Title: Tom and Lovey: Under the Moon Into the Wood
Author: G.R. Jerry
Publisher: Book Venture Publishing LLC
ISBN: 978-1-64069-712-6
Pages: 222
Genre: Horror / Fantasy
Interviewed by: Thomas Macolino
Author Interview with G.R. Jerry
PBR: Who are some of your literary influences?
JRR Tolkien perked up my interest in fantasy and the supernatural, while the writings of Stephen King and Dean Koontz, among others, helped lead me down the road to horror.
PBR: Which character in your book did you have the most difficulty writing?
It was a bit more of a challenge to develop the background of Tom, one of our leading characters. The story was based on a prompt writing contest for which I had laid down the basic theme for what followed. Limited to 500 words, I thereafter expanded the introduction in the Prologue of Tom and Lovey: Under the Moon Into the Wood. I found it necessary to provide the reader with some history of Tom’s immortality and maturation in his role as a Preacher . . . of sorts.
PBR: Which was the easiest?
The character Lovey seemed to flow naturally. I enjoyed stepping into her mind and the challenges she faced in her pursuit to avenge her man, her husband, Bill. She actually seemed to speak through me and lead me down the path. It is a great feeling when a chuckle erupts after your character has just pulled you successfully through a delightful passage of prose. I love it.
PBR: Looking back over your book now, is there anything you wish you had done differently?
Given a second opportunity, I would have spent more time in the background stories of Lovey’s character. But I decided that exploring that option may have proved to present the reader with too much traffic, so I resisted the temptation. Although I spent more attention to Tom, I believe that Lovey’s toughness and strong willpower will strike a positive chord with the audience.
PBR: What do you like the most about this work?
I believe that this book has the potential to reach an audience interested in this genre, especially with the recent popularity in both written and film productions in fantasy/horror. Perhaps I may be able to reach the bottom rung of the ladder as I float downstream with those thousands of other aspiring authors, and hold on before being swept away by the current into oblivion, where so many others before me have met their fate.
PBR: Do you have any plans for another book?
I will be grabbing that second opportunity to concentrate on Lovey’s history, where she came from and how she eventually settled down with Bill in the Midwest. She also has a very interesting future as will be told in Tom and Lovey: In Pursuit of the Thunderbird. Currently, I am in edit mode of my first draft of another work, Claim Denied, a story about a Claims Adjustor wrapped up in his fantasies and suddenly swallowed by a world where the fantasy and supernatural become reality. My publisher also has plans for a four part epic that I spent ten years in the writing, Gairfield……., as in the Air. A number of teens are swept into a mirror image world where time slows down and each acquires differing powers. Three of them, Sir Fredrik, Ruchelle the beauty, and the young witty one, are greeted as saviors.
