One of the best parts of working with MuseItUp Publishing (aside from fantastic editors and cover artists) has been getting to know some of my fellow muse writers.
SB Knight is one of them.
His first book, Born of Blood, released in March to a great response, and the paperback version is coming soon!
His second, Drago's Revenge, the next book in The Blood Chronicles series, is coming out on Halloween, so we'll share a book birthday, and I expect his reader responses will be just as fabulous.
SB took a moment out of his increasingly busy schedule to answer some questions for my blog - he seems like a cool guy. What do y'all think?
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LR: First, congrats on the release of your second novel, Drago’s
Revenge, with MuseItUp Publishing! This is the second in the Blood Chronicles
series, and also your second with Muse. How has publishing a book changed, now
that you’ve already got one on the market? Is life a little busier these days?
SBK: Oh yes, life has been
very busy as of late. I completed the galley for Drago’s Revenge about two
weeks ago. I’ve also been scheduling a book blog tour while reviewing the
galley for the Born of Blood paperback. Getting things ready to promote Drago’s
Revenge has been time consuming but, so far, it has been a good time. I also
continue to promote Born of Blood too.
LR: Can you tell us a little about the series? Something that
isn’t in the descriptions on the web site?
SBK: All right, this
question is going to make me think. I can tell you this, when you think you
have it figured out…you don’t. No one is safe and the ending is never straight
forward. There are characters you will love and some you will hate…there are
some you will feel bad about liking so much.
LR: We’re both horror writers, and though I’m a zombie girl
myself, I do happen to love vampires. For you, what pulled you into writing
vampires? Are yours classic (Dracula) or
different (I Am Legend)?
SBK: To be honest, I’m a
fan of Dark Fantasy and creatures that stalk the night. I believe it is from
being a fan that I was drawn to write it. I have plans to write about many of
the scary creatures such as werewolves, zombies, witches and warlocks…and more.
Vampires were my first choice because I see vampires as the apex monsters. I
also saw it as a challenge to write a unique, fresh, and entertaining vampire
novel. My vampire is more classic with a unique twist.
LR: Have you been a compulsive writer your whole life? Or is
writing a new thing for you?
SBK: I grew up reading
comic books. I started reading fantasy novels as I got older. I didn’t start
writing until about eight or so years ago. It was simple thoughts and poems.
About six years ago I started writing novels.
LR: Are you an outliner, or a seat-of-your-pantser, when you’re
rough-drafting?
SBK: When I first get an
idea for a story I write down all of my thoughts as notes. They typically flow
from my mind in a wave so I write fast. After that I research particular ideas
and topics for more details. Once I start writing my novel it’s all seat of my
pants. I let the story flow and enjoy the journey.
LR: I tend to think those of us who write horror have always
been into the scary stuff. I know I was – the scarier, the better, when I was a
kid. How about you? What scared you when you were little? What movies/books really got under your skin?
SBK: Oh when I was young
horror movies scared me real bad. My two brothers loved to scare me so I think
that had something to do with it. I grew up in the 80s so I had the joy the
watching Freddy, Jason, and Michael. Texas Chainsaw Massacre gave me
nightmares. The two movies that really scared me were The Scarecrow and The
Exorcist. To be honest, I didn’t like horror movies until I was late into my
teenage years.
As for books, I would
read the stories about haunted houses and the experiences of other with ghosts
and things like that. I’ve read vampire novels and shorts as well. I read a lot
of things but the one thing that sort of got to me was the account of the
investigators after they stayed at the Amityville house. That was crazy.
LR: When you were young, were there any literary characters you
loved? On whom you maybe even had a book crush?
SBK: I will admit as I was
reading Brooks, Feist, and Jordan I found myself thinking ‘man, these are ideal
women.’ Yea, it’s crazy but those female characters were strong, courageous,
and intelligent. They also loved and were soft when needed. Now, when I was
much younger and in my teens I had my favorite comic book characters too.
LR: All time favorite book?
SBK: The Bible – a close
second would be The Lord of the Rings trilogy and the Sword of Shannara series.
LR: All time favorite movie?
SBK: The Lord of the Rings
trilogy…possibly until The Hobbit movies comes out.
LR: Good versus evil – is it always clear-cut, or do you prefer
characters with “grey areas,” where the line between the two is maybe blurred?
SBK: I like to mix them. I
have characters that are good as gold and I have characters that are nothing
short of evil through and through. I also mix in characters that fit in that
grey area of being both good and evil. I like the dynamic they bring to a
story. All of these characters can be main characters or secondary, it all
depends on the story.
LR: Is there an interview question you’ve always wanted to
answer, but have never been asked? If so, feel free to ask yourself and answer
it here!
SBK: Oh my…I’ve been asked
a lot of questions. I think just about all of them have been covered. I do get
asked questions from time to time and think ‘wow, that is a good question.’ I
see all questions as unique but some just catch you off guard.
****
SB Knight has seen his poetry and short stories published in both books and magazines. Now, with the publishing of his first novel he has achieved a goal and dream set many years ago. Currently he is working on the second novel for the Blood Chronicles series.
SB Knight is the creator of ‘The New Author;’ a blog that starter as a learning tool but has since grown into a community of friends and peers. He is also co-owner of Premium Promotional Services where authors can find the help they need to promote their book on the Internet.
When not writing he can be found outside hiking, fishing or in the garden. He resides in West Virginia with his wife and son.
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