Today I welcome the irrepressible J.S Wayne. His stories have and continue to thrill the reader in me.
Okay J.S, down to business. Now I want the truth the whole truth and nothing but the truth. LOL
Q. What did you do when you received your first book contract?
A. The day I landed my first contract was a huge one for me. I was right in the middle of my work week at my hellishly evil day job, but the next night off my wife and I had together, we went out to dinner to celebrate! Over dinner, I told her, “You realize that this is going to be the next sixty years or so now, right?”
She said, “I’m very proud of you, Mr. Wayne. Give ‘em hell!”
And so I did!
Q: If you could start your life over what would you change?
A: You know, I honestly don’t think I’d change a thing. There are parts of my life that have been painful, and times when I went to bed at night praying I wouldn’t wake up. I’ve had my triumphs and God knows I’ve had my down times. But everything I’ve done, everywhere I’ve been, and everyone I’ve ever known, has shaped the man I am today. I don’t regret who I am, so looking back, how can I regret where I’ve been?
Q. Do you ever suffer from writer's block? How do you cope?
A. I believe you and I have talked about this before, but I don’t believe in writers’ block. For a long time, and I’m borrowing shamelessly from Mercedes Lackey here, I’ve considered that to be a cop-out, another way of saying “I don’t want to do the damn work” without actually saying “I don’t want to do the damn work!” I will, however, admit to occasionally getting stuck on a WIP. When that happens, I either do more research, or I switch gears and go on to the next project until I feel confident that I can move on with the current one. Either way, if I don’t write, I don’t get paid, so I don’t have time to nurse neuroses. The phrase “publish or perish” applies here just as much, if not moreso, than anywhere else! And if you’re not writing, guess what else you’re not doing?
HC. Oh yeah, I find excuses not to write too but then my Muse does have a flogger J
Q: You have three wishes….what will you wish for?
A: *Laughs* Ah, man. There are so many things I can think of. But, in order of importance:
1) To have exactly enough money for any purchase or bill I or my family will ever have.
2) To be Supreme Dictator of the world. Will all pale redheads over the age of eighteen please report to my palace, remove your clothes, and await further instructions!? (My wife’s going to kill me for that one.)
3) As long as I’m wishing, a 21-year-old bottle of Chivas Regal…that’s NEVER empty!
HC. Waves magic wand.( Well it's worth a try.)
Q. If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be?
I’m right here. Las Vegas, Nevada; as much as I miss Texas, I’m really a 24-hour kind of guy, and there’s just nowhere else that I know of where that kind of lifestyle is not only sustainable, but encouraged.
HC I'd end up living at a casino. I can hear those slots ringing now LOL.
Q. What are your current projects?
A. Right now, I’m waiting for my next release, “Dancing On Flames,” which is scheduled to release on November 28th from Noble Romance Publishing. I’m also knee deep in NaNoWriMo, trying to write 100,000 words and finish two WIPs by the end of the month.
The WIPs I’m working on right now are Angel of Death and The Hollow, the end of the “Angels” series and a paranormal erotic horror story starring the Headless Horseman! Once that’s done, I’ve got a whole backlog of stories in various stages of completion that need some TLC! J
H.C. I've seen a little of "Dancing On Flames" and WOW J.S. this is going to be a favorite of mine.
Q. Can you tell us a little about your latest release?
Blurb:
More than two decades have passed since the Hodans invaded the peaceful kingdom of Jurav. In their zeal for conquest, they have mercilessly rent the Juravian national character asunder, starting with the temples of their gods.
Varath's uncle raised him to one day assume his father's mantle—command warden of the Temple of Noradi, the most beloved goddess of the Juravian pantheon and the deity of heart, hearth, and the fires which burn in both.
Melody would have been High Priestess to Noradi, and her own family has groomed her with equal care against the day when the Hodan hordes will be expelled and she can assume her rightful place as the most powerful figure in the entire nation . . . and as Varath's bride.
When Varath departed to serve in the Hodan army, Melody saw it as an unconscionable betrayal. Now Varath has returned to take his father's place as the sole guardian of a temple where no one dares enter, and he has made overtures to claim the other half of his bequest: Melody herself. But can Melody see past the deceptions and lies his rebellion has forced and learn to love the man who seems to have turned his back on his own people?
Excerpt
He had been outside, nursing a cup of mead and thoughts of treason when she brushed his shoulder cautiously. Starting, he turned to find her studying him gravely.
"So you'll be a whore for the Hodans." There was no bitterness in her words, only resignation.
He glanced around to see who else might be watching. Fortunately, the area was deserted; the immaculately groomed lawn allowed no place for a spy to linger without notice.
"Is that truly what you think?"
"Is there anything else I can think?"
He sighed. "Melody, you're beautiful, but you haven't yet learned things aren't always what they seem. Don't be so quick to judge what you can't understand."
"Then make me understand." She raised one hand to flick at her hair, a gesture Varath read as uncertainty. "Had our lives been only a little different, we would be wed by now, and yet you're riding off to war with the same bastards who brought Jurav to heel." She gave one sharp nod. "You have forgotten your father, your people, and the traditions of your land. You're a sellsword, a mercenary, nothing more. Jorla taught you too well, but you know perfectly well you can never use what he taught you here."
Varath grimaced and tossed back a rather longer swallow of his mead than was wise. He coughed and choked on the biting, sweet liquid for a long moment before he regained his breath. Once he felt confident he could speak again, he croaked, "Speak to Jorla after I leave. Tell him I asked him to explain what's really going on. But Melody, you must believe me when I say all here is not what it seems."
Melody frowned. "I remember the first time I ever saw you. I was in the market, buying cloth for my High Feast dress."
Varath smiled wryly at the memory. "I was buying meat. I didn't realize you had seen me, though."
She leaned in close. "I'd hoped you would ask me to attend the feast as your intended."
He stammered, "I-I wanted to, Melody. Jorla told me it was simply too dangerous. The Hodans monitor everyone in this village so carefully, lest any of us fall back into our pagan ways."
She flinched a little. "Do you think me a spy for the Hodans?"
"Do you dare chance I'm not?" He parried.
Melody paled visibly, swaying alarmingly on her feet. "Wh-why would you say such a thing?"
"To remind you to be on your guard. We can't be any more certain of each other than we can most of the village."
Her eyes grew wider, and Varath had to clench his fists tightly at his side to repress the urge to put his arms around her and reassure her, no matter the cost.
She stood there for a moment, moisture glinting in the starlight lending her eyes a mysterious silvery sheen. "Do you honestly think my blood would betray our birthright?" Her voice was a low, furious hiss like the sound the deadly, black snakes haunting the lowlands made just before they struck. "If you honestly believe so, then you should be nowhere near this place, because you really are not one of us any longer."
Q. Is there anything else you would like to say to our readers?
A. Keep reading, folks. Whatever you like, whatever your genre of choice, without writers, you’ve got nothing new to read. But without readers, what’s the point in writing?
I hope to see you all around, and feel free to shoot me an email or a blog comment. I LOVE hearing from my readers!
Q. Where can we find you on the net?
And you can find me on Twitter @jswayne702.
Thanks for dropping by and come again soon.
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