Author Interivew: Jon Ray

Today I am interviewing Jon Ray, author of the new fantasy novel, Gorp: Dungeon Overlord, second book in the Gorp the Goblin series.

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DJ: Hi Jon! Thanks for agreeing to do this interview!

For readers who aren’t familiar with you, could you tell us a little about yourself?

Jon Ray: I recently moved to Sydney, Australia from Los Angeles, California. As of last year, I published my first novel and became a fantasy author with the Gorp the Goblin series. The following is my About the Author you’ll currently find on the back of my books: Jon Ray is a writer, director, and actor in film along with a large assortment of other titles when it comes to entertainment. Since the age of 13, he has played and enjoyed Dungeons & Dragons normally running his own games as the Dungeon Master for others. Originally from Tyler, Texas in the U.S., Jon currently resides in Sydney, Australia where he prospects for gold in the outback when not writing.

DJ: What is Gorp: Dungeon Overlord and then the Gorp the Goblin series about?

Jon: In the first book, “Gorp: Goblin Janitor”, a small goblin named Gorp goes in search of better employment. As in his homeland, raids on human villages have gotten a bit tiresome and Gorp doesn’t really hate the humans as much as other goblins. *Spoiler Alert for the first book* Gorp ended up getting made the Dungeon Overlord at the end of the first book. This is where book two picks up in “Gorp: Dungeon Overlord”, a few months after the first book ends. In this book, Gorp rules over Ye Olde Dungeon and all the monsters inside. Just as life seems to be going good for Gorp, a new threat from the west arrives in the form of a full scale orc invasion. This green force threatens not only the human settlements in the area, but Ye Olde Dungeon, as they make their living off the misfortunes of unlucky adventurers. Without them, the balance and tide of power would shift unfavorably too all within. In this book Gorp eventually meets both the human and fae kings of the realm and together they fight back the orc forces to save the world as they have known it.

Author Interview: Nathan Crowder

Today I am interviewing Nathan Crowder, author of the new novel, Ties that Bind.

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DJ: Hi Nathan! Thanks for agreeing to do this interview!

For readers who aren’t familiar with you, could you tell us a little about yourself?

Nathan Crowder: I started off writing poetry. Just awful poetry. From there, I tried writing horror short fiction. Now, to be fair, I was in junior high/high school, and it was all bad and not remotely scary. I’m thankful my parents gave me encouragement and freedom to suck at something for a while so I could learn how to be GOOD at it. Everything I’ve achieved as a writer has been a result of that, despite the fact I don’t think they ever really got what I was writing about.

DJ: What is Ties that Bind about?

Nathan: Short answer, Ties that Bind is about human trafficking. Fun! Longer answer, it is about three women: one a wealthy dilettante hero, one a compromised, hard-scrabble vigilante trying to make up for her father’s sins, and one is the right hand for Cobalt City’s premier crime family. It’s about them confronting their privilege and complicity in the very real world of human trafficking, and how they can make a stand.

DJ: What were some of your influences for Ties the Bind?

Nathan: A few years ago, there was a flurry of news articles and first-person narratives from people who had escaped human trafficking. I was troubled that the reality of trafficking and human slavery was far more widespread and ignored than I’d ever realized. It’s an institution, a multi-billion dollar industry, and it’s right under our noses but we never think to question it. As is often my way, when I find out about this kind of injustice, my brain wishes there were heroes to step up and fight it head-on. It’s kind of a central theme of mine. So I considered which heroes I had kicking around Cobalt City who would make the most compelling lenses to view the situation through.

Author Interview: Marshall Ryan Maresca

Today I am interviewing Marshall Ryan Maresca, author of the new fantasy novel, The Way of the Shield, first book in the Maradaine Elite series.

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DJ: Hi Marshall! Thanks for agreeing to do this interview!

For readers who aren’t familiar with you, could you tell us a little about yourself?

Marshall: Hi, I’m Marshall Ryan Maresca, I’m a fantasy author living in Austin, and I’m the author of the Maradaine Saga, which consists of four different series set in the same magical fantastical city of Maradaine, the latest of which is The Way of the Shield, which is the first of the fourth series, The Maradaine Elite.

DJ: What is The Way of the Shield about?

Marshall:  The Way of the Shield follows Dayne Heldrin, a pacifist warrior who is part of the Tarian Order, elite order who study defensive combat arts.  He returns to Maradaine after a costly error involving an influential family could lead to his expulsion from the Order, and he finds his principles put to the test as he tries to stop an insurgent plot to assassinate members of Parliament.

DJ: What were some of your influences The Way of the Shield and the series?

Marshall: I’ve been calling it Fantasy Captain America Meets Les Miserables, which should give you some sense of where it’s coming from.

DJ: Could you briefly tell us a little about your main characters? Do they have any cool quirks or habits, or any reason why readers with sympathize with them? What makes them compelling?

Marshall: The two main characters, Dayne and Jerinne, are both people who have a lot of doubts about their future, but they’re also people who immediately step into action when people are in danger.

Author Interview: Nathan Crowder

Today I am interviewing Nathan Crowder, author of the new novel, Ride Like the Devil, second book in the De la Vega Mysteries series.

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DJ: Hi Nathan! Thanks for agreeing to do this interview!

For readers who aren’t familiar with you, could you tell us a little about yourself?

Nathan Crowder: I’m a child of the deserts of the southwest, living I exile in the Pacific Northwest. My love of music, books, film, and history are all intermingled into a huge stew of influences that has driven my writing. Another huge influence is gaming. I started playing D&D when I was twelve, and it has taught me a lot about compelling story structure, and has helped inspire several of my more memorable characters. Though many of my novels take place in the Cobalt City universe of superheroes that I created, my better known novels are more traditional contemporary or Gothic high fantasy, and my short fiction tends towards horror.

DJ: What is Ride Like the Devil and then the De la Vega Mysteries series about?

Nathan: The De la Vega Mysteries follow former homicide detective Manuel de la Vega and Snowflake, his panda sidekick, as they leave the stability of Cobalt City to travel the backroads of North America fixing problems. Manuel had been a motorcycle-riding vigilante named Gato Loco before an accident savaged his legs a year earlier, leaving him with a long period of rehab. This series gives him a reluctant second act to reinvent who he is both as Manuel de la Vega, but also as his mysterious alter ego.

DJ: What were some of your influences for the De la Vega Mysteries series?

Nathan: The huge central influences on de la Vega himself would be Zorro by way of Batman in many ways, with the motorcycle out of Akira and smart-assed panda sidekick to give him someone to talk to. As for the series, I’m heavily influenced by a lot of the episodic hero television programming of my youth, like the A-Team, Knight Rider, the Incredible Hulk, and Kung Fu, where someone goes from place to place righting wrongs around the country. It’s a fun formula that lets me tell all kinds of stories wherever I want without being tied down to a single location.