You are a prolific writer, I enjoyed looking at your site
and seeing all you have written. Thank
you for your willingness to be interviewed.
I noticed links for other interviews on your site and have included a link
to the site here.
With the other interviews in mind, I will keep this brief
but feel free to expound to your hearts content. BTW I really enjoy the way you provide a
back story for the major players such Trixie and Bronx.
1.)
What sparked the Asylum Tales?
Asylum Tales started while I was sitting in a tattoo parlor,
talking to the artists while getting a little ink. I was nearing the end of the Dark Days series
and I needed to start turning my mind to what I would work on next. The suggestion came up that my next hero
needed to be a tattoo artist. We joked
and laughed about it, but something about the suggestion stuck in my head,
eventually leading to the birth of Gage Powell, warlock-turned-tattoo artist.
The series was also formed with the notion that I wanted to
write something drastically different from the Dark Days series. I had spent several years working with
paranormal creatures that were hiding from humanity. I now wanted to work on something where
everything was out in the open so I could deal with other issues, like what
does an incubus do when he’s struggling to make his monogamous relationship
work?
2.)
Does your story line develop organically or is
it a gestalt before you begin?
It’s a mix for me.
For some stories, it’s a matter of who I want to be the focus. For The
Asylum Interviews: Bronx, I knew Bronx had
to figure heavy in the story so that I could show off some of his best
qualities. As a result, the story
developed around the character. In other
stories, there are specific questions that I want to answer about Gage, the
world, or just something larger that I want to tackle, and the story grows from
there. Largely, plotting out a story is
a lot of me staring at the wall and wondering “what if?”
3.)
Do you have any tattoos yourself and if so of
what and ignore this if it is too personal.
Yes, I currently have four tattoos; three on my back and one
on my leg. The first is an
hourglass. The second is a design that
covers most of my back. The third is the
sun and moon forming a circle on my leg.
The fourth is the main symbol from the video game Final Fantasy X. Each has a special meaning to me.
4.)
Do you have a favorite character in the series
and if so why?
Outside of the main three (Gage, Bronx,
and Trixie), I think my favorite is probably Chang, though there are several
other characters who are running a very close second. Chang is so much fun to write because I’m
never quite sure what’s going to come out of his mouth. He’s very smart and very cunning, which make
him a dangerous man, but it definitely helps that he’s also fond of Gage. Even so, I wouldn’t put it past him to try to
sneak something by the tattoo artist. As
a dealer in black market goods, he has his hands on everything and I love
learning what interesting items he has in his massive warehouse. Chang also has a very big secret that I’m
hoping to tackle one day.
5.)
What do you like the most about writing?
I love exploring new worlds with interesting characters. I like watching my characters find ways to
escape bad situations and beating the bad guys when the odds are against
it. I like watching their sacrifices and
knowing all their inner thoughts. I love
watching the words fall onto the page, breathing life into a world I’ve created
in my mind.
6.)
Where do your new story ideas come from?
I have no idea most of the time. I’m a daydreamer. I wander about the world, soaking in
experiences and new ideas. The result
tends to be new and strange story ideas about tattoo artists, gargoyles,
trolls, and vampires. I’ve been writing
since I was twelve years old and the stories just stockpile in my brain until I
have time to get them down on paper.
7.)
What advice has helped the most in your writing?
Butt in chair.
You can dream, hope, and wish to write books all you want,
but it’s never going to happen until you get your butt in the chair and put the
words down. In that process you have to
write a lot of words, most of them being wrong, before you get the right ones
down in the right order.
8.) What advice would you give for the want to be an author?
See my answer to the previous question. Wanting something is a nice start, but you
need to start getting the words down and finishing projects before you can ever
get close to publication.
This book may have been received free of charge from a publisher or a publicist. That will NEVER have a bearing on my recommendations. 
