Interview with Hunter Blain

Author of Deliverance

Where are you from originally and where do you reside now?

I grew up in Burleson, Texas (yes the same Burleson as Kelly Clarkson, maybe they put something in the water there). My mother raised my little brother and I and did a darn good job of doing it. Currently, I live in Arlington, Texas with my wife and two puppers- Shimmy, who is a pit bull rescue, and Bella, an Australian shepherd.

If you currently reside somewhere besides where you were born, what’s the story that lead from there to here?

I have been in the corporate world my entire career and made it up the ladder to District and even Regional Manager positions. This required a ton of traveling and Arlington is smack-dab in the middle of DFW, so it made it an ideal place to live. Now I own Empire Nutrition, which is a supplement store located in Burleson, and I write, which means we might move sometime in the foreseeable future.

What made you decide to write and publish your first book?

My best friend and doppelganger, John Cook, always enjoyed my short stories when we were young. One day he made me promise to write a book about him. Anne Rice was one of our favorite authors, so he asked that I make him into a vampire. I agreed and we high fived while jumping in the air in slow motion. Then John died and left me alone with my promise. I had no choice but to honor my best friend’s request, and I did just that.
“I’m Glad You’re Dead” was supposed to be just for me, which is why it has such an odd title. My most commonly asked question is “why that title name?” especially if it is staring and dedicated to my deceased best friend. I’m glad you’re dead is a quote from the 1989 Batman when Jack Nicholson is having a monologue. John and I always used to say it randomly, so I knew that was the only title I could give for the book I thought was only going to be for me. Plus, he is a vampire in the series, so he technically isn’t alive. Works on multiple levels.

How would you describe your books to first time readers?

Urban fantasy vampire. Urban fantasy means, to me, that the abilities that vampires, werewolves, warlocks, etc, have are explainable within the realm of scientific realism. I explain things like why he needs blood and expel nonsense myths like walking into churches.

I have a tagline that I quiet enjoy: A snarky vampire, holy priest, and the apocalypse walk into a bar. . .

Reviewers are calling the series “Deadpool as a vampire” and I am just fine with that! John is witty, immature, and hilarious.

Who do you feel is most likely to connect with the topics you write about?

The type of reader that I feel would enjoy my series is someone who loves the Deadpool movies. John has the same humor, quips, and maturity level as Wade Wilson. I would also claim that people who enjoy a funny anti-hero would dig the books. Here’s the thing though, John (in the books) is 100% a perfect amalgamation of John and my own personalities. In other words, I am hilarious. My wife might disagree, but shes entitled to her wrong opinion.

What unexpected or surprising thing did you learn during the process of writing and publishing?

Oh man oh man. SO many things took me by surprise. I’m going to write a book about writing books after my series is done. When you are self-published, EVERYTHING falls on your shoulders. I went through seven or eight editors before I found one that jives with what I’m going for. I also had to hunt down someone to do the covers (which I freaking LOVE- that’s actually John’s face!). Honestly, I could go on for hours about the things that i did not expect.
But for those reading this that might want to be a writer, here is the best advice I can give you: write. There’s nothing to it but to do it.

If you could, what advice would you give to your past self before embarking on this journey?

None. Everything fell into place precisely when it was supposed to. There have been countless errors, but that’s how we learn and grow.

How many people would you ideally like to reach with your books?

Short answer: somewhere between 1 and 7-1/2 billion

What has been the biggest challenge and frustration during the process to date?

EDITORS!!!! *insert Charlie Brown “augh” after missing the football*

What’s your biggest strengths when it comes to book a) writing, b) publishing and c) marketing?

A) coming up with crazy stories and situations and dialogue. I write the way my friends and I talk
B) Well, Amazon’s KDP platform lets ANYONE publish anything they want. Like, really. . . anything. So I wouldn’t say much here in the way of strengths
C) Marketing is a BIG deal. There are 2-1/2 million authors on Amazon all fighting tooth and nail for the attention of the reader. I currently have built an email list that I send updates to at www.HunterBlain.com. I actually give away my novella “Deliverance” for free when someone subscribes to my list, because i love my readers *turns to camera and winks*

What’s your biggest weakness when it comes to book a) writing, b) publishing and c) marketing?

A) Speling. I is not the bestest at gramur. I actually have like ten copies of the first book I submitted to Amazon complete with a cover that bangs on the door of copyright infringement and has countless grammatical errors.
B) Patience. I used to post a book as soon as it was done, even before my final read through. Because it is a headache to go back and make changes, I have learned the patience required to publish it only once it is ready.
C) For marketing, my biggest weakness is being a fledgling author who is still trying to build a brand.

When do you think you will write your next book?

The Preternatural