Today’s Friday Five focus is J.P. Barnett, author of horror/suspense novels.
J.P. Barnett is the author of the award-winning Lorestalker series, a collection of paranormal horror suspense/thrillers examining folklore and tall tales of mysterious creatures roaming our world, published by Evolved Publishing LLC. His debut novel, The Beast of Rose Valley, won the Pinnacle Achievement Award and was a finalist in the Readers’ Favorite Awards. The follow-up, The Kraken of Cape Madre, released to rave reviews, and was named a Top-5 finalist in the 2019 Kindle Book Awards. J.P. currently resides in San Antonio with his wife and hellion of a cat, both of whom look at him dubiously with some frequency.
In his first book, The Beast of Rose Valley, it’s not awkward at all when you’re forced on a family vacation with your new stepmother and her young daughter. Even worse when a malevolent force wants to kill you.
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1. What author has influenced your writing style/subject the most and why?
Michael Crichton – he has always been one of my favorite authors. I always loved the way he blended real science with science fiction. Though I don’t write in the science fiction genre currently, I still aim for the blend of the real and the imagined.
2. If you could pick just one book to read for the rest of your life, what would it be and why?
Ready Player One. It’s so dense with references that it might take a lifetime to absorb them all.
3. What are three things on your bucket list?
1) Take a month-long trip to Australia
2) Write 20 books before I die
3) Learn to trust myself and live life on my own terms
4. How much of your published writing is based on personal experiences?
Though it wouldn’t seem like it on the surface, a part of me lives in every character I write. Though there are monsters, those are really just a stand-in for the internal monsters we all fight on a daily basis.
5. What is the most important thing that people DON’T know about your subject/genre, that you think they need to know?
Sometimes it’s a hard sell to get people to read my books. A lot of people don’t care for horror, and worry about getting too scared. My books are very approachable, though, and I wish I could explain that they really fit in some middle genre between urban fantasy and horror. Also, I think a lot of people might find it interesting that most of my “monsters” are based on real-life folklore of cryptids around the world.
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The Beast of Rose Valley, The Kraken of Cape Madre, and the rest of the Lorestalker series are currently available at Amazon. Connect with J.P. on Twitter or Facebook.
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