Please welcome Errick A. Nunnally to The Qwillery as part of the 2014 Debut Author Challenge Interviews. Blood for the Sun was published by Spencer Hill Press on July 1st.
TQ: Welcome to The Qwillery. When and why did you start writing?
Errick: I remember writing a comic-book story at home when I was around seven-years old and being completely flummoxed trying to figure out how they got so much detail onto such a small page. Who knew you could shrink art and type on a machine? Anyhow, it was a superhero story about a guy who gets blasted by mysterious radiation and develops superpowers that include--blah, blah, blah. Y'know, the usual.
TQ: Are you a plotter or a pantser?
Errick: Ha! Pantser first, plotter second. I usually have some idea of what I want to see in the story and start typing away for a few chapters. Once that peters out, it's time to plot! I don't even think it's possible to write a book from front to back by the seat of your pants stopping to figure a few things out. Which clearly means I'm wrong because what the hell do I know about other people? All I can say is: thank goodness architects and engineers aren't pantsers.
TQ: What is the most challenging thing for you about writing?
Errick: Fresh ideas. Most times it seems there are no new ideas--especially after reading the grandmasters of the various genres. I think it boils down to your characters. The situations may not be entirely new, but we're all an amalgamation of experiences and teachings with a unique perspective. Just like everyone else.
TQ: Who are some of your literary influences? Favorite authors?
Errick: The ones how really stuck in my head--and I'm not certain I can match or exceed their work--are David Gerrold, Robert Heinlein, Isaac Asimov, Octavia Butler, Piers Anthony, Ray Bradbury, Nancy Collins, Walter Mosley, David Gunn, and Kim Harrison. Then there are authors who've knocked one or two out of the park for me, such as David Morrell, James Patterson, and Douglas Preston. I've enjoyed quite a bit of dark fiction, horror, urban fantasy, sci-fi, thrillers, and any mix thereof from these authors.
TQ: Describe Blood for the Sun in 140 characters or less.
Errick: A werewolf, suffering from a supernatural Alzheimer's, uncovers a conspiracy of vampires sacrificing children to gain immunity from the sun.
TQ: Tell us something about Blood for the Sun that is not in the book description.
Errick: Alexander has a particularly rough encounter with not one, but two inter-dimensional beings.
TQ: What inspired you to write Blood for the Sun? And why vampires? Werewolves? Blood for the Sun seems to be a genre blender. How would you describe the novel's genre(s)?
Errick: It's a supernatural horror-thriller with mystery elements. Personally, I'm not a huge fan of vampires, but I love werewolves and I wanted to see supernatural creatures with no ties to Victorian England and even fewer "classic" elements of vampires and shapeshifters.
TQ: What sort of research did you do for Blood for the Sun?
Errick: I had the privilege of looking into weapons, world history, wars, coal mining, Native Americans/First Nations, and digging into the history of my home town. Most of it was background and I enjoy adding as many elements form reality into supernatural shenanigans.
TQ: In Blood for the Sun, who was the easiest character to write and why?
Errick: Ana has got to be the easiest. Since the book doesn't dig too deeply into her background, she gets to be the cool walk-on character, deadly with both her hands and her voice. In other words: a maelstrom of snark.
TQ: Give us one or two of your favorite non-spoilery lines from Blood for the Sun.
Errick: When Maria tells Alexander, "I clean ass well" comes to mind.
TQ: What's next?
Errick: The sequel! I have finished a first draft (with a few holes). I need to start grooming the story, filling in details and doing additional research to bring it all together. If all goes well, next up will be the sequel to the sequel! I want to take Alexander to New Orleans and not in a good way. He hates that town. I love it.
TQ: Thank you for joining us at The Qwillery.
Errick: Thank you so very much for having me, it has been a pleasure and I'd hope to do it again someday.
Errick: I remember writing a comic-book story at home when I was around seven-years old and being completely flummoxed trying to figure out how they got so much detail onto such a small page. Who knew you could shrink art and type on a machine? Anyhow, it was a superhero story about a guy who gets blasted by mysterious radiation and develops superpowers that include--blah, blah, blah. Y'know, the usual.
TQ: Are you a plotter or a pantser?
Errick: Ha! Pantser first, plotter second. I usually have some idea of what I want to see in the story and start typing away for a few chapters. Once that peters out, it's time to plot! I don't even think it's possible to write a book from front to back by the seat of your pants stopping to figure a few things out. Which clearly means I'm wrong because what the hell do I know about other people? All I can say is: thank goodness architects and engineers aren't pantsers.
TQ: What is the most challenging thing for you about writing?
Errick: Fresh ideas. Most times it seems there are no new ideas--especially after reading the grandmasters of the various genres. I think it boils down to your characters. The situations may not be entirely new, but we're all an amalgamation of experiences and teachings with a unique perspective. Just like everyone else.
TQ: Who are some of your literary influences? Favorite authors?
Errick: The ones how really stuck in my head--and I'm not certain I can match or exceed their work--are David Gerrold, Robert Heinlein, Isaac Asimov, Octavia Butler, Piers Anthony, Ray Bradbury, Nancy Collins, Walter Mosley, David Gunn, and Kim Harrison. Then there are authors who've knocked one or two out of the park for me, such as David Morrell, James Patterson, and Douglas Preston. I've enjoyed quite a bit of dark fiction, horror, urban fantasy, sci-fi, thrillers, and any mix thereof from these authors.
