Justin Osbone Spotlight

The Author Spotlight for this week is:

Justin Osborne!!

Justin's Facebook 

 Author of Epic: Legacy and Epic: Exodus

When did you decide that you wanted to be a writer and how did you get started?

-        I’ve wanted to take a stab at writing since High School; I just never got around to getting down and doing it until two years ago. Then one day being extremely bored at work,  I began writing  the first draft of EPIC: Legacy by hand.  

What was your life like before becoming an author?

-        Pretty much as it is now, just with more writing and author related activities.

What sparked the idea for your novel?

-        Years ago I had an idea of a young man with a guitar falling through a portal into another world, and as time went on I fed it, and fed it some more, and now here we are.

What is your writing routine?

-        I really don’t have one. I write as the mood strikes me, I go from 2’000 words a day to not doing anything for weeks at a time. You could say that I write when it’s right.

Which comes first? The character's story or the idea for the novel?

-        That depends on the story; they take turns pushing themselves to the front of the line.

What advice do you have for someone who would like to become a published writer?

-        Do NOT, under any circumstances let close friends or family read your work in the beginning! To avoid hurting your feelings, they will lavish you with praise and tell you want you want to hear. This gives most burgeoning writers a false sense of accomplishment, and when their work gets out in the world they get a reality check and end up being crushed. Get an unbiased opinion on your writing before unleashing it upon the world; it will only help in the long run.

What is the most demeaning thing said about you as a writer?

-        I’m glad to say that I’ve never heard anything ‘demeaning’ as of yet.

How do you react to a bad review of one of your books?

-        If it’s a valid critique, I realize that not everyone is going to like my work and I just keep on doing what I do for those that do. On the other hand, getting a one-star review for use of Oxford commas really irritated me. That was really their only complaint; there was no mention of the story, characters, or anything that would constitute as a valid review.

What has been the toughest criticism given to you as an author?

-        Occasionally, I get dinged for ‘spelling’ errors. Many of my characters from the EPIC series are from Avalon and speak with an accent or pronounce certain words differently. My writing reflects these differences, so you read the dialogue as it would sound. Perhaps I need to put a disclaimer up at the beginning of the books? Haha

What project are you working on now?

-        A continuation of ‘Prepped’, a short story about the Zombie Apocalypse as experienced through the eyes of a ‘Doomsday Prepper’. It was originally intended to be a one-off, but it appeared that Ol’ Crazy Dave had more to say and do; it might even pan out into a full-length novel, but will be released on a ‘chapter to chapter’ basis.

‘Prepped: Field Trip’…keep an eye out for it!

Can you tell us about your upcoming book?

-        Sure! But not too much, let me just say it covers topics that you won’t find in other ‘Zombie’ stories, at least as far as I know, haha. But the sub-title ‘Field Trip’ should be a good clue as to what those topics are…

What genre do you consider your book(s)?

-        The EPIC series is primarily Fantasy, but with a little bit of everything for everybody, you could call it a ‘Fantasy Stew’! I also dabble in Horror with my short stories, but like EPIC, there’s other elements involved as well.

Have you ever hated something you wrote?

-        Not really, if I don’t like it, I don’t write it.

What was your first book?

-        EPIC: Legacy.

What genre of books do you like to read?

-        Whatever piques my interest at any given moment, I’m open, haha

Do you limit yourself to only the genre that you write yourself?

-        For the most part, but I’ve picked up books outside of my usual tastes from time to time.

What books have most influenced your life most?

-        I’ve read Stephen King since I was about 7 or 8, so he’s been a HUGE influence, as least as far as my Horror stuff is concerned.

If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor?

-        That would be Mr. King.

What book are you reading now?

-        Nothing at the moment, I got my own books to work on! Fans are clamoring for EPIC: Reunification, the 3^rd book in the EPIC series, it’s a good feeling.

Are there any new authors that have grasped your interest?

-        There are two in particular. Shawn Reilly, author of The Union Series and Muffy Morrigan, author of The Sail Weaver amongst other books. I also know that Muffy may be working on a project about Otters conquering the world! It’ll be the most adorable apocalypse ever!

Who is your favorite author and what is it that really strikes you about their work?

-        Once again, Stephen King. Even though he’s known as ‘The Master of Horror’, the man can write anything. He can scare you, thrill you, make you laugh or cry, sometimes all in a single paragraph.

What is one question that you are never asked in interviews?

-        “How did you come up with so many song titles to use as chapter titles that actually pertained to events within each chapter?” Answer? It wasn’t friggin’ easy! Haha

What is one question that you are always asked in interviews?

-        “What author has influenced you the most?” Or some variation.

If you were interviewing yourself, what are the top 3 questions you would ask yourself?

-        1. “How many, if any, of your characters are based on actual people?” I’m not telling, some of them haven’t been exactly cast in a positive light…

-        2. “When you first began to write, did you think anyone would actually read it?” I had hopes that people would like it, but it surprises me daily to what extent!

-        3. “Would you like to see any of your stories adapted into film, television or any other Media?” Yeah, I think that would be pretty cool, I think the EPIC series would do well as movies, as would the short stories. I’ve also toyed with the idea of an EPIC comic book series of sorts.

If you were a tree (or animal) what kind of tree (animal) would you be?

-        I’m happy being a human, even though we’re not exactly a great species.

Why are manhole covers round?

-        So rotund sewer workers can fit in them?

What would I find in your refrigerator right now?

-        Food. Perhaps specimen jars containing reviewers who don’t understand Oxford commas…

What is the last book you read?

