Greetings humans, half-breeds, and everything in
between. A while back, I had the pleasure to interview a wonderful author
named, Andrew Hess. A good time was
truly had by all and here’s how it went down.
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Hi there Andrew!
It’s so awesome to have you here at the ECS Blog. Don’t worry about the
darkness, your eyes will adjust.
So
tell me, who is Andrew Hess?
I grew up in Lindenhurst, NY and spent most of my
life there with the exception of five years in the New PaltzPoughkeepsie area.
I studied Psychology for two years at New Paltz
which has helped me understand character dynamics in strangers, friends, family
members, and now characters within my stories.
Since then, I have been very passionate about my writing in hopes that
it inspires others to become writers.I’ve
never heard of New Paltz; sounds quaint. Thanks, I always enjoy learning
something new and I’m excited to see what kind of character insight you might be
sharing with us today.
So
whacha got for me today?
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| provided by author |
The Phoenix Blade: Project Justice is the start of a
four part series. It starts off with
three friends that joke about getting rid of all the evil people in the
world. But like the old saying goes; be
careful what you wish for. In this case,
the group gets a phone call from someone claiming to work for the US
government; telling the group they have two options; be arrested for conspiracy
and treason, or work covertly for a new branch of military within the
government designed to eliminate high powered criminals.What!
:o That sounds crazy (in the best possible way). I’m in. Need more info.
So
who’s starring is this 2 dimensional script read of The Phoenix Blade?
Andrew Lancaster is a college man in his early
twenties. He moved to Buffalo, NY to
escape his father and nagging step-mother because of how easily they tried to
replace his mother after her death; in which Andrew believed she was
murdered. He is determined to uncover
the truth at all cost; which is difficult when each decision he makes impacts
the lives of his best friend (Mike) and the woman he’s in love with (Lilly).On
top of everything else, you’ve thrown in some family drama. I love it. Sounds
like you have a real page turner here. This is just the kind of book that does
well in niche market and then expands.
Past,
present, future, is there a rhyme or reason to your writing?
I am usually sitting up in my bed when I’m typing
away on the computer. It’s where I feel
the most comfortable and have everything I need surrounding me. Most of the time, I write with the TV on to
provide just some background noise. On
occasion, I will turn on some music and keep it on shuffle just so the music is
spontaneous.
I am working on a few other projects. The first is writing a movie script for The
Phoenix Blade. Everyone tells me they
can see it being a movie, so I wanted to try my hand at getting a producer to
look at it. I am also working on
re-writing the second book in The Phoenix Blade series and putting together a
detective series that takes place in the upstate New York area.
I
type in bed too. It is very comfortable there. I don’t know about the
background noise, but hey, if it works for you. Glad to know you’re pursuing a
movie from this, I really think you have a shot.
What
author(s) has most influenced your writing? Why or how?
I tend to surprise people with this answer. The first author that influenced my writing
was James Patterson
because of his attention to detail and gripping stories. He’s had tremendous success with the Alex Cross
books. The second author was Edgar Allen Poe. Poe had a unique grasp on exciting his
readers with heart pounding thrillers.
The way he worded his stories and poems were unique and made the reader
feel like they were there instead of just reading along. I figured why not try to combine the two
styles of writing into one.Not
a bad idea. If your work really is a combination of Patterson and Poe, I expect
to be seeing more from you in no time. I too appreciate the way Poe pulls you
into his work.
Whose
brain are you just itching to scratch?
I would have to say Edgar Allen Poe. I would love to know how he came up with such
gripping heart pounding stories and to know his true meaning behind each of
them.I
can’t image being able to talk to Edgar Allen Poe. It would seem surreal, but
there would definitely be something there to gain from a literary point of view
and also as a human creature of observation.
Who
is so you and why?
For just my looks, I’ve been compared to JackOsbourne and also Harry Potter. The Harry Potter one I never understood. I guess it’s because at the time I wore
glasses every day. The Jack Osborne one
I see because of my style and the way my hair gets when I let it grow out too
much.People
see what they want to see. In the comparative world in which we live, I think
these comparisons are pretty good.
What’s
your ideal reading spot for your next highly anticipated read?
This is difficult for me, because I don’t get to
read too often. When I do read, I like
to curl up in bed, again with the TV on as background noise, and dive right
into the book. I prefer reading
paperback because it’s easier to hold and read.
I tried ebooks, but use them mostly when traveling. The books that I get really excited about are
mysteries and thrillers because I always want to figure out who did what and
why before reaching the end.I
know what you mean about mysteries and thrillers. For some reason I have more
trouble figuring out “who done it” in books than in movies. I like that though.
If I read a mystery and figure it out too early, I want my money back…my
expectations aren’t so high with movies.
