UFI welcomes Author Dave Heron. Thanks for Joining us!!
What can you tell my readers about yourself that they might not know from
looking on your bio or reading in another interview?
I’m a pretty boring guy. I play a lot of trucks and Transformers at the
moment; I guess I should mention it is with my five- and two-year-old boys. My
week consists of mostly that and watching a lot of cartoons, which I’m perfectly
fine with.
What do you enjoy doing on your down time?
When I’m not being dad, my wife and I love sitting down and watching a good
movie, a horror flick especially. If I’m not doing that, you can find me in
front of a TV escaping reality in some sort of video game. Also, I love anything
Pittsburgh sports. Born and raised here, so I got to show love for my Penguins,
Steelers, and Pirates!
What is your Favorite part of writing?
I love taking an idea and giving it life on a page. There is something
euphoric when the words come tumbling out. I get a chill up my spine as I write,
knowing that, to me at least, whatever it is I’m writing gave me that feeling.
As long as I’m enjoying it, that’s what matters to me. The fact that someone
else might enjoy it is an added bonus.
Do you have any certain routines you must follow as you write?
I have to have music playing. Depending on the scene, that dictates what kind
of song I listen to. If I’m working on a heavy action scene, here comes the
heavy metal. An emotional scene? Oh boy, here comes some sad, tear jerking music
(i.e. “Mad World” by Gary Jules).
What are some of your Favorite books or Authors in the Urban Fantasy/
Paranormal Genres?
Brandon Sanderson’s The Stormlight Archives is just...I have no words. If you
haven’t read that series (two books are out right now), do yourself a favor and
go get them now! R.A. Salvatores’ The Hunter’s Bladestrilogy is another amazing
series. His action scenes are something for your eyes to truly behold. Anything
Mark Tufo writes I try to devour. His writing style, especially his pacing, is
perfection at its finest. He’s best known for his Zombie Fallout series, which
is incredible, but for me, his book Callis Rose was a masterpiece. Oh, and how
could I forget Timothy!?
How would you pitch From The Ash to someone who has not heard of
it before?
If you’re a fan of Mad Max and The Walking Dead like I am, its as if those
two were smashed into one; mainly because of the harshness of the world the
characters find themselves in. Scary to imagine this brutal world could actually
be a future possibility...
Can you tell us a little bit about the world that From The Ash is set in?
A post-apocalyptic/dystopian world in modern day. I don’t want to give any
spoilers away, but most of the landscape is nothing but ash and dust; a barren
wasteland that Phoenix must find strength to keep one foot moving in front of
the other.
Do you have a favorite scene in From The Ash ?
Towards the end, there is a critical scene where the fate of one character
comes into play. I found myself when writing this that I had to step away from
it for a few days and ask myself “Am I really doing this?” It hit me that if I
felt this strongly about this certain scene, that that is what I was striving to
give the reader: an emotional attachment where the outcome for these characters
means something. Talking to some people who have read From the Ash, they all
have brought up this particular scene. Mission accomplished.
Which one character out of all your books was your favorite to write about?
What about the hardest to write about?
Kip, a wisecracking knucklehead, was particularly easy to write. I used
myself, mixed in a few of my childhood friends, and blended him into this
character who just doesn’t know how to keep his mouth shut. He was a blast to
write.
The hardest had to be Phoenix. Not only because I’m a male writing in a
first-person POV for a female, but also the factor of trying to place myself in
the mindset of such a troubled person. Not only is she alone at the start of all
this, but she is also battling her depression, this entity-like being that is
always there, threatening to break through her defenses she has built up over
the years. Again, I don’t want to dive to far into this (spoilers!). Hehe.
What Other Projects can we look forward to reading from you?
I’m currently
working on the From the Ash sequel. Once that’s done, I plan on finishing the
third book and possibly the series. After that, I have a few things rolling
around the ol’ noggin that I can’t wait to dive into.
__________________________________
Dave Heron was born in Pittsburgh, PA, where he resides with his wife,
children and fur-baby. His two young boys, Max and Bennett, keep life
interesting and often inspire Dave's creativity. Between juggling work,
rambunctious kids and nagging wife, Dave enjoys spending time writing various
genres. His greatest inspirations come from authors such as R. A. Salvatore,
Brandon Sanderson and Mark Tufo.
Find Dave and his books
__________________________________
From the Ash
The Phoenix #1
Amazon BN iTunes
Five days. It took me
five days to crawl out from the bowels of the rubble. I emerged from my
tomb into a world nothing more than a wasteland; propelled into chaos
where everyone has all but lost their humanity.
My name is
Phoenix, and the world as I knew it ended that day; the day the human
race was nearly eradicated, and my journey home began.
__________________________________
International
a Rafflecopter giveaway