TQ: Describe Blood for the Sun in 140 characters or less.
Errick: A werewolf, suffering from a supernatural Alzheimer's, uncovers a conspiracy of vampires sacrificing children to gain immunity from the sun.
TQ: Tell us something about Blood for the Sun that is not in the book description.
Errick: Alexander has a particularly rough encounter with not one, but two inter-dimensional beings.
TQ: What inspired you to write Blood for the Sun? And why vampires? Werewolves? Blood for the Sun seems to be a genre blender. How would you describe the novel's genre(s)?
Errick: It's a supernatural horror-thriller with mystery elements. Personally, I'm not a huge fan of vampires, but I love werewolves and I wanted to see supernatural creatures with no ties to Victorian England and even fewer "classic" elements of vampires and shapeshifters.
TQ: What sort of research did you do for Blood for the Sun?
Errick: I had the privilege of looking into weapons, world history, wars, coal mining, Native Americans/First Nations, and digging into the history of my home town. Most of it was background and I enjoy adding as many elements form reality into supernatural shenanigans.
TQ: In Blood for the Sun, who was the easiest character to write and why?
Errick: Ana has got to be the easiest. Since the book doesn't dig too deeply into her background, she gets to be the cool walk-on character, deadly with both her hands and her voice. In other words: a maelstrom of snark.
TQ: Give us one or two of your favorite non-spoilery lines from Blood for the Sun.
Errick: When Maria tells Alexander, "I clean ass well" comes to mind.
TQ: What's next?
Errick: The sequel! I have finished a first draft (with a few holes). I need to start grooming the story, filling in details and doing additional research to bring it all together. If all goes well, next up will be the sequel to the sequel! I want to take Alexander to New Orleans and not in a good way. He hates that town. I love it.
TQ: Thank you for joining us at The Qwillery.
Errick: Thank you so very much for having me, it has been a pleasure and I'd hope to do it again someday.
Blood for the Sun
Spencer Hill Press, July 1, 2014
Mass Market Paperback and eBook, 232 pages
Spencer Hill Press, July 1, 2014
Mass Market Paperback and eBook, 232 pages
After more than one hundred and forty years, Alexander Smith is suffering from memory loss that plagues him like a supernatural Alzheimer's. He has lasted longer than most by clinging to the love he has for his adopted daughter, the vampire Ana, and puzzling out cases of missing or murdered children. Without them, he wouldn't be able to ignore the ghost of a child from his guilty past or fight the whispers goading him to kill. On his latest job, he's stumbled upon a vampire conspiracy that has left a trail of child murders up and down the East Coast-a conspiracy that promises inoculation against the sun. If true, the conspirators' success would mean a bloody conflict, altering the balance between humans and the supernatural forever. Losing more of his mind every day, Alexander has two impossible tasks ahead of him if the world is to survive: stop the vampire coven and reconnect with his humanity.
About Errick
Born and raised in Boston, Massachusetts, Errick A. Nunnally served one tour in the Marine Corps before deciding art school would be a safer—and more natural—pursuit. He strives to develop his strengths in storytelling and remains permanently distracted by art, comics, science fiction, history, and horror. Trained as a graphic designer, he has earned a black belt in Krav Maga with Muay Thai kickboxing after dark. Errick’s successes include: the novel, Blood For The Sun; a comic strip collection, Lost in Transition; Who Bears The Lathe? in eFiction’s inaugural SciFi issue; and first prize in one hamburger contest. The following are short stories and their respective anthologies: Lycanthrobastards (Wicked Seasons); Harold At The Halfcourt (Inner Demons Out); Legion (Doorways to Extra Time); The Last Apology (A Dark World of Spirits and The Fey); You Call This An Apocalypse? (After The Fall); Recovery (Winter Animals: stories to benefit PROTECT.ORG); The Ghosts of Franklin Park (Dreadworks Journal) and We Should Meet (In Vein: stories to benefit St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital). He also has two lovely children and one beautiful wife.
Blog ~ Twitter @erricknunnally ~ Goodreads
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| Photo by Jackie Pauley |
Blog ~ Twitter @erricknunnally ~ Goodreads
The Giveaway
What: One entrant will win a Mass Market Paperback copy of Blood for the Sun by Errick A. Nunnally from The Qwillery.
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Who and When: The contest is open to all humans on the planet earth with a mailing address. Contest ends at 11:59PM US Eastern Time on July 17, 2014. Void where prohibited by law. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 years old or older to enter
*Giveaway rules and duration are subject to change without any notice.*
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Hm. My first comment seems to have gotten lost in cyberspace. Ok, I'll answer again - I'd have to choose werewolves over vampires for the option of two forms and being closer to nature.
ReplyDeleteWerewolves :) But vampires are a close 2nd :) Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteWerewolves. Running through the woods during a midnight full moon, hunting down my prey... that would be awesome
ReplyDeletewerewolves
ReplyDeleteI'm leaning toward werewolves these days, but no doubt I will be switching back & forth.
ReplyDeleteAlthough Vampires were much much cooler when Anne Rice use to write about them, I would still have to go with them
ReplyDelete