-        The Sail Weaver by Muffy Morrigan. A highly original Fantasy set in the far future where dragons and magic have reappeared, and space travel is done by ‘Tall Ships’, like in the old days of pirates and such. I loved it!

If aliens landed in front of you and, in exchange for anything you desire, offered you any position on their planet, what would you want?

-        My question to them would be what they would want in return…

If you could be a superhero, what would you want your superpowers to be?

-        Would it be too obscure to mention Goku? He’d whip Superman’s Kryptonian ass. Despite what some lame-ass Youtube videos would say…

If you won $20 million in the lottery, what would you do with the money?

-        Buy a nice house away from neighbours, some cool toys, build my dream car, pay off the bills, and live very comfortably off of the interest so I could focus on writing.

If you could trade places with any other person for a week, famous or not famous, living or dead, real or fictional. with whom would it be?

-        I’m pretty happy being me. Trading places with anyone for a week would royally suck once the week was over. I’ve never been a fan of ‘false hope’.

If you could visit any place in the world, where would you choose to go and why?

-        I used to want to go to Australia, but after I discovered that every living thing on the continent and the surrounding waters is designed to maim and/or kill, I changed my mind. I’m a big fan of self-preservation.

If you could eliminate one thing from your daily schedule, what would it be and why?

-        Promoting myself and my books, it’s very time consuming and takes away from Skyrim time. Haha

What internet site do you surf to the most?

-        Other than social media sites, I visit Cracked.com daily.

If you had the opportunity to live one year of your life over again, which year would you choose?

-        Altering the past, even in the slightest, can mess things up pretty bad, resulting in unwelcome changes. Didn’t you see The Butterfly Effect???

How many handbags do you own?

-        Absolutely zero, I’m proud to say. My wife on the other hand has amassed quite a collection of designer handbags…Fun Fact: I was once asked to leave a Coach store in Sacramento due to my outrage and confusion over a $2’500 handbag. Wifey was NOT impressed.

If you can be a Disney character, who would you be and why?

-        I loathe Disney. Can I be Shrek? That would be the closest fit.

When people look at me, they would never guess that I:

-        Write books. Some people are actually astonished when they find out.

You win a million dollars, but you have to give half to a charity. Which charity do you pick, and what do you do with the rest of the money?

-  I'd donate to a literary fund to abolish 'textspeak', and bank the rest.

Do you like your handwriting?

-        It’s readable, so yes?

What is the wallpaper on your computer?

-        Don’t have one; my notebook requires me to purchase Microsoft office to do so. How stupid is that? My phone wallpaper is an Anime character that eerily resembles my wife.

When is your birthday?

-        Octoberish.

How many brothers and sisters do you have?

-        I have one sister.

Where does your family live?

-        Which part? My Mother’s side is in the Toronto area, my Father’s is mostly in Nova Scotia. My wife, our children and I currently live in Northern California.

You wouldn't be caught dead where?

-        That list would be incredibly long…haha, but let’s go with a fancy dinner, wine tasting, cheese nibbling event for the moment.

Is there anything that you would like to say to your readers and fans?

-        You guys RAWK! I thank you all for your continuing support, and big-big love to each and every one of you!

 

The Books:

 

Almost a billion people have simply vanished in the last six months.
Deacon’s mother sends him to stay with his eccentric uncle Evon in an effort to keep him safe. Upon his arrival, he learns that his uncle is more than a little on the strange side, he was once a legendary hero.

At first Deacon is reluctant to believe his uncle’s stories, but after meeting his brownie butler, dwarf wife, not to ...mention the dragon head mounted as a trophy in the foyer, Deacon is starting to come around.

After drinking too much ‘Meadale’ the night before, Deacon accidently falls through a Faerie Mound it his uncle’s backyard, where he ends up trapped in Avalon, a doomed world where all our myths and legends are real, and the only way back home is the badly wounded (and pissed off) faerie that brought him there.

Deacon’s quest to get help for the injured faerie lands him in the village of Fen Glennan, where his uncle is a hero and he is an untrusted outsider from the horrific world of Abaddon (Earth). During his stay, He finds a few friends, a few enemies, and perhaps even love.

Upon his return to Earth, Deacon is forced to carry on his uncles ‘legacy’ and fulfill his dying wish, save the people of Fen Glennan and as many in Avalon as he can before it’s destruction.

  
Click HERE to purchase your own copy on Amazon.
Click HERE to add this book to your Goodreads TBR list!
Click HERE to read my review of Epic: Legacy!



Deacon McTaggart is back!

Thanks to the efforts of Deacon, the nephew of Avalon’s greatest hero, Evon McTaggart, the Avalonian village of Fen Glennan has been saved and relocated to Earth to escape from Avalon’s eminent destruction.

But with the rest of Avalon still in grave peril, Deacon must return there in an effort to evacuate the entire world. Armed with the Vamprace, a parasitic andsentient crystalline gauntlet, Deacon and his allies, the half giantess Inanna, Daniel Goodman the ‘Shaper’, Dio the Hellhound, and the tempestuous faerie Aika, along with a new and unexpected companion embark on a newquest to free the Faeries, the only ones able to open the Sidhes, the gateways between the two worlds.

Not helping the situation is the Vamprace itself, revealing its own agenda of power and dominance. At first Deacon resists its blood thirst, but is soon coerced into believing that without its power, his life, his friends lives, and all of Avalon, will be lost.

And to make matters even worse, the Vamprace isn’t the only entity vying to control and corrupt Deacon…

Click HERE to buy your own copy on Amazon.
Click HERE to add this title to your Goodreads TBR list.