BLOG TOUR
THE CHURNING
By Justin Edison
AVAILABLE ON AMAZON
NOW!
Synopsis
In Justin Edison’s second novel,
Persian-American soccer star Arman Hessabi wakes in chains in a house of
enemies. Driven in part by an abusive older brother, the hero feels his life is
complete with the glory, women and riches afforded by a Premier League
striker’s lifestyle. But he meets his match in Fat Man, Captain, Huck and
Kay—men who hold him in thrall somewhere in Europe. Through trials, Hessabi
comes to question his own ego and position in life. But is it too late for a
soccer star with no apparent power over his own fate?
Author Bio
Justin A. Edison has been writing fiction and stories for twenty-odd years. A graduate of the Evansville and Hamline writing programs, he counts among his adventures a rocking semester at Harlaxton (in the British Midlands) and a tour of the Czech Republic. His pursuits include hiking, Web site design, trying to fix the world (in too many ways) and playing soccer (rather poorly). He lives in the Seattle area with his wife, two energetic kids and a vocal cat.
The Churning is his second novel.
Author Links
To contact the author: edisonchurning@gmail.com
https://www.facebook.com/ChurningBook?ref=hl
@jedisonbooks
Author Interview
Can you tell
us what prompted you to first start writing? What was the first thing you
wrote?
I started when I was a kid, writing sci-fi adventures and stuff about
Transformers robots and the like. Not very intellectual, and not a whole lot of
science, of course. Then it was a bunch of fantasy stuff, coupled with the
dreams of being paid (enough) to write such books. I’ve always liked sharing
stories. Fortunately, over time, I progressed to telling tales that people
would actually be interested in hearing.
Can you
summarise your latest work in just a few words? Football demigod in
chains, future cloudy. How’s that?
What was the
inspiration for this book? I loved the idea of an egotistical sports star
being held in thrall with no apparent way out. It’s dark and scary, but I knew
the meat of the story would come from the hero’s relationships with the villains.
These guys are not bored teenagers with nothing better to do on a Friday night.
Did you do
any research for the book? Sure. I have Persian-American family, wonderful
people with a rich history. I conducted on-the-pitch research, of course (I
play poorly but understand the game). The feeling of chains and being
blindfolded, very scary. Add to it my brief, rewarding time in England—almost
as if I was meant to write this book.
What does a
typical writing day involve for you? I get up early and try
to hit the desk by 5:30 for a couple hours. Then I put in a few more hours
before the kids get home. A good day involves getting out for fresh air/coffee
and scribbling pages of notes. Tons of notes.
How do you
decide on the names for your characters? I had help with Arman
Hessabi’s name. I originally wanted to call him Hazradi (closer to his nickname
of Wizard), but that’s really a different background. The others—Fat Man, Huck,
Captain and Kay—they were easy. Other stories are tougher, so I brainstorm until
something fits.
Which writers
have influenced your own writing? I’d definitely credit Andre Dubus (II)
for dialogue. He was a master. Turow and King and Bowden and Junger have always
put me right into the setting—very important. Various fantasy and sci-fi
writers for world-building. I guess I draw from all over the place.
What are you
working on next? Do you have a WIP? My fourth is called “Endgame.” It’s a
war story told from a woman’s perspective. I’m not sure how much credibility
the tale’s going to have, but it’s a book I’ve been taking notes on for 4-5
years. It’s always felt like a natural story, about five people put in a
desperate situation.
What has been
the best part of the writing process…and the worst? If I can cast aside the
doubts and worries (about not being published, ‘wasting time,’ etc.) the
writing process itself is wonderful. Brainstorm it, try it out, put yourself in
that room or those shoes. As an adult, I once wrote a chapter about a shark
incident and I was afraid to turn off the lights! The worst, of course, is that
nagging whisper or laughing bellow that you’ll never amount to anything (as a
writer). Hard to silence that one.
Tell us about your travels. A semester
in the U.K., Ireland, the Czech Republic, New Zealand, Hawaii. I look forward
to more traveling when the kids are older.
Tell us about your childhood. Like a
lot of writers (I’ve heard) I grew up rather unhappy, despite an upper
middle-class background. Nobody’s fault, just the way it was. I had an eating
problem and an image problem, and writing was as much an outlet as it was a
cover for other issues. I could never quite put my finger on what was wrong. I
had to learn about conflict the hard way, and I was a bit of an emotional wreck
about it.
Most writers have some quirks – what are
yours? The only one I can think of is I pace a lot, making rounds of the
kitchen and so forth.
Do you plot your novels or allow them to
develop as you write? I plot them. I made a ton of mistakes (including an
entire chucked manuscript) with my first novel. Sometime, yes, I think it would
be fun to just start hacking away and see where it goes.
Have you taken any creative writing courses
and would you recommend them? Yes, both a BFA and MFA in writing. Some of
the best times were workshops—reading your work aloud (sometimes pretty
embarrassing) and listening to others read and have a teacher ask insightful
questions. Any aspiring novelist should take at least a few classes—character,
setting, dialogue. Live is much better than online, if you can swing it.
What book(s) are you reading at the moment?
I just finished “The Black Count” and Pessoa’s “Book of Disquiet.” I think “The
Beautiful Ruins” is next.
If you were stranded on a desert island and
could only take three books with you, what would they be and why? No
classics for me. Probably “Catch-22” for its humor and military madness, “The
Kite Runner” for setting and catharsis, and the fifth “Harry Potter” for the
dialogue and pure escapism.
Do you
have any advice for new writers? It may be difficult, but you’ve got to
believe in what you’re doing and believe in your story. If you can’t start with
that, there’s no point going forward.
No comments:
Post a Comment