Today Jason Parent is visiting!
Thanks for visiting, Jason! Let’s get started!
Me: What books/authors have influenced your writing?
Jason: I grew up reading Stephen King and mostly. I don’t doubt his writing has influenced my work. But perhaps I am more influenced by the no-holds barred styles of the younger batch of horror writers, like Tim Curran and Kaelan Patrick Burke.
Me:How did you come up with the title(s)?
Jason: The title, What Hides Within, is meant to work on several different levels, even the most literal. But you’ll have to read the book to discover that yourself!
Me: Are experiences based on someone you know, or events in your own life?
Jason: The characters and events of What Hides Within are purely fictional, but the locations are real. I’ve spent a lot of time at most of the places described.
Me: What books have most influenced your life most?
Jason: The Picture of Dorian Gray, by Oscar Wilde, will always haunt me. Just as Henry influences Dorian in the novel, he too has influenced me.
Me: What book are you reading now?
Jason: I just finished George R.R. Martin’s fifth book in his A Song of Ice and Fire series, A Dance with Dragons. Like the rest of the world, I now am anxiously awaiting book 6.
Me: Are there any new authors that have grasped your interest?
Jason: Tons: Kaelan Patrick Burke, Evans and Adam Light, all the folks over at Darkfuse. Horror may no longer be in its prime with respect to its popularity, but the group of writers turning out horror novels has never been brighter.
Me: What are your current projects?
Jason: I just released a short called “Battling Waves” in Of Words and Water, which is available free on Smashwords. The purpose of the anthology is to raise money for WaterAid, with all donations helping to bring clean water to those in need. I also have two short stories due out in horror anthologies soon. Beyond that, I have three novels at various stages of development, one science fiction thriller and two horror/thrillers that are nearly done. It’s too early to tell which one will be released next. And if my readers want it, perhaps my favorite spider will return.
Me: Do you see writing as a career?
Jason: Maybe one day. I have a long way to go before realizing that dream, but it is something I strive toward.
Me: If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in your latest book?
Jason: There was a learning curve in the beginning and I stumbled a few times along the way, but I am happy with the final published work.
Me: How did you get started with the writing venture?
Jason: When I was in fifth grade, I wrote my first short story for a class. It was a fantasy piece, and I remember being immensely proud of it. I also remember my brother getting hold of it and tormenting me for it. He was right: it was terrible. But it was my first indicator that writing could be fun . . . as long as my brother never saw it.
Me: Is there anything you find particularly challenging about writing?
Jason: Writing is fun for me, so the biggest obstacle is finding time to do it. I want my stories to be unique, different from anything else on the market. With that comes worry. Will readers find it too weird, revolting, dark, disturbing, etc.?
Me: Do you have any advice for other writers?
Jason: I’m still learning the business myself, but for other newbies, I would advise them to get all the constructive criticism they can. If one’s goal is to be a bestseller, he/she will likely need the right agent. If one’s goals are more modest, there are plenty of small presses, often genre specific, that are interested in seeing work from new authors.
Me: Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers?
Jason: Yes. THANK YOU!
Me: What were the challenges (research, literary, psychological, and logistical) in bringing it to life?
Jason: I’ve always been fascinated by spiders, but like most people, I don’t want them crawling all over me, much less living in my ear. I read a news story about a kid who went to his doctor for an earache only to find a spider had made a home inside his ear canal. As a starting point for my novel, I needed to do a ton of research on spiders, as well as some psychological and medical conditions explored and the treatments for them.
Me: What genre do you like writing the most?
Jason: I like to mix genres. What Hides Within is a horror/mystery mix. But I also love a good thriller, though my upcoming thrillers will have horror or science fiction elements to them. For me, a great villain or antihero is key to an enjoyable read.
Me: Do you ever experience writer’s block?
Jason: Sometimes I get stuck on a particular scene, but I always have ideas for a different part of the novel or for a different novel altogether. So if I’m stuck, I move on and go back to it later.
Me: Do you write an outline before every book you write?
Jason: I do, but my outlines are bare-boned, hitting only the essential plot points. Everything changes once I start writing, though. The story evolves as I go.
Me: Have you ever hated something you wrote?
Jason: I hate everything I write until it’s been edited a thousand times. Even then, it’ll never be perfect in my eyes.
What is your favorite color?
Black, of course.
What’s your favorite food?
Prime rib, red and bloody – go figure.
Puppies or bunnies?
Bunnies. They taste better stewed.
Chocolate or vanilla?
Um, vanilla?
A bit about Jason’s book:
Inside all of us, there is darkness. Inside Clive, it’s tangible, and it’s aching to get out.
What Hides Within tells the story of a man held captive by an unknown evil. Clive Menard is a spineless slacker leading an ordinary existence. But when Chester enters his life, it becomes far from ordinary.
A disheveled Clive stands alone in a hospital waiting room. A series of incidences have led him to undergo unnecessary neurosurgery. A voice inside Clive’s head nags him to kill the doctor.
Weeks prior, a murder investigation and an unrelated kayaking excursion set the story’s interlocking events in motion. When a remorseful killer, a bomb-happy psychopath and a mysterious widow spider converge upon Clive, they bring with them destruction and death. Clive must discover who or what is steering his very existence before he, too, is consumed by the carnage around him.
With a driven detective following his every step and a vicious killer hiding within his circle of friends, Clive must walk a narrow and dangerous path, teetering between salvation and damnation. He must confront Chester and his own demons. But is he powerless to overcome them?
Where you can his book!
Amazon – http://www.amazon.com/What-Hides-Within-ebook/dp/B008OZ3X5C/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1375134738&sr=8-1&keywords=what+Hides+within
Barnes & Noble – http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/what-hides-within-jason-parent/1112366195?ean=9781771150026
Double Dragon – http://www.double-dragon-ebooks.com/single.php?ISBN=1-77115-002-5
Where Jason hangs out!
My website -http://authorjasonparent.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorJasonParent?ref=hl
