What’s the story behind the story? What inspired you to write Unmitigated Violence (Empire of Violence #1)?
I wanted to write a story that was unapologetically brutal and masculine, to provide catharsis in the face of all the frustrations that we’re all faced with every day. I wanted to write a story for any people who had faced some form of injustice that seemed impossible to set right, for those people who had to sit there and take it, but had fleeting images go through their mind of just going berserk and showing everybody what happens when you f*#@ with somebody too much. I think stories like this are a good outlet.
I hope I’ve written this one in an entertaining enough way that, every now and then, readers will clench a fist and say “f*#@ yeah, get ’em” and feel like, at least in some universe, the bad guys got what they deserved and the reader got to see it all. The hero of this story is able to apply brute force to a problem that, unfortunately, is a lot more nuanced in real life. I love watching movies and I’m sure people will be reminded of such films as Death Wish, Law Abiding Citizen, and The Crow while reading Unmitigated Violence.
If you had to pick theme songs for the main characters of Unmitigated Violence (Empire of Violence #1), what would they be?
Bachman Turner Overdrive – Let it Ride.
What’s your favorite genre to read? Is it the same as your favorite genre to write?
I like reading Horror and Fantasy books. Two genres I haven’t written much in actually.
What books are on your TBR pile right now?
A Book of Short Stories by Stephen King.
What scene in your book was your favorite to write?
Probably the bonfire scene. This was the first scene from the book that I saw in my head and I was looking forward to getting to it the whole time. It took longer than I wanted to get there, but I felt for it to have the right impact, I had to build up the world enough so that while it was happening, and afterwards, the reader would agree that the bad guy deserved it and the hero was still a hero… albeit one not above using over-the-top violence.
Do you have any quirky writing habits? (lucky mugs, cats on laps, etc.)
Nothing too crazy, certainly nothing superstitious. I do prefer to be by myself while writing, so it mostly happens in my room with either nobody else in the house or nobody awake at least. I’m not the type of author who thrives in a coffee shop, people would be too close. If the weather is nice, I can find enough space for myself in a park under a tree, that’s nice.
I need the space because I can’t seem to write when I’m hearing words, they just get in the way of the words I’m trying to write. So I can’t be around people talking, and I can’t listen to music either.
Sometimes I listen to purely instrumental music, if it captures the mood of the scene I’m trying to write, but I prefer it to not be a song I would listen to for pure enjoyment on its own. I once listened to a 10 hour looping version of the Hans Zimmer theme from the movie Inception while writing a few chapters in a book.
Do you have a motto, quote, or philosophy you live by?
Be kind, because everybody you meet is fighting a hard battle.
If you could choose one thing for readers to remember after reading your book, what would it be?
Dear Reader, please remember that you had fun reading the book!
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