Author Interview with Justin Bog!

Why did you pursue writing?

Over the decades of pursuing a writing career, submitting, coming close, being rejected more than I care to remember, and after several stops and starts, I decided to create a writing blog, just for myself in 2011 to keep the fiction engines revved. I posted one story each month and these weren’t read by many readers, even a year later, but enough attention came and a small publisher came calling about putting a book together. These stories became Sandcastle and Other Stories, which was named Best Suspense Anthology 2013 by Suspense Magazine. Also on the blog I wrote one holiday story each year, 2011, 2012, and 2013. These formed half of the new book out titled Hark---A Christmas Collection.

What inspired your book?

I’ve always held a high regard for Charles Dickens. He wrote many stories set at Christmastime, and I wanted to follow his directions. Loved his Scrooge tale. He also wrote in serial form, and this has inspired me to write a weekly horror story on my writing blog. I’m up to Chapter 24 now, and this story is free for anyone to read at justinbog.com --- it’s titled A Play Demonic (The Queen’s Idle Fancy). I hope this becomes my first published novel down the line, but it’s not anywhere near finished at almost 35,000 words.

How long have you been publishing your work?

I won a few short fiction awards over the decades, but never seriously thought about publishing until 2012. I self-published my first collection of stories, and then a small publisher took this book on. They also published my next psychological thriller, The Conversationalist. I split from this publisher only this past fall and Booktrope now is publishing my writing projects. Hark---A Christmas Collection is the very first with this new bright and shiny publisher. Love their enthusiasm and guidance. I also have written more than a few novels. They sit in a drawer, and I believe these books added to my writing education. Are these books publishable? Perhaps. They need a lot of editorial guidance.

What’s your writing environment like?

I write at a messy roll-top desk on an iMac. Stacks of books and papers rise up on either side of the computer, but I know where everything is.

What projects are you currently working on?

With Booktrope and my book/project manager, we’ve set a schedule of releases for next year. First, Sandcastle and Other Stories and The Conversatioanlist will be released once more in Complete Editions with extra stories added. Next spring I’ll release a long novella titled A Great Distance. This is a psychological family drama. I hope to release A Play Demonic as a novel in time for Halloween.

Follow Justin Online:

Justin Bog A Writer's Life Blog: www.justinbog.com

Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/JustinBog1

Twitter: @JustinBog