INTERVIEW WITH JAY RAVEN – Author of The Lazarus Child
AVAILABLE ON AMAZON
Which one was the first piece you wrote?
The first horror works I wrote were short stories of just 1000 words each. A Canadian small press was bringing out an anthology of spooky flash fiction under the umbrella title Creatures of the Night. I was a prolific short story writer but I’d never written anything dark so I relished the challenge and submitted a werewolf story and a vampire story with Gothic settings. Both were accepted.
“It just seemed to flick a switch in my imagination and I had a sudden surge of historical horror ideas. I’d found my genre…”
Jar Raven
Can you describe your book in a couple of lines?
Anton Yoska, 19th Century Transylvania’s most celebrated vampire slayer, is haunted by the mysterious disappearance of his daughter five years before. He believes her dead, but when he learns from his greatest enemy that she has survived and is lost in a world of monsters, he vows to save her – no matter what the cost.
Do you have an inspiration source?
I’m a huge fan of the old Hammer Horror films of the 1960s and 70s which are regularly repeated on late night television. They were all action-packed, supernatural romps, where Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing would battle as Dracula and Van Helsing or come to gory ends as Baron Frankenstein or the Mummy.
They were made on a meagre budget, but managed to be amazingly authentic – woodland just outside London being turned into deepest, darkest Transylvania, lavish costumes and sets being constructed from the most humble of materials. The storytelling was powerful, due to tight scripts, great performances and the fact that they took themselves very seriously.
It’s my mission to re-invent the Hammer Horror vibe for a modern audience and to make my Blood Riders novels as gripping and addictive as I found these original films.
What is the best and the worst of writing-publishing a book?
I adore writing, love creating memorable characters, devising plots with unexpected twists and surprises, and entertaining people across the world. I get a huge buzz from knowing people are enjoying losing themselves in my Gothic fantasies. When a review says: “I couldn’t put this book down. I was still reading it at 2am,” I know I’ve done my job.
What I’m not so keen on is all marketing involved in being an indie author.
What are your current projects?
I’m currently plotting out the next three Blood Riders instalments. I have loads of heart-stopping adventures planned for my hero Anton Yoska and his vampire slaying team.
Which kind of music do you listen to?
I used to be into trance anthems and listened to them when I was driving, but these days most of my listening takes places when I’m writing. I put on earphones to cancel outside noise, and call up the very evocative and atmospheric of rock violinist Lindsey Stirling or classical pianist and composer Ludovico Einaudi and let their amazing tunes whisk me away to other worlds.
I find music great for getting me into the right mood to create soaring fantastical tales with exotic settings and heart-thumping action.
Who is a favourite character of yours?
That’s easy to answer – my favourite is the skilled knifeman Quintz who is the sidekick to the main character, slayer Anton Yoska. Quintz is a dwarf who used to work in the circus and is the keeper of Samson, the vampire hunting team’s ferocious brown bear. Quintz is quick tempered, willing to speak his mind and unafraid of offending people no matter what their rank so he’s the one most likely to cause problems.
One of his personality traits that I find most entertaining is his love for expensive, theatrical clothes.
What kind of reader is your book for?
Anyone who loves the romance, danger and adventure of the lawless past. Readers who like their horror with the maximum of mystery, tension and action and the minimum amount of gore. Readers who value well-sketched characters fighting evil in a setting that intrigues and frightens.
How would you describe your style?
Fast-paced, lean and punchy. There’s always something happening to push on the plot and the excitement. I keep my chapters short and end each on a cliff hanger or dramatic twist.
I write visually so that you’ll feel more like you’re watching a movie than reading a book. I describe the expressions and reactions on characters’ faces a lot, to give readers the subconscious feeling that they’re watching camera “close-ups.”
What is your writing process?
I am a plotter rather than a pantser. I spend the first two weeks of the project sketching out the plot, scenes, incidents, cliff-hangers and main dialogue of the story. This means that when I come to write the novel I have a clear route map to follow. There are so many red herrings, plot twists, and unexpected events that the book can’t afford to go off at too much of a tangent.
I’m quite a slow writer so if I can achieve 1500 words a day I’m happy.
How would you define your evolution as a writer?
I have always written. Even as a young child I’d pen stories in notepads, often staying indoors during sunny days because I wanted to finish the tale I was crafting.
When I left school I went into journalism for twenty years – which was a fabulous training in story-telling, tight writing, and grabbing and holding a reader’s attention.
I left to become a full-time fiction writer – specialising in short stories for magazines and anthologies. I also became a creative writing tutor.
I entered the world of horror writing ten years ago, brought out Crimson Siege – my first Blood Riders episode – in 2018 and now share my existence with vampires, bounty hunters, corrupt rulers, scheming gangsters and devious clerics. My mind is a very crowded (and dangerous) place but I’m never alone!
What would be your advice to new authors?
My main piece of advice is never give up. Talent will get you some of the way, but perseverance, grit and determination are what differentiate successful writers from those who fail. The journey will be hard, and often emotionally draining, but nothing worthwhile was ever achieved without struggle.
“My main piece of advice is never give up. Talent will get you some of the way, but perseverance, grit and determination are what differentiate successful writers from those who fail.”
Jay Raven
Which one is the mistake you would avoid now, looking back in time?
I wasted a number of years convincing myself that I was a short story writer and that novels were beyond me. Because I was used to works of less than 5,000 words, featuring four characters or less, the idea of tackling something with a host of players, various subplots, changes of location and tricky things like character arcs was frightening. Turns out that when I eventually forced myself to write an entire novel, I loved every second of it.
What is your favourite quote?
“When people tell you there are no such things as monsters, it’s themselves they’re trying to convince” – Anton Yoska, vampire slayer.
Where can your readers find you?
In real life, at my favourite neighbourhood Chinese restaurant, The Rainbow, in Birmingham, UK. The food is to die for and it’s been run with passion by the same family for more than 30 years.
Online, my website is at www.jayraven.com
I’m also on Twitter: @JayRavenAuthor
Or you can visit my Facebook page: @fantasywriterjayraven
If you fancy joining my readers’ group and receiving my monthly newsletter plus be access exclusive bonus material on the Blood Riders titles and characters, settings and conflicts, simply click on: https://dl.bookfunnel.com/umpyi36b5a
You’ll receive a copy of Malice Through the Looking Glass – a collection of eight spooky Jay Raven Gothic tales as a sign-up thank you.
What is the best time of the day for you to write?
I’m a morning person. It’s when I’m most refreshed and creative. I try to get three solid hours of writing done before lunch. I tend to have a power nap early afternoon and squeeze in an hour’s writing after that before calling it a day.
Can you tell us something about your next book?
Yes, but I’d have to kill you. The only thing I can reveal is that it will feature loads of vampire battling action, intrigues, betrayals and surprises. As always, slayer Anton Yoska will be at the centre of it all, hurtling headlong into mortal danger.
Is there any project you had to give up on?
Hmmm – not really. I have a couple of projects I’ve mothballed, but not actually given up on. One of these is an alternative history paranormal crime series that I’m still very excited about but I haven’t found the time to work on. The opening episode has been half written for a very long time … but I’m focused on enlarging the Blood Riders series so I don’t know when I’ll eventually get around to it.
Thank you!
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