vineland by Thomas Pynchon; White Noise by Don DeLillo; Postmodernism, or, The Cultural Logic of Late Capitalism by Fredric Jameson 

What are you doing to de-stress during the pandemic? Is there any coping mechanism you’d recommend?

I get outside.

“Have you reckoned the earth much?” —Walt Whitman

It’s a rhetorical question. A rich life is a life outdoors, even if it’s just in your backyard. One of the secrets to living well is to connect with nature. I tend to live in my own head a lot, so getting out helps me get to a place of mindfulness. You go out and look at a massive tree, watch the breeze gently play with the branches. The ruffling leaves look like ocean waves or maybe they just look like leaves, either way it’s beautiful. You spend some time thinking about the longevity of a tree. Trees common to Kentucky can hit two or three hundred years. It’s rare to find anything that old now, but they have the potential for it. There’s awe there. Feeling awe is good for the human spirit. So, by day I feel awe for the trees, the shape of hills, and then by night, you can stargaze and get tangled in the mystery of time and space.

Do you like playing video games? What’s your favorite game right now? Has a video game ever influenced you as a writer?

Absolutely! I’m typically drawn to strategy games. I’m not sure if chess counts, but I’ve played it online off and on for decades now, ever since Yahoo.com created an online gaming platform. My favorite games in recent years are Faster Than Light, Cardhunter, and Sins of a Solar Empire. Though I’m more likely to run an emulator to play something weirdly old like Castles II, Out of This World, or Top Gear 3000. Abandonware is forever. 

Two of my books, Tower Defender and tae-kwon-GO, my work in progress, feature video games played in virtual reality and augmented reality. I’ve never played those types of games myself, but the competitive nature of online gaming as well as the community building that takes place in an online game have given me a lot to draw on in my books.

Tower Defender by Joseph Hurtgen, interviewed by Alexis Lantgen at LunarianPress.com

What advice do you have for other writers or people just getting started in writing?

Read as much as you can. Not just fiction either. Read books about the craft of writing. Read grammar books. Virginia Tufte’s Artful Sentences helped me a lot. So did Constance Hale’s Sin and Syntax. I like some advice that I recently read from William Gibson. Take care of your gums, he said. Finally, enjoy your life. Even if no one else in the world knows what you’re up to, don’t let that stop you from enjoying your own creative process and the art you make.

How do you choose what books you want to read?

I’m a little insane with books. I’m a book hunter. I horde the things and simultaneously try to read everything, particularly science fiction, philosophy, political science, and works that academia loosely calls theory. As often as possible, I’ll read Nebula and Hugo award winners and nominated works. Those books aren’t necessarily my favorite, but they provide a good window for the development and alterity of the genre. As far as more scholarly works I read, I follow the yellow brick road of citations. Scholarly writers are forever citing other thinkers, other writers. So, you read Jean Baudrillard’s The Gulf War Did Not Happen and he mentions Paul Virilio. That becomes the next read.

What technology or innovations or scientific discoveries have inspired your work?

Brain to computer interfaces have my interest piqued. Funny enough, this technology is part of our archive of past futures. If you go back 35 years to Bruce Sterling’s Schismatrix, he talks about two distinct types of human life extension therapies or modes, perhaps. The mechanist and shaping modes. Mechanists turn the body into a human/cyborg hybrid. Whereas, shapers use genetic interventions to alter bodies from the inside out. If humanity doesn’t impale itself on various manmade extinction events in the next century, then the human experience will most likely be very different. Namely, we’ll hit the medical singularity, the point when medical interventions successively extend human life by one year, meaning that barring serious traffic accidents or Highlander-esque swordfighting competitions, you can live forever. We’ll be fitted together with a lot of vacuum tubes and chrome, but we’ll benefit from living in unison with ten generations of family rather than three or four. The downside is that family get-togethers will get pretty expensive.

Joseph Hurtgen, author of Tower Defender and Sherman, interviewed by Alexis Lantgen at LunarianPress.com

Find out more about Joseph Hurtgen:

Blog: Rapid Transmission

Books: Sherman and Tower Defender

Twitter: @JosephHurtgen

Sapience

Healing and Justice in June!

I hardly know where to begin as I write this. Originally, I was going to write about how happy I was that school was out, since it’s been a very stressful and difficult year for all the obvious reasons. But that post doesn’t feel accurate anymore. I don’t feel relieved. I feel like crying for my country. For the hundred thousand lives lost to Covid 19, for the victims of police violence, and for the ongoing violence that’s tearing apart so many of our cities, including my own.

Safety and Justice

As much as I hope that this terrible virus is going to die down over the summer, I’m not confident that will happen without people committing to safe, responsible practices to help protect everyone. Being a good citizen isn’t just about freedom—it’s also about responsibility and our duty to our fellow citizens. It’s about building healthy and safe communities. We owe it to each other to wear masks and socially distance as needed, to protect the vulnerable. We owe it to ourselves to wash our hands and take other precautions. I understand that staying home and social distancing is getting old and tiring. Believe me, I can’t wait until it’s safe to go to a pool or have a regular birthday party for my child or visit the zoo or a museum. But I don’t think it’s right to risk any of those things while the infection rate is still climbing, as it is in my state. So please be safe and follow what ever precautions you need to protect yourself and the vulnerable people around you.

I really debated whether or not to say anything about the terrible tragedies that are tearing our country apart. But, I think it’s important. As a white person, I know I’m privileged, so consider this my small statement. We must hold our police and politicians accountable for the murders of unarmed black people. It’s horrible. George Floyd was murdered. He has a six year old daughter, and someday that poor baby is probably going to see a video of her daddy being murdered in the street. As a mother, that hurts my heart. I can’t imagine the pain his family is experiencing right now.

At the same time, while I understand the anger and frustration and rage at the horrible violation and injustice of seeing a man murdered in the street like that, please stop the violence. Smashing up people’s homes and businesses won’t get justice for George. The best way to stop police violence? Vote!! Vote for prosecutors and judges and politicians who will hold violent police officers accountable. Vote for county sheriffs who will listen to the people and train their officers to protect and serve without brutality or racism.

Maybe consider donating to the NAACP or other organizations that support racial equality. Considering that Covid 19 is still raging, I think it’s also important to support Medical organizations like Doctors without Borders.

Books!

In a lighter note, I’m looking forward to reading this summer, and so far my list of summer books includes: Searching for Sappho by Phillip Freeman, Duckett & Dyer: The One Hundred Percent Solution by G.M. Nair, and Unorthodox by Deborah Feldman. If you’re interested in online book fairs, my books are going to be in Joyful June Books (Sci-Fi and Fantasy books in Kindle Unlimited), Summer Sci-Fi and Fantasy Book Sale, Sci-Fi and Fantasy Reads in June (Kindle Unlimited), and the Fantasy Exclusive Sale.

Yay Science!

Also, the NASA/Space X Crew Dragon safely sent US astronauts to the International Space Station! In a time when everything sort of feels like it’s falling apart, this is one thing that really makes me proud of our country and our scientific achievements. As a sci-fi writer and former science teacher, I love that we’re doing so much to explore our Cosmos and advance scientific discovery for all humankind. If there’s anything that gives me hope right now, it’s that I know America is full of dedicated scientists, doctors, nurses, and other amazing people who are working hard everyday to find solutions to the horrible problems we all face.

Summer Sci-Fi and Fatasy Book Sale on Story Origin, hosted by Alexis Lantgen of Lunarianpress.com

Joyful June Books on Story Origin for Sci-Fi & Fantasy in Kindle Unlimited, hosted by Alexis Lantgen of Lunarianpress.com

Sapience