Interview with J.S. Hazzard

Written on 22 December 2024. Posted in Author Interviews

The Blog Ring of Power Presents...

An Interview with Author J.S. Hazzard

hazzard authorpic2

Today we have an interview with a good friend of mine - fantasy author J.S. Hazzard. J.S. is here today to tell us a bit about the writing life and her debut, Blood Leverage, which features a new spin on vampires. Feel free to leave a comment or question for J.S. below, and when you're done here, pop on over to the other BRoP sites to read the rest of the interview.

BRoP: What is your writing process? Do you follow a regular routine? Do you use pen and paper or computer?
J.S.: Work at home or at the library/Starbucks, etc. My routine is wildly irregular, and I’ll write just about anywhere. I love to escape the house to write. I occasionally use the library, but I really love to write in restaurants. Being constantly alone in the house gets a bit stifling. Sometimes a girl needs a bit of noise. And food! I hate to cook.

BRoP: When do you write?
J.S.: I prefer the early morning hours or the evening hours. As a general rule, my brain does not thrive in the afternoon.

BRoP: What has been the most surprising reaction to something you’ve written?
J.S.: The most surprising reaction I’ve ever had to my writing was my own, approximately fifty drafts into Blood Leverage, when I finished reading and finally thought, “Wow. This might actually turn into a real book.” Considering how appalling the first draft was, I’d had a great deal of doubt on that issue. Thank goodness I’m stubborn.

BRoP: Other than your family, what has been your greatest source of support?
J.S.: I didn’t tell people I was writing for an incredibly long time. For nearly an entire year, no one knew but my husband. Then for the second year, no one but my husband and my parents knew. It’s difficult for anyone to support you when they have no idea what you’re doing. However, upon emerging from the “writer’s closet”, I’ve really found nothing but support from everyone.

BRoP: How do you deal with rejection and/or negative reviews?
J.S.: I’d love to have some dramatic answer to this, like throwing breakable objects or calling in bomb threats. Sadly, the only realistic option is to learn what you can from each incident and continue to improve. (A reasonable amount of foul language can also help during this process.)

What format is your book(s) available in (print, e-book, audio book, etc.)?
Both

Where can readers can stalk you:

Blog | Facebook | Goodreads | Twitter | Amazon Author Page | Smashwords Author Page

J.S. HAZZARD grew up in a tiny town in Western New York and now live in the suburbs of Buffalo with my husband and our little pit bull, Casanova. After years of term papers and legal briefs, I decided to attempt writing fiction mainly to see if I could do it. (It also sounded a lot more fun and possibly easier than practicing law.) Looking back, I'm pretty sure somebody must have slipped me special kool-aid, because there's nothing easy about the worlds of writing and publishing..

BLOOD LEVERAGE: As humanity struggles with the aftermath of a century-long vampiric bloodbath, life outside the remaining great cities revolves around being inside by sunset and never questioning the status quo.

Aurora Strong is practically a pariah in her village thanks to her mother’s infamous involvement with vampires — not to mention her own inability to play by the rules. Not content with being a mere social outcast, Rory conspires in a secret, and very illegal, blood brokering scheme. She enjoys her private rebellion against the town that shuns her — until her partner in crime goes missing, and suddenly it’s not about her anymore.

Now, with her partner either enslaved as a living blood bank or already dead, Rory’s illicit blood brokering contacts are her only hope of making things right. Assuming they allow her to leave...or even to live.

GET IT NOW:
Goodreads | Amazon | Smashwords

This is part two of a five-part interview. Be sure to check out the other BRoP sites for the rest of the interview:
Part 1 @ Vicki Lemp Weavil
Part 3 @ T.W. Fendley
Part 4 @ Emily LaBonte
Part 5 @ Sandra Ulbrich Almazon

The Blog Ring of Power (BRoP) is a consortium of five speculative fiction writers who have banded together to bring you highlights from the current speculative fiction market--news, reviews, and interviews with speculative fiction authors--with an emphasis on small-press and self-published authors. So grab a cup of coffee, pull up a chair, and relax. Have we got a story for you...

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Tell us about your new book and when it is out? Where can people purchase it? The book is called Soul Rebel. It’s about a guy named Nolan Bishop who meets a beautiful succubus at a nightclub in Shreveport. She steals souls, it’s what she does. And after she takes his, he finds out he has 7 days to get his soul back or he’ll turn into a vicious vampire. Oh, but then her twin sister gets involved and he has to try not to fall for her.
Is there anything new, unusual, or interesting about your book? How is it different from other books on the same subject? I like to think I put a different twist on the succubus myth. She does invade my character’s dreams, but he doesn’t die after having his soul – or his essence – taken.
What was the hardest part of writing this book? This book was a long work in progress. I actually started it a year ago, but kept putting it aside and working on other projects. I promised myself I would work on Soul the beginning of the year, and I have. This book was one of my hardest, but I can’t really put my finger on why. One day I might figure it out!
What was your favorite chapter (or part) to write and why? Why, the ending of course! Nothing feels as good as finishing a book. Plus the ending rocks and it’s super awesome and touching J
Did you learn anything from writing this book and what was it?
If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in this book?
Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?
Tell us about your book’s cover – where did the design come from and what was the design process like? Oh gosh, this cover was a nightmare, ha! I designed it myself. It took me forever. I taught myself Photoshop and revised it and changed it a million times ‘til I was happy for it. We’ll see if Createspace will accept it (they are the devil!). That being said, it’s by far my best cover. I designed three of my other ones. I’m using professionals from here on out, though!

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