R.J. Grey's Blog, page 2

Fictional Interview with RJ

As I tend to post mostly about my books or progress, it occurs to me that I don't often connect with the readers on a more personal level. So, in offering a chance to get to know RJ Grey, here are some sample "Getting to Know You" questions I've answered (courtesy of Humor That Works):

Favorites Questions

What was your favorite food when you were a child?

Macaroni & Cheese

What’s the #1 most played song on your iPod?

"Sweetness" by Jimmy Eat World

What is one of your favorite quotes?

"Living well is the best revenge" —George Herbert

What’s your favorite indoor/outdoor activity?

Playing with my band, both indoors and outdoors

What chore do you absolutely hate doing?

Dusting

What is your favorite form of exercise?

Just in case "playing the drums" doesn't count, swimming

What is your favorite time of day/day of the week/month of the year?

Time of Day: Evening Day of the Week: Saturday Month of the Year: October

What’s your least favorite mode of transportation?

A tie between giant slingshot and circus cannon, but in all seriousness, I hate buses

What is your favorite body part?

Eyes

What sound do you love?

A crisp, yet authoritative and resonant snare drum

If… Questions

If you could throw any kind of party, what would it be like and what would it be for?

I'd throw a party akin to the ridiculous soirees of The Great Gatsby, complete with music, live entertainment, and a costume theme. It'd be for charity, either cancer research or the prevention of animal cruelty.

If you could paint a picture of any scenery you’ve seen before, what would you paint?

I'd paint the Colosseum in Rome

If you could choose to stay a certain age forever, what age would it be?

22

If you knew the world was ending, what would you do differently?

I'd stop working and focus on time with friends and family, perhaps stop worrying so much about pleasing people that weren't important to me.

If you could choose anyone, who would you pick as your mentor?

Dave Grohl

If you could witness any event past, present or future, what would it be?

I'd want to be present when humans and extraterrestrials met for the first time.

If you could learn to do anything, what would it be?

Learn to build a house from the ground up

If you had to work on only one project for the next year, what would it be?

My books— I'd love the free time to do nothing but write and write and write

If you were immortal for a day, what would you do?

All of the thrillseeker type things I could, like sky-diving or driving a race car

If you won the lottery, what is the first thing you would do?

Aside from quitting my job and paying my bills? I would plan a trip around the world on my new yacht!

If you were reincarnated as an animal/drink/ice cream flavor, what would it be?

Animal: Umm… Dragon! Drink: Whatever Emma Stone is thirsty for. Ice Cream Flavor: Chocolate, because I like to comfort people.

If you could know the answer to any question, besides “What is the meaning of life?”, what would it be?

Are we alone in the universe?

If you could be any fictional character, who would you choose?

Data

Personal History Questions

What was one of the best parties you’ve ever been to?

New Year's Eve with all of my friends dressed fancy.

What did you do growing up that got you into trouble?

Fought with my brother

When was the last time you had an amazing meal?

Just a few days ago, an amazing Korean beef burrito!

What do you miss most about being a kid?

Not having bills, or a job. I didn't mind school once I was a teenager. I saw my friends every day, and now it's hard to find that time.

What was the first thing you bought with your own money?

Probably a TMNT action figure back in 1990

When was the last time you were nervous?

I'm always nervous, every time I check Amazon and see that my books have gotten a new review.

What is something you learned in the last week?

Being 30 years old isn't all that bad.

What story does your family always tell about you?

Probably how I was a bratty, potty-mouthed kid!

At what age did you become an adult?

I'll let you know when I get there!

Random Questions

Is a picture worth a thousand words? Elaborate.

No, it is worth 999 words, because any good writer would use as many words as possible without hitting the limit.

Where’s Waldo?

Behind you! Look out! He has a knife!

The best part of waking up is?

Being covered in cats.

How now brown cow?

Bow wow pow vow.

Whasssssuuuupppppp?

WAAZZZZZZZZZZAAAAHHHHHP!!

2014 for Humanastra

2013 was an amazing year for me personally. I finally fulfilled my dream of becoming an author by penning not just one, but two novels. I've received mostly positive feedback on H1: The Hidden World and now H2: Whispers & War Machines is seeing an encouraging surge in sales. It's been everything a new author could hope for.

I'm aiming for a similar 2014, but instead of two books, I plan on writing three. One of the books (as you might expect) will be the third in the Humanastra series. The other two will be shorter novels, probably in the neighborhood of 35,000-45,000 words instead of the 125,000+ word count in H1 and H2. So, while I will be releasing more titles this year, I'll actually be writing fewer words.

It's not my intention to scale back the effort I'm putting in. On the contrary, I'm going to have three books to edit, which is just as much (if not more) work as writing the novel itself. It's during the editing process that I add depth to the characters and the world they roam, and where I often draw on ideas that I want to stretch into the next installment. That's no easy task, and 2014 is going to be strenuous, but I'm up for the challenge and look forward to expanding the Humanastra universe.