What
was your favorite book or story, pre-teen years?
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| Amazon.com |
I would have to say Indian inthe Cupboard.
It was something different and unique.
It was a story about a kid who put his toys in this apparently magical
cupboard and brought them to life. I
think every kid that read it wished they had a magical cupboard at that time.Ditto!
I think I did everything imaginable, even praying, hoping my toys would come to
life. So instead, I decided to stay a kid and have kept my toys around to play
with whenever...Now this is where the questions get a little kooky; are you
ready? BaBoom.Great
response; alright then, here we go.
If
you could only watch one movie for the rest of your life, what would it be?
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| IMDB |
BoondockSaints.
It’s by far my favorite movie that I started watching after I wrote the
first draft of The Phoenix Blade. It had
comedy, action, a plot that anyone could follow and of course more action. This
movie has been in my Netflix queue for ages. I guess I should just sit down and
watch it already. I’ve heard great things about it.
What
makes you geek out?
I would have to say pro wrestling. It’s something I watched since I was
three. I loved the plots; especially in
the late 90s and early 2000s. I can feel
the intensity between the wrestlers and know the physical strain they put their
bodies through on a nightly basis just to produce this amazing physicalized
drama for TV and pay-per view.Good
one and not one I hear often. I know a few people who are really into pro
wrestling, like my sister, Crystal, but I guess I out grew it. That doesn’t
mean I don’t respect it. Like you said, a lot of work goes into and the
“actors” are, without a doubt, series athletes. I would see some live, but
can’t watch it on TV, but then I feel the same way about baseball.
So
what’s testing your patience right now?
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| IMDB |
I think the show I’m most excited to see is the
return of the show 24. I heard a few months ago they were bringing
it back for a limited time and it was one of the most suspenseful shows I’ve
seen. I don’t know how the actual season
will play out because of the limited season and it’s usually based in real
time. I think that just increases the
anticipation for its return.I
forgot about this. Yeah, I know a few people are really looking forward to the
return of 24. It should be good.
When
the soundtrack of your life is playing in your head, what songs express your
glee and what songs bring out your rage?
I can get behind most music, but especially love
punk, rock, and anything with a catchy beat.
(Fall OutBoy, Bon Jovi,
Paramore). Unfortunately, the only types of music I’m
not a fan of is country, hardcore metal, techno music when there aren’t any
words to the song.I
think I’m going to cry right now. I’m so happy you’re a music fan. I don’t even
care if you like music I don’t, I just love music fans…
Now
that I have my composure, I like catchy beats too and can totally agree with
the lyric-free techno issue.
What’s
the most fun experience you’ve ever had, to date?
I know it’s going to sound weird, but it was my
third date with my fiancé. We went into
New York City together to see the Dead SeaScrolls at Discovery Times. We’re both very religious and thought it
would be fun to do. Then we went to the
wax museum and acted like little kids; taking funny pictures with the wax
figures.That
actually seems pretty cool to me and acting like a kid anywhere, especial a wax
museum, is always approved. One of my best dates was to Toys’R’Us just to goof off and buy candy.
Not
that you can see into the future, but in your opinion, what does the future
hold?
In five years, I expect to be married with a couple
of kids; still writing books and movie scripts.
My business will grow to where I can help more writers fine tune their
craft and help them on their way to becoming successful writers.Sounds
like you’re a bit of an optimist and why shouldn’t you be. You obviously are
not playing around here. You have goals and you are executing them. I think
it’s great and wish you all the best.
Is
there a question you would like to ask me?
Q: What is your
inspiration for interviewing writers?A:
I started interviewing writers for three reasons. 1. I thought it would be good
writing, blogging, and people skills practice. 2. I thought it would be a good
way to social network and not be bored or feel like I was just going through
the motions. 3. It seemed like a good way to find out what other writers were
doing, again an opportunity to learn.
Now,
however, I interview writers because I want to help them. Not a lot of people
went out of their way to help me in the beginning and want to do what I can so
no one else feels the way I felt then.
Well, Andrew, thanks for stopping by to share today. I wish you all the best in your future endeavors.
Ok
humans, half-breeds, and everything in between, that’s all for today. Be sure
to follow this blog to see who will be visiting next time. For more from Andrew
Hess, check out these great links:
Website:
Andrew Hess
Facebook(s):
Andrew Hess,
The PhoenixBlade
Twitter:
@Iamphoenix1
Purchase
links for The Phoenix Blade: Amazon
*Special offer* The Phoenix Blade will be available free on Kindle from Sept. 6 - Sept. 9, '2013. Get your copy and spread the word.
Thank you for taking the time to read this post. Click below to share your Reactions and more. See you next time, Toi Thomas. #cursescanbebroken
