Monday, August 24, 2015

Author Interview: Andy Peloquin

Tell the audience a little bit about your background.
I have a curious background, actually. I was born in Japan to French and American parents, and I'm a citizen of Canada. I was raised in Japan, leaving at the age of 14 to live/travel around Mexico. I've spent more time abroad than I have in my own country--making me the epitome of a "third culture kid".

Who are some of your favorite authors? --I'm very partial to fantasy, with my favorite authors being Brandon Sanderson, Joe Abercrombie, and Scott Lynch. That being said, I fell in love with fiction thanks to Arthur Conan Doyle and Edgar Rice Burroughs.

What have you written during your career? --As of this moment, I have written A LOT--very little of it published. I wrote a historical fiction/sci-fi/fantasy/metaphysical novel set in Atlantis (which I'm giving away on my website, in case anyone is interested). And I just published Blade of the Destroyer the first in a new dark fantasy series about a bad-ass fantasy assassin.

How long have you been a writer? Off and on, since the age of 15. I started writing seriously about 5 years ago, but that was mainly non-fiction and marketing stuff. I've only been writing fiction professionally since late 2013.

Where does your creative fuel come from? What a fascinating question! Where does anyone's creative fuel come from? The Ether? Some unnamed muse? I've always envied artists and photographers, people who could make something artistic from nothing. I'm a creative person at heart, so I use words as my "paintbrush" to share a bit of myself with the world.

Are you a plotter (someone who plans ahead) or a pantser (someone who improvises)? A bit of both, actually. I won't start writing a book until I have a rough outline of what the story will be about, but I don't worry too much about the details. They come to me as I write the story, and the plot develops well ahead of my writing. By the time I'm half-way done writing, I'll know how the book ends.

What would you describe as the high point of your career? This! Getting my book picked up by a publisher (J. Ellington Ashton Press) and having this book launch is a huge rush. I'm so excited!

What would you describe as the low point of your career? I've been fairly blessed to date. I've never really had a "low point". There have been a lot of bumps and snags along the way, but I can't say that things have ever really "sucked" in my writing career.

Who do you credit with editing your books into tip-top shape? -- A combination of my beta readers, my own OCD, and the editors at JEA. With all those eyes, the book has come out to be a creation of beauty--one I'm absolutely thrilled with.

Do you design your own book covers or do you have someone else to do that for you? --As I said above, I've always envied artists, mainly because I have ZERO artistic skills. Thankfully, I have a sister who is an amazing artist. She came up with 95% of the design for the book cover, and it's all because of her that it's as awesome as she is.

What advice do you have for young aspiring writers? -- Be ready to work hard! Writing is 20 to 25% "fun", and the rest of it is plain hard work. Between re-drafting, polishing the writing, editing, editing again, doing lots more editing, and marketing, there's a lot less pure "creation" than you might realize. But it's all worth it!

What are some of your pet peeves as an author? --I've come to see proper grammar and punctuation as an absolute MUST. I will drop a book if I find too many mistakes. My eyes just shy away from the words, and I focus on the mistakes rather than the story.

How important are reviews to an author’s career, for better or worse? --I think reviews are quite important. First of all, they hold an author accountable. If you put garbage on the internet, it's good that someone calls you out and tells people the truth about your product. Second, I think that it helps us to find out the areas where we need to improve. A bad review for my first book helped me to make this new book a work of art.

Has anybody created fan art for your books? If so, how does that feel?-- I wish! If anyone is interested in creating fan art, let me know! I want to add sketches of the thirteen gods of Voramis into one of the later books.

Have you met any famous authors in your lifetime? --I did! I stood in line for over an hour at this last San Diego Comic Con to meet Brandon Sanderson. It was the one thing I really wanted from the convention.

How important is privacy to a writer’s career? --You know, I don't know that one. I've never really had a big fan base, so I'm not really sure what it's like to NOT have privacy. Ask me in a few years…

Do you use a penname or is Andy Peloquin your real one? --My real name is "Andrew", but I've been called "Andy" since the day I was born. Being called "Andrew" is still weird, so it made sense to go with the name I prefer.

What role does a penname play for an author? --For some authors, it provides them a way to publish something different. For example, J.K. Rowling published/is publishing a series of books under a pen name, and I think she's doing so to give her books (written by a woman) a chance to succeed in a genre dominated by men.
 
Do you have any final thoughts to give the audience? --Buy my book! No, just kidding. I love to get to know people, so if anyone wants to be my friend, chat, shoot the s**t about writing, or get to know me, add me on any of my social media links! I'm as friendly as my limited free time allows.





 

Tagline/Elevator Pitch:



A faceless, nameless assassin. A forgotten past. The Hunter of Voramis--a killer devoid of morals, or something else altogether? (Blade of the Destroyer--dark fantasy with a look at the underside of human nature)



Book Blurb:


The Last Bucelarii (Book 1): Blade of the Destroyer


The Hunter of Voramis is the perfect assassin: ruthless, unrelenting, immortal. Yet he is haunted by lost memories, bonded to a cursed dagger that feeds him power yet denies him peace of mind. Within him rages an unquenchable need for blood and death.

When he accepts a contract to avenge the stolen innocence of a girl, the Hunter becomes the prey. The death of a seemingly random target sends him hurtling toward destruction, yet could his path also lead to the truth of his buried past?

 

Book Info:



Title: The Last Bucelarii (Book 1): Blade of the Destroyer

Author: Andy Peloquin

Official Launch Date: August 21st, 2015

Publication Date: July 11th, 2015

Paperback Price: $15.99

Digital Price: $3.99

Pages: 298

ISBN: 1515038955

 

Buy Links:



Amazon Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/Blade-Destroyer-Last-Bucelarii-Book-ebook/dp/B012EI9M4A/

Amazon Paperback: http://www.amazon.com/Blade-Destroyer-Last-Bucelarii-Book/dp/1515038955/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25269614-blade-of-the-destroyer

 

Book Launch Event:



https://www.facebook.com/events/1625045874438351/

 

Bio:


Andy Peloquin: Lover of All Things Dark and Mysterious


Andy Peloquin--a third culture kid to the core--has loved to read since before he could remember. Sherlock Holmes, the Phantom of the Opera, and Father Brown are just a few of the books that ensnared his imagination as a child.

When he discovered science fiction and fantasy through the pages of writers like Edgar Rice Burroughs, J.R.R Tolkien, and Orson Scott Card, he was immediately hooked and hasn't looked back since.

Andy's first attempt at writing produced In the Days: A Tale of the Forgotten Continent. He has learned from the mistakes he made and used the experience to produce Blade of the Destroyer, a book of which he is very proud.

Reading—and now writing—is his favorite escape, and it provides him an outlet for his innate creativity. He is an artist; words are his palette.

His website (http://www.andypeloquin.com) is a second home for him, a place where he can post his thoughts and feelings--along with reviews of books he finds laying around the internet.

He can also be found on his social media pages, such as:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/AndyPeloquin

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/andyqpeloquin

www.linkedin.com/in/andypeloquin/

https://plus.google.com/100885994638914122147/about

https://www.amazon.com/author/andypeloquin

https://www.facebook.com/andrew.peloquin.1


 

10 Things You Need to Know About Me:
Hot wings, ALWAYS!
I never forget a face, but rarely remember a name.
I'm a head taller than the average person (I'm 6' 6")
Marvel > DC
I was born in Japan, and lived there until the age of 14.
Selena Gomez and Five Finger Death Punch are both in my playlist.
Aliens are real, but it's self-centered of us to believe that they would come to visit Earth.
Watching sports: suck. Playing sports: EPIC!
I earned a purple belt in Karate/Hapkido/Taekwondo.
I dislike most Christmas music, aside from Trans-Siberian Orchestra.
 

Reviews:



"Creative, gritty, and beautifully dark...fantasy addicts will love it!" -- Peter Story, author of Things Grak Hates -- http://peterjstory.com/

"The fantasy world has a compelling new antihero…the Hunter will terrify and captivate you." - Eve A Floriste, author of Fresh Cut

"From the first words on the page this fantasy holds the reader spellbound even after the book is finished…his character is very well-defined even if his past is a mystery. Root for an assassin? Oh, yes, one must!" -- Carol Conley, for InDTale Magazine

 

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