The Wiki is Alive!

Happy Monday everyone! The Humanastra #wiki is live and ready for exploration! There are still a few pages that I need to create, but as of right now there are over 220 pages of information on the Humanastra universe. #scifi #ebook

http://humanastra.wikidot.com/

Warning: There are minor spoilers for those who haven't finished the books yet, but for the most part you'll be able to avoid spoilers if you choose to. They're hidden within collapsible blocks of text and labeled SPOILER, so it's really at your own risk!

A couple people asked why I made a wiki, and I've got two answers to that: 1) I have a lot of info and characters in my books. The wiki should help the readers (and at times, the author) keep things straight. It's more of an organizational tool. 2) I wanted to create a more interactive forum with my readers than just a standard website where I attempt to profess in an unfocused blog. It's my hope that (eventually) readers will form a community instead of a one-sided flow of info from me to you.

Happy exploring!

Love Thine Characters

This is a warning for all future and aspiring writers out there. At some point in the process, you're going to fall in love with your characters. It's an unavoidable quandary as you give them the qualities you wish you saw in yourself. You may encounter this phenomenon very early, perhaps while devising a compelling background for your hero, or it may happen as it did in my case: in the middle of writing your second novel.

Though I'm offering this as a warning, I don't believe it's a bad thing. You cross a certain point, and you realize that you've breathed enough life into a character that they've become a real person. They mean something to you. When you write about their pain and struggles, you feel it. As the author, harness that sensation and explore it. If you feel something, and you can write it well enough, your reader will feel it too.

On the flip-side, you may have characters you hate. That can be a good thing if you hate them for who they are, not for your shortcomings in the creative process. Every character deserves a history, and once you nail that down , you can begin to explain why you hate them. Villains can be compelling tools to create favor for your hero, but they weren't born bad. Give just the tiniest glimpse of why that character is so evil, and let the imagination of your readers fill in the rest.

Sci-Fi Easter Eggs

"Turrets eight, fifteen and twenty three are lost," Eva reported.

As a fellow human, I'm a firm believer that we are all the sum of the experiences we've had, the people we've met, and the things we love. I'm no exception, and I embrace that fact in my writing. Throughout the 125,000 words of Humanastra I, you may find little phrases or ideas that pay homage to my many influences over the years. The sentence from my book that I've quoted above is a perfect example.

When read in context, it's rather easy to gloss over the hidden details. However, when you see this sentence by itself, the point should become a bit more apparent. Anyone who's watched the show "Lost" should understand the reference I'm making in the sentence above. If you'll recall, there was a recurring theme of "the numbers" on Lost, which were 4, 8, 15, 16, 23 and 42. Now read the sentence above again. Get it?

There are a few easter-eggs like this in my writing, some of which reference TV shows or movies or song lyrics or pop culture. These are the things in my life that made me who I am, and while it may seem cheap or even borderline plagiarist to include these ideas in my writing, I can assure you these clues are so subtly inserted that they're often difficult to detect. The bottom line: It's all about respect.

Ear Candy

Sometimes, I prefer absolute silence and isolation when I'm writing. However, most of time I prefer music to get me into the mood of what scenes I'm writing. Perhaps something upbeat and orchestral when my characters are exploring, or dark and industrial when they're battling, or soft and somber when they're having an emotional epiphany. I find it easier to connect the dots when I have musical reinforcement fueling my brain, as if I was writing the script to a movie that already had a great soundtrack.

What do I listen to when I'm writing?

-Lord of the Rings soundtrack
-Mass Effect 2 and 3 soundtracks
-Rush (any album really)
-Two Steps from Hell
-Final Fantasy soundtracks (multiple games, or really anything by Nobuo Uematsu)
-"Chill" station on Sirius XM radio

Any suggestions for other music that takes your brain to far off worlds?

Writing Roadblocks

One of the things I find most difficult in writing is finding a way to connect major ideas. How can I get characters from Point A to Point B in an interesting way? It's painful when you're stuck in Chapter 5, but you REALLY REALLY REALLY want to write Chapter 7 because that's when "something awesome" happens. You race with fingers blazing on your keyboard until you get there. Then you look back at Chapter 6 and realize you wrote a bunch of crap for the sake of getting to the part you REALLY REALLY REALLY wanted to write about. You don't want any filler, so you have to go back, explore that part of the story, and make it shine. If it adds nothing, why is it there? If its only purpose is to connect two ideas, is it necessary? Are the details worth it?

Writing isn't easy, and I'm far from an expert. I'm 30,000 words into Humanastra 2, and I'm still learning something new about my characters every day. When I write what I've learned, I think it helps the story. It gives these fictional people a purpose, and isn't that all we really want out of life? To know why we're here? Do the same to your characters. Breathe life into them, and you will be rewarded with the ability to meet these people in the pages of your story.