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Sunday, March 4, 2012

Author Interview with Randall Morris



1. Why do you write?
I'm a history major so I write a lot of non-fiction papers loaded with primary and secondary sources. I've read since I was a little kid and I've always enjoyed it. It was a dream of mine to write a book and it finally came true Jan. 27 when I published my first ebook, Jehovah and Hades.

2. How many books have you written?
Just one so far. Jehovah and Hades will most likely be the middle book in a trilogy. I'm working on the prequel, which I've tentatively entitled "The Journals of Jacob and Hyde." It traces the father of Jehovah and Hades and goes much more into how they got the Dr. Jekyll / Mr. Hyde curse.

3. What inspired you to write your (latest) book?
I'm a big fan of J.A. Konrath's blog. I stumbled across it by accident one day when doing some research for a history paper I was writing. The idea of getting my books out on the Kindle and other e-readers and tablets sounded really good to me. I've had the idea in my head for a while and all readers and writers know how annoying an idea can be if you don't go somewhere with it. 

4. What is your favorite genre to read?
I love horrors, thrillers, and mysteries. I basically like reading things that make me have some type of reaction. I really enjoy history books too because I enjoy being able to contribute whenever anyone discusses historical topics. It's interesting to know little random bits about history and they come in useful every once in a while. 

5. Is your writing style at all influenced by those of your favorite authors?
I drew heavily from how I've seen Dan Brown and Stephen King write. I don't think I mimic their styles perfectly but there are elements of a lot of their books in my own. 

6. Which is your favorite book that you’ve written?
I only have one. It must be my favorite. I guess, by default, it's also my least favorite. 

7. What is your opinion of the art of writing?
I work for Geek Squad and I deal a lot with computers, home theater systems, and electronics. I have a very nice home theater system myself. Regardless of how often I watch a movie, there's more that's communicated to me through a book. Writers can adapt with technology and continue to bring great literature to the world. The art of writing will stick around as long as it continues to flow with the way our technology does, which it has so far. It's one of the most ancient forms of communication and there's a reason it's stuck around this long. 

8. What advice would you give someone who is just beginning their own novel?
I actually have a blog post about writing a book. Basically, I'd say just keep yourself focused on your goals. Don't get side tracked reading every blog and every little piece of information you can find on how to publish. I could have released my own book sooner if I hadn't been obsessed with figuring all the little intricacies of publishing out way in advance. 

9. Do you have any funny and / or interesting stories about how you’ve come up with plots or characters?
Well a lot of my characters in Jehovah and Hades are based of my work in history and the Geek Squad. Their destination, the Philippines, was where I served as a missionary for two years. I speak Tagalog fluently (or at least well enough to get by). The drunken rantings of Carlos in Jollibees are actually based on drunk guys I met in the Philippines. I met a lot of them. One time a Filipino missionary showed me that if you start to lean to one side and continue to lean gradually more and more in that direction, the drunk will try to compensate for what he thinks is being off balance and will usually fall over. After all my experience with drunks, I thought it would be fun to briefly make Carlos one. There are also a lot of really intelligent leaders I met over there who form the basis of the character Teddy. All the foods and little cultural things I wrote into the book are pretty much true as well. 

10. Coke or Pepsi?
Coke all the way. In all honesty, I'll drink either but I have a Coke clock in my kitchen that I think is awesome. I like saving up Coke points to buy stuff to put around my house. I don't think Pepsi has a similar rewards program, so their loss.

You can follow Randall on his blog, become a fan on Facebook, and buy his book here.

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