Wednesday, August 21, 2013

Interview with Writing Duo H.R. Jackson Authors of Hand of Time


What inspired you to become an author?

               Robert: Wanting to tell a compelling story with a strong female character that both men and women can connect to. Being the storyteller for role playing games in my past really made me understand that I enjoy just bringing stories to life, teaching through those tales, engaging the audience in a way that makes them really want to keep the story going.

               Hollie: Seeing what other writers have done. I’ve always had an active imagination and my love of reading was fostered by my parents and grandparents, so I’ve been reading since I was very young. I loved just escaping into those worlds inside the covers of a good book. Where Robert’s a huge cinephile, I’ve always been a major bibliophile. I’ve been reading and writing for years because I wanted to tell the stories in my head and get them out there, just like my favorite authors.

Do you title the book first, or wait until it’s complete?

               Generally, the title evolves about halfway through. We usually start brainstorming around then, or some phrase in the book or related to the characters (or items) pops out as particularly title-worthy.

Is there a message in the book that you want readers to grasp?

               Have an open mind and think for yourself. Don’t let stereotypes determine who you are. Don’t let labels define you. You blaze your own path through this world.
Is the book, characters, or any scenes based on a true life experience, someone you know, or events in your own life?

               Some of the scenes are based off scenes we’ve run in the games. And a few of the characters, three at least, are based directly off people we know or knew. The relationship is closely based on our own relationship because it wasn’t exactly a smooth ride from the word go. Some of the conversations are based off of conversations we’ve actually had and both of the main characters share facets of our own personalities.

What is your current “work in progress” or upcoming projects?

               Currently, we’re working on the as-yet-unnamed book three in the series. There’s also another book, unrelated to the world of Nemesis, being finessed.

Can you share a little of your current work with us?

               In the third book, we’re opening up more about the current characters and the world. We’re going back to the roots of the first book, which was really action driven, where you’ll get to see how the characters function both within and without the Nemesis group, because in the second book, you get to experience a deeper side of them. We’ve got them visiting different worlds, other planes of the Nemesis universe. We’re also introducing some new characters all around, good and bad, some very heavy hitters who are going to set the stage for later books, and deepening relationships between various members of the group.

Is there anything particularly challenging in your writing?

               Aside from it being a dual effort? Writing collaboratively is a huge challenge. Beyond that, just making sure everyone has a unique voice and sticking with that, without blurring the lines between characters. Also, getting the descriptions in our heads out and portrayed well enough for the readers to see without spoon feeding every detail to the reader. It’s way too easy to get bogged down in minutiae if you’re not careful and then suddenly the book is all style and no substance.

Do you have any advice for other writers?

               Don’t settle for easy. Just write. Keep writing. Write what you want to write, but don’t forget to read, too. Reading helps you tell your story, even if it’s stuff that you don’t like, so you can see what you don’t want to do. For example, we recently attempted to read a particularly popular book about a monochromatic color and the shades thereof being more than forty-nine. We had to give up halfway through because it cemented in our minds just what we didn’t want to show up in our own writing. It’s not that we think the book is bad, per se, but it wasn’t our style. But we at least attempted it.

Do you have a song or playlist (book soundtrack) that you think represents this book?

               Oh absolutely! Music is integral to our creative process (you’d be surprised how many decisions can be made by consulting the iOracle.) The abbreviated version of our full playlist:

1: I Had Too Much To Dream Last Night - The Electric Prunes
2: Doomsday - Nero
3: Seven Devils - Florence + The Machine
4: Raise Your Glass - Pink
5: Antikorper - Eisbrecher
6: Fragile - Kerli
7: Déjà vu - 3Oh!3
8: Damn Your Eyes - Etta James
9: Get Back In My Life - Maroon 5
10: Army of Love - Kerli
11: Mein Herz Brennt - Rammstein
12: Heartbreak Warfare - John Mayer
13: Let’s Get Undressed - Danko Jones
14: Dark Side - Kelly Clarkson
15: The Game - Pain
16: Lay of Thrym - Tyr
17: Bleeding Out - Imagine Dragons
18: Make You Feel My Love - Adele

August 5 Spotlight
Deb Sanders

August 5 at 11pm EST  
Live radio guest spot 

August 6 Spotlight
Brooke Blogs

August 8 Guest blog
Rose & Beps Blog – 

August 9 Excerpt
Mythical Books

August 13 Character Interview
Laurie's Paranormal Thoughts and Reviews 

August 15 Spotlight 
Sapphyria's Book Reviews

August 16 Spotlight
Fang-tastic Books

August 19 Interview
The Speculative Salon – 

August 20 Guest blog
Ebook Escapes

August 21 Interview
Roxanne’s Realm

August 22 Interview

August 23 Spotlight
Eclipse Reviews -Book blogger and reviewer 

August 26 Spotlight
Cloey's Book Reviews and Other Stuff

August 27 Spotlight
Reading In Twilight

August 28 Spotlight
paranormal book club 

August 29 Interview
The Creatively Green Write at Home Mom

August 29 review
BookwormBridgette's World

August 30 Guest blog
Marsha A Moore

September 2 Interview
Pembroke Sinclair.  



Hand of Time
The Nemesis Chronicles, Volume 2
H.R. Jackson

Genre: Urban Fantasy, Paranormal Romance

Publisher: Geek Treats Collective

Date of Publication: April 20th, 2013

ISBN: 1484125509
ASIN: B00CFWYO3K

Number of pages: 352
Word Count: 154,224

Cover Artist: Robb Lombard



Book Description: 

Morgan... Three months after the events of Vegas turned her life upside down, she's finding that getting back to normal is anything but easy.

Dirk... Trapped between juggling his new responsibilities and making Morgan understand his feelings, the former courtesan is discovering that letting go of the past is much harder when the past refuses to let go of him.

Nemesis... Still reeling from the Society's attack, they find themselves facing a familiar foe and a new menace hellbent on testing their fortitude.

Midsummer madness heats up Nemesis Island. It's a time of celebration and renewal, but the Society has other plans... with Dirk, Morgan, and the rest of Nemesis at the top of their list.

About the Author:

Once upon a time, a man and a woman looked at each other and asked, “Why aren’t we writing this down?”

Inspired by Sci-Fi and Fantasy, with a healthy appreciation of all manner of geekery, they longed to create a world where sword, sorcery, and a little sprinkling of real life could come together. With this in mind, the pair sat down and started the stories that would eventually become The Nemesis Chronicles.

When they aren’t weaving fantastical tales, they spend their time being owned by the Feline Mafia and watching the rain fall in their home city of Seattle.

Find them on the web:

Follow them on Goodreads:

Follow them on twitter:  @hrjacksontnc

Follow them on FaceBook:https://www.facebook.com/thenemchron
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2 comments:

Unknown said...

Thanks so much for the opportunity to interview! Such fun questions :)

And thank you for the bump!

bn100 said...

Very nice interview