Date Published: 10-05-2021
Publisher: Cinnabar Moth
Jake had drifted to Japan without any serious intent, and it was going… okay. He had made friends in the local Salsa community, his Japanese was improving, but for Jake the familiar feeling that had dogged him most of his life—that something special should be happening—had struck again.
Kenneth had been assigned to Japan by the pixie queen years ago, which is just enough time for a pixie to get bored and complacent while keeping tabs on the local talent. Most humans had no magic, and most magical humans didn’t know it was their power that made their food taste better, their paintings more vibrant, or people like them more.
When the two met, the spark in Jake gave Kenneth’s role a new urgency. Jake didn’t just have magic, he had a wild and unpredictable kind seen only once in a generation. How could Kenneth keep Jake’s magic from falling into enemy hands? Kill him? Recruit him? Somehow keep him ignorant?
Jake’s magic had quietly led him to Japan, subtly influencing every choice in his life. That something special Jake had been waiting for was about to happen, ensuring his and Kenneth’s lives would never be boring again.
Author Interview
1. What would you
consider to be your Kryptonite as an author?
I struggle a lot with
keeping to one story. While writing, I end up thinking of new stories or ideas
for characters involved in the story that I wish I could explore more. Keeping
that in check is a major struggle every time.
2. If you could tell
your younger writing self anything, what would it be?
Be more willing to
explore writing on your own. For most of my younger years, I only really wrote
if it was an assignment. I could have had more fun with writing back then.
3. Favorite childhood
memory involving books?
My parents would read
bedtime stories with me during my childhood. It evolved from simple children’s
books into reading novel-length stories together. We finished so many books as
a family, and I look back on those memories fondly.
4. Did you want to be
an author when you grew up?
I didn’t ever plan to
write as a kid. When I was really young, I imagined I’d be an oncologist. As I
got older, I forgot about the idea of becoming anything in particular when I
grew up.
5. If you had to
describe yourself in three words, what would they be?
Tired, relaxed, and
happy.
6. If you could own
any animal as a pet, what would it be?
I think it’d be cool
to have a pet orbweaver spider if they weren’t venomous. They make these
beautiful, intricate webs that would be fascinating to look at.
7. Have you ever met
anyone famous?
I’ve met some
professional gamers and popular streamers before, but I haven’t met anyone
who’s famous like Morgan Freeman.
8. What is the first book that made you
cry?
I can’t remember the first book. The most
recent series to make me cry were the Realm of the Elderlings books by Robin
Hobb.
9. How long, on average, does it take you
to write a book?
It took me about two years to write
Pixies in the Mist. It’s the only book I’ve written, so I guess that’d make it
the average.
10. How do you select the names of your
characters?
Some names I just kind of pick out of a
hat. Others, I look into some of the history of the name or its meanings /
origins to see if it feels like a good fit. I don’t have any single process for
naming.
11. If you were the last person on Earth,
what would you do?
If I were the last person on Earth, I’d
probably just make the most of what I had available. Play some games, read some
books. Maybe I’d take up writing in a journal to leave something of myself
behind once I started getting older.
12. Do you have any advice for aspiring
writers?
Start by writing. Don’t worry about
quality or anything. Just get the words on the page first. You can fix things
up after, but you can’t fix what isn’t written.
13. Tell us 10 fun facts about yourself!
- I dance bachata / latin
dances for fun.
- My favorite juice is
grape juice (to the point I can drink an entire 2 liter carton of it in a
day)
- I went to nationals for
chess when I was in elementary school.
- I can type approximately
90-100 words per minute.
- I am bilingual in
English and Japanese.
- My favorite color is
blue.
- I’m left-handed.
- Every time I go on a
trip, I visit the local aquarium.
- I have an obsession with
zefrank1’s videos “True facts about” animals.
- I play Dungeons &
Dragons 5th edition in my spare time.
14. What
is your favorite genre to read?
Fantasy
and science fiction are my two favorite genres. The Laundry Chronicles is a
recent read that exemplifies one of my favorite styles.
With many different hobbies, chief of them being Latin dance, he keeps himself physically active as well as mentally active as much as he can. The Latin dance community in Japan is alive and, surprisingly, quite large.
Rasta has lupus and hereditary coproporphyria. Given their complicated nature, he’s had to learn a lot to adapt and manage them. The process also taught him a lot about managing other aspects of his life, and all of this influences his writing.
Contact Links
Twitter: @RastaMusick
Purchase Links
Giveaway
1 Comments
Congrats on your new release, Rasta! I enjoyed reading your interview and my kryptonite would be the same as yours! Thanks for sharing Pixies in the Mist with me and I hope the tour was a success! Have a great weekend!
ReplyDeletePlease try not to spam posts with the same comments over and over again. Authors like seeing thoughtful comments about their books, not the same old, "I like the cover" or "sounds good" comments. While that is nice, putting some real thought and effort in is appreciated. Thank you.