Interview with Jeff Gunhus: 'Every book is hard...which is what makes it fun'
Jeff Gunhus is the author of both adult
thrillers and the Middle Grade/YA series, The Templar Chronicles. The first
book, Jack Templar Monster Hunter, was written in an effort to get his
reluctant reader eleven-year old son excited about reading. It worked and a new
series was born. His book Reaching Your Reluctant Reader has helped
hundreds of parents create avid readers. As a father of five, he and his wife
lead an active lifestyle simply trying to keep up with their kids. In rare moments
of quiet, he can be found in the back of the City Dock Cafe in Annapolis working on his next novel.
His latest book is the thriller/horror novel,
Night
Terror.
For More Information
- Visit Jeff Gunhus’ website.
- Connect with Jeff on Facebook and Twitter.
- More books by Jeff Gunhus.
- Contact Jeff.
About the Book:
Ten years after her abduction and
near-sacrifice to the Source, Sarah Tremont struggles to be a normal teenager.
As much as she’s tried to suppress the power inside of her, it’s grown
dangerously strong and has drawn the attention of those who want to possess her
power for themselves.
The nightmare that she thought was long over
starts again as powerful forces descend upon Prescott City to seek her out. With her parents and
Joseph Lonetree’s help, Sarah must stand up to an evil much more powerful than
the one she faced in the caves a decade earlier. But in the end, she discovers
the greatest danger might come from the power living inside of her.
For More Information
Q: Welcome to The Writer's Life! Now that your book has been published, we’d
love to find out more about the process.
Can we begin by having you take us at the beginning? Where did you come up with the idea to write
your book?
Night
Terror is the sequel to my supernatural thriller Night Chill. Both books explore the lengths to which a family can
both be torn apart and also brought together by adversity, in this case the
abduction of a child. As the father of five, there is no greater nightmare than
one of my children being threatened. I used my fiction to work through these
fears…and hopefully tell a good story in the process.
Q: How hard was it to write a book like this and do
you have any tips that you could pass on which would make the journey easier
for other writers?
Every book is hard…which is what makes it fun. This
book was tricky because I knew I wanted it to be some period of time after the
events of book one, but I wasn’t sure how much time. Because Night Chill revolved around Sarah
Tremont, age five, the decision on when to time the new book changed
everything. The solution came (as it usually does) when I decided what part of
the human experience I wanted to explore. Once I realized I wanted to see a
teenager go from being a child protected by her parents and become someone
willing to sacrifice herself for her family, then the decision became simple
and I set it ten years later. For other authors, understanding what you want to
explore through your characters can help make the thousands of choices in front
of you more manageable.
Q: Who is your publisher and how did you find them
or did you self-publish?
Following the trend of many authors, I’m a hybrid
with books both published by traditional houses and through my own imprint,
Seven Guns Press. I enjoy both the creative control of being self-published and
the teamwork of working with a large publisher. Both Night Chill and Night Terror
are self-published.
Q: Is there anything that surprised you about
getting your first book published?
My first book of fiction was Jack Templar Monster Hunter, a book written in an attempt to get my
11 year-old reluctant reader son excited about reading. It worked and a new
series was born in the process. What I’ve found surprising is the connection
the book and my story with my son made with so many parents working with their
own reluctant reader. It’s been an amazing experience to become involved with
literacy issues as a result of my fiction.
Q: What other books (if any) are you working on and
when will they be published?
Jack Templar and the Lord of the Werewolves (Book
#4) comes out October 15th,
2014 and Killer Within will be re-released by Thomas & Mercer in
February 2015. Jack Templar #5 will be released October 2015. I’m also working
on a sequel to Killer Within.
Q: What’s your favorite place to hang out online?
Goodreads is a great place to talk books.
Q: Finally, what message (if any) are you trying to
get across with your book?
The core message is that we are not defined by our
circumstances or the events of our past. We wake up every day and make a
decision about the kind of person we want to be in the world.
Q: Thank you again for this interview! Do you have any final words?
Support the Toys For Tots Literacy Program! http://www.toysfortots.org/literacy/
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