The Lindsay Show: Interview with Brian Dobbins!

Hello my lovelies! Today's interview is a little bit delayed and I greatly appreciate Brian Dobbins' patience with me :) For those of you who don't know, I was in a car accident on Monday so I'm a bit behind schedule. No worries, I'm fine and working on getting back on track! So without further ado, let's get started!

Interview

Thank you so much for joining me today, Brian! When did you know you wanted to be a writer?

Since childhood. I wrote short stories and comic books as a kid.

Oh that's so awesome! Love comics :) What has been the most difficult part about being a writer?

Finding the time to write and market my writing has been the biggest challenge. Writing is the easy part. Except for the editing. Then it has to actually be good.

I 100% agree with you there. If I could agree more than 100% I would lol. Who are your favorite authors?

That's always a tough question for me. There's so many I could name. H.G. Wells, Harper Lee, William Goldman, Robert B. Parker just to name a few. And in no particular order, as they say.

Some of those I haven't heard of but will definitely be checking them out. What authors inspire you?

All the ones I just named, to some extent.

Awesome :) Do you like to plan your scenes out or do you just wing it?

Both. I usually have a pretty good idea of what I want each scene to accomplish, since I think every scene should drive the story or be relevant in some way. But it's not unusual for those same scenes to take a couple of twists and turns that I might not have foreseen. And dialogue… well, sometimes a character will say something that I just didn't see coming.

Love that approach! I've never been a great planner because it's so much fun to see where your scenes take you. What type of books do you like to read?

I'm a big fan of detective stories. I love noir. Crime drams, suspense, fantasy, westerns, supernatural and science fiction… I read it all.

I think it's great that you've got such diverse tastes; it can make for much more interesting story ideas in my opinion. What do you like to do in your free time?

By "free time", I assume you mean when I'm not working and/or writing. I spend that time (when I have it) reading, exercising, seeing friends, being outside and with my 14-year-old daughter. The young man I think of as a son is grown, so I don't get to see him as much as I'd like, but we get together when we can. I love good friends, good food, good music and good drink, especially when they all happen together.

Aww, that's wonderful! Where is your favorite place to vacation?

Either the woods or the beach. I like quiet, outdoor vacations with quaint, rustic places to hang out in. I'll take a cabin or B&B over big cities and bright lights during a getaway, unless it's to see friends who are there.

I freaking adore the beach! What’s your best Valentine’s day story?

Hmm. I'm not sure. Probably one I would make up. I do make stuff up, you know.

Hahaha, fair enough. Why did you choose to write a thriller featuring witches?

I didn't. It chose me. I was writing comic books for a place called West Street Enterprises when the first version of the story came to me, literally in a dream. I saw it as a live-action double splash page, with the title in big comic book type letters. Initially I started it as a comic book series but the story kept getting bigger, often because of subsequent dreams. Finally the owner/publisher of West Street, Al Tudor, suggested I just write it as a novel and he published it. The prologue and the climax are exactly as I dreamed them. Eventually I reworked it, added about 15,000 words, and was lucky enough for the new version to be picked up by Eric Beebe at Post Mortem Press. Both Al and Eric are the people who are really responsible for the story to ever see the light of day, and I'm very grateful to both of them.

That's awesome it came to you in a dream! What has been the most fun about working on your books?

Just writing them. When the muse is singing and the words are flowing, it's a real blast.

I couldn't agree more! What has been the hardest scene for you to write?

Right now I'm working on the sequel to "Jasmine's Tale" and it involves bad guys who are, among other things, human slave traffickers. That's pretty horrific subject matter, and for authenticity and believability, I've had to include a couple of scenes that were very difficult for me to write. One in particular disturbed me enough that I stayed away from the keyboard for two days.

Oh wow, that would definitely be hard to write. Do you have any favorite characters?

I like most of my characters, but I think Sam Melody, is probably my favorite. He's a straightforward, loyal, hardworking guy who is usually driven by a pretty solid morality. He's often in over his head against very powerful creatures, but he always manages to pull through.

Ooo now I'm intrigued :) Definitely going to be checking out this book! I love the fact that you combined witches with detectives. Where did the inspiration come for that?
As I said, I love detective stories. I thought it would be interesting for a witch to have a husband who did private investigations for a living. It just seems to work, at least for me.

Well, I for one think it's an unique premise and I can't wait to read it. Tell us more about Sam and Jasmine please.

Jasmine Peletier is a witch who has been around for 2500 years. Don't worry, she looks great for her age. Her adventures take her through a lot of historical events before she reaches the 20th Century. Finally she meets Sam Melody, and realizes that he is destined to be the husband for whom she has unknowingly been waiting. They fall in love, get married, and have to contend with other powerful witches who have been battling with her for a very long time.

Hey, no marriage is easy, I mean my husband and I battle super powerful witches too ;) If you lived for 2500 years, what do you think your favorite time in history would be?

I was just talking about this the other day with a friend. I think I'd probably choose Medieval Times or sometime during the Old West. Until it was time to see a dentist or a doctor. Then I'd want to come home pretty quick.

I have to say, I think I'd choose medieval times too. I love reading about that time period. What can we expect from future books in this series?

Magick, mystery, and some good old detective noir, with a lot of humor sprinkled in.

Alright, I'm sold haha. Those are all elements to a great story! Please tell us about your other books.

I also have a western out right now entitled "Corryville", which is set in 1887 Wyoming territory. It follows the trail of a ranch foreman named Ethan Darny, who has suddenly found himself thrust into the life of an unwilling outlaw. The book is loaded with what I hope are some pretty interesting characters. I've started a sequel to this book also, but it's on the back burner for now until I finish the sequel to "Jasmine's Tale".

That sounds so good too! Even more to add to my TBR pile! What's next for you?

Ask me that again after I finish these two sequels!

Haha, will do! Well, we are unfortunately out of time. Before you go, is there anything else you want your readers to know?

I'd like them to know how much I appreciate all their kind words regarding my work. I hope they enjoy every word. There's more to come.

Thank you so much for stopping by The Lindsay Show! And thank you again for your patience with my delay in getting this up :)

Jasmine's Tale...Buy it Now!

When Sam Melody, a hardworking private detective, meets the beautiful Jasmine Pellitier, the consequences could be deadly. Although Jasmine seems like the perfect woman, she is actually a 2,500-year-old witch… and is being pursued by ancient enemies who will stop at nothing to learn the secret of her powers.

A fascinating marriage of witch-tale and detective yarn, Jasmine’s Tale: Darkness and Light takes the reader from Sam and Jasmine’s adventures in modern-day New York City to her ancient European beginnings and back again, as they try to elude their enemies in a running battle between good and evil.

From ancient times though the Crusades to the Salem Witch Trials and beyond, follow Jasmine and the man she loves in to a final showdown between the powers of Darkness and Light.