Today I have as my guest published author SB Knight. His paranormal fantasy (vampires) “Born of this Blood” has recently been published by MuseItUp publishing with more books in the series (The Blood Chronicles) coming out later this year and the next.

 

Chrys: Hi dear Brian, welcome! Tell us a few things about yourself! 

Brian: Hello! Where do I start with this question? I am an American author. I’m not sure what that means but the first time I was called that I thought it interesting. I have also been referred to as a southern gentleman and if anyone has heard my accent they would know the southern part is very true. I work hard on the gentleman part of that description. I enjoy traveling and plan to do more of it in the coming years. My time in Italy was fantastic!

 

Chrys: Tell us about your published novel Born of Blood, what is it about?  What inspired you to write it?

Brian: Born of Blood is my debut novel and book one of the Blood Chronicles. It is the harrowing story of a family fighting to survive, and possibly defeat, the immortal monster that stalks them relentlessly. But this age old evil has dark plans and, if successful, will prove that there is a fate worse than death.

What inspired me to write Born of Blood? First, I am a big vampire fan. I should clarify here, I am a big Bram Stoker type vampire fan. I like intelligent, cunning, brutal, vampires. That type of vampire seems to be disappearing from books in this day and age. I wanted to see if I could write a vampire novel with the type of vampire I like and a plot that is both exciting and unique. Yes, that was a big challenge. Unique plots are rare when it comes to vampires but I stumbled upon an idea one day that blossomed into something I believe is both unique and exciting. As it turned out, the story grew from one novel to a series of three.

Chrys: I see that Born of Blood is a series – have you already written the sequels? Was it hard/easy?

Brian: Yes, the second book of the Blood Chronicles series will be released in October of this year. For me, the trick was to continue the overall story but make book two strong enough to carry its own weight. Many see the middle book or middle movie the weaker of any series and I tried to avoid that. The easy part was knowing where I was in the story, how to start this novel, and where I wanted to end it. The hard part was making sure I picked up all the unfinished story lines from Born of Blood so they could either continue or finish in the sequel. The fun part was seeing a new portion of the saga unfold before my eyes.

Chrys: You are a fellow Muser – published with MuseItUp as I am. How did you find the whole publishing experience? Was it as you imagined it to be?

 

Brian: Before I came to MuseItUp I submitted a different novel to other publishing companies and was rejected. Yes, I received a heavy dose of rejection and it was not fun. I shelved that novel and wrote Born of Blood. To be honest, I had thoughts of not submitting Born of Blood to publishers either. I was very close to leaving it on the shelf.

I remember talking to my wife about it and making the decision to take a chance with it so I began looking for small publishers who published Dark Fantasy. I submitted to three companies and all three were interested in it. This might surprise some but I researched each company as much as I could. MuseItUp had the advantage because I knew Lea from the online conference she has every October. It was tough getting noticed by publishers but extremely exciting once I did. I would say it was what I imagined it to be except for one thing, MuseItUp made the experience more of a friendly atmosphere compared to the all business atmosphere I was prepared for. I was very happy about that.

Chrys: Do you only write dark fantasy? What are you working on currently? 

Brian: At this time yes, I am writing only Dark Fantasy. I have plans to venture out one day but I’m not sure when that will happen. I truly enjoy writing the stories that dance in my imagination. Currently I am working on my third novel which is a departure from the Blood Chronicles. I have received feedback from my beta readers and making one last run through the pages before I submit it to my publisher. So far the feedback has been very good as many refer to the story as intense. It is my hope that you will see Demathia Rising released sometime next year. You can stay up-to-date on that and all my novels on my website: www.sb-knight.com.

Chrys: What can we find you doing apart from writing fiction?

Brian: Aside from writing I am also a civil and environmental engineer (that happens to be my full time job). I enjoy being outdoors, planting my garden every year, building things as small as race cars with my son to as big as a stone patio in my back yard. I also fish, hike, and go camping; although I don’t do those as often as I would like. You will also find me playing and watching sports.

Chrys: What advice do you have for aspiring novelists?

Brian: Patience and perseverance. The patience will pay off when you are waiting to hear back from publishers. The perseverance will be critical when you receive rejections, negative feedback, and/or no response at all. Don’t just write, challenge your writing. Find the areas where you feel weakest and write to those areas. Each story is a new idea but also a new opportunity to expand and sharpen your skills. Recognize that each day you write, even if it is just 5 words, is an accomplishment and gift. There are many writers in the world but there are many more who dream to write.