Please Welcome Peter Hartog, author of the sci-fi fantasy crime thriller Bloodlines.
Tell
us a little about yourself:
I’m a damn Yankee living in the Deep South for the last 25
years. However, I grew up in the small town of Ashland, MA which is about a
45-minute drive west of Boston. I graduated Brandeis University in 1992, then
moved down to Georgia two years later with my then wife. My One-And-Only Wife
(tm) likes to call that other one my “practice wife.” To maintain domestic
tranquility (as well as continue breathing), I’m content to agree with her. By
day, I’m a commercial property underwriter for an insurance company, which
sounds incredibly boring, but actually isn’t. At night, I spin tall tales of
mystery, excitement and adventure, one word at a time.
I owe my love of science fiction and fantasy - reading,
shows, movies, all of it - to my mother. She introduced me to Star Trek at a
very young age, and I’ve been hooked ever since. Besides Tolkien, I feasted
upon the likes of Piers Anthony, David Eddings, Julian May, Fred Saberhagen,
Raymond Feist, Terry Brooks, Jack Chalker, Michael Moorcock, pretty much every
fantasy author from the late 70s through the 80s.
My two boys share my love of reading. Whenever we travel in
the car, a book accompanies them. Their passion for stories surpasses my own.
Their creativity is incredible and ever-evolving. The things they make up on a
whim, that spontaneity, entire worlds and characters spun out of thin air, I
see that spark in them, and I’m reminded of myself when I was their age. It
keeps me young and motivated, quite honestly.
What
authors do you draw inspiration from and why:
Wilkie Collins’ The Moonstone. Considered to be the
first ever detective novel, it drew me in and spat me out. The story
completely fascinated me. William Golding’s Lord of the Flies for its
brutal allegorical depictions of individuality, morality and civilization.
Ray Bradbury's Dandelion Wine for its simple and beautiful rendering of
his childhood mixed with fantasy elements. Harper Lee’s To Kill A
Mockingbird, both novel and film, because of Atticus Finch’s integrity, the
racial injustice that, unfortunately, remains VERY prevalent today, and the
challenges both Scout and Jem faced growing up in Maycomb. Terry Brooks’ Elfstones
of Shannara for the power of the Elfstones, the Demons and the Forbidding,
the sacrifice made by Amberle, the Reaper and the battle at the bridge…so many
scenes in that one. There are far too many books to list here, but I think you
get the picture.
Tell us about your book:
Bloodlines is a multi-genre story that follows former
hotshot homicide detective Tom “Doc” Holliday and his eclectic crew as
they hunt a killer in the dystopian setting of Empire City. Holliday possesses
a fickle clairvoyance that he calls the Insight, which allows him to see the
dark and terrible things living within his world. Accompanying his
investigation is Deacon Kole, a former Protector from the Confederate States of
Birmingham, Leyla, a talented hacker who is also a witch, and Besim Saranda, a
Vellan from a parallel dimension. Together, they hunt an elusive killer who
just might be a vampire, if the unreliable eyewitnesses stoned on the designer
drug goldjoy are to be believed. Their investigation eventually pits
them against mercenaries, drug dealers and other, more sinister foes, and
reveals a magical conspiracy that spans the ages.
The novel’s flavor and setting is largely informed by the
movie Blade Runner, hardboiled detective novels such as Raymond
Chandler’s The Big Sleep, Michael Connelly’s Harry Bosch series, and Jim
Butcher’s very famous Wizard-for-hire Harry Dresden. I wrote it in first
person point-of-view because it just felt right. The story itself is the
novelization of a table-top role-playing game I ran for my long-standing gaming
group. I wanted to do something different from the high fantasy games I’d been
known for running over nearly thirty years of gaming. I went with an altered
New York City as the backdrop, translated several of my players’ characters
into the story, then developed Doc Holliday to round it all out.
The story has everything crime, urban fantasy and sci-fi
lovers enjoy: magic blended with not-so-far-fetched technology, a meaty plot
full of tangled conspiracies, witty dialogue (I hope!), characters you can
really sink your teeth into, and a few Easter eggs for those who like that kind
of thing.
How
long did it take you to write it? What were some of the challenges:
I hit the “publish” button two years after I started writing
it. The story went through 8 full edits (by me, prompted by suggestions from my
awesome beta readers). I’m one of those rare writers who enjoys editing. To me,
getting the story down the first time is the hardest part of all. After that, I
tinker with the story and polish it to a fine sheen.
However, the greatest challenge was finding the time and
energy to write it. My job keeps me very busy, and for seven months out of the
year, my work stress level is incredibly high. After a long day at the office
(or even working into the evening at home), I’m exhausted. While I love the
story and characters, sometimes that’s not enough to pull me back in front of
the monitor for another round of writing. My creativity dims during those seven
months. I force myself to write sometimes, and I know it’s about putting in the
numbers because I can always edit the story later, but I prefer to write with a
clear mind.
The other challenge is making certain I spend time with my
family. My boys are currently 9 and 11, so they’re still at the age where they
actually want me to hang out with them. When it came to a choice between
writing that critical fight scene or watching Gravity Falls with my guys, I’d
pick the latter 110% of the time. Besides, Gravity Falls is a fantastic
cartoon, so it really wasn’t that tough of a decision...
What
is a unique or interesting bit of lore or background detail about your world:
Because Bloodlines combines sci-fi, crime and
fantasy, I wanted to create a world that could be an alternate window to our
future…as long as you throw in magic and parallel dimensions. The setting
includes an established history when multiple nuclear detonations shattered the
world (long before the start of Bloodlines) in more ways than just
environmental disaster. The sheer power from the detonations weakened the
fabric of reality, creating one-way portals FROM other Earths TO our own. Thus,
aliens don’t come from space, but could appear in your own backyard. In
addition, magic returned in the form of phased nexus nodes (think central hubs
connected by ley lines) whereby anyone “attuned” or “sensitive” to them can
draw from the nodes’ energy like a battery and wield the power.
What
do you enjoy developing the most – characters, plot, or your world – and why:
The characters are my favorite, hands down. I love writing
their dialogue. They’re funny, charming, challenging and endearing, even the
bad guys. What’s the one thing you remember most from a movie, tv show or book?
The one-liners. The quotables. Tom Holliday has plenty of quips. And his
support cast - Deacon Kole, Besim Saranda, and Leyla - they’re no slouches
either.
Book
price and where it can be found:
Find the ebook ($2.99) here - https://books2read.com/u/3L0LwN
Find the paperback ($13.99) here - amazon.com/author/peterhartog
What’s your next project:
Busy working on the sequel, currently entitled Pieces of
Eight. The SCU’s case load has only just begun!
Contact information:
Twitter - @althazyr
Website - peterhartog.com
LinkedIn - Peter Hartog
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