4. What keeps you busy and what do you like to do in your spare time?
I write, of course. :p Nah, really, I usually spend a lot of time debating politics and religion online, writing, playing with my son, or playing video games. I'm a bit of a loner; I have a few close friends, and know a lot of people who think I'm their friend, but I'm that 'cool' guy who'd rather sit around at home alone. And if I'm doing none of the above, I'm working my butt off to make a living. :)
5. Does the place where you live and the place where you grew up influence your writing?
Oh yes, definitely. I currently live in a mining town known as Gillette, Wyoming. It's winter six to eight months of the year here, and it's a desert, to boot. Reading across When Man Has Fallen, with that in mind, it's not hard to see where I got the post-apocalyptic landscape from. I also grew up in and around St. Louis, Missouri, on the Illinois side of the Mississippi river. Farmland, mostly, quiet, middle of nowhere, 700 residents... And fifteen minutes from the heart city of the mid-west. St. Louis appears in WMHF, actually. The scene where Silas sees the destroyed Arch, it was a bit heartrending for me to write. That arch dominated my skyline for a good twelve years of my life, and I think it's a magnificent piece of architecture.
6. Not a lot of people realize this, but you're an artist as well. What is your favorite medium and what would you consider to be your favorite piece of work?
Ah yes, that I am, though I am nowhere near as confident in my abilities with the pen, in that regard, as I am while writing. At this moment in time, probably digital manipulation would have to be my favorite, or at least, of what I can do at the moment. My all-time favorite medium, though, is clay. Ceramics and sculpture were a passion for me all through high school. Took me four years to learn how to throw a decent pot, but I finally got it! Sculpting was my strong suit, in that regard. My favorite piece probably would have to have been... A box I made for my first love. It was a light cream color, with inscribed green vines, using a technique called scrolling, on every side of it. On top, there was a lovingly sculpted replica of a star gazer lily (my favorite flower) in full bloom, pistils and all. On the front, there were her initials, JKM, and in each side, a different word was inscribed: Faith and Hope were on the sides, and on the back, was Love, all carefully etched and painted/glazed baby blue. One of the flower petals draped across the front, and there was a nonfunctional keyhole in it, deep enough and painted just right so as to look real. On the lip, I made four grooves, corresponding with two ridges along the bottom of the lid, so you could slide it back or take the lid off, whichever you wanted. On the inside, I put black velvet, and let my cologne marinate inside for about two weeks. Three years after we broke up, she randomly mentioned to me that the box still smelled like me whenever she opened it. Ah. It was as beautiful as her, and she was worth it. I just wish I had a picture of it.
7. What is your favorite song?
That's a definite three way tie. What a Shame by Shinedown, Goodbye by Greg Laswell, and then... Pretty much any song by Two Steps to Hell, but To Glory definitely stands out.
8. Which of your stories do you like the most and why?
Well, up until recently, it was When Man Has Fallen, without a doubt. I've been working on it for over a year, lovingly perfecting it; at least, to the best of my abilities. It's really still just a rough draft. A five hundred page rough draft... They're going to make me abridge it! I just know it! *cries*
Number One Fan! Interview with Animus_Argentis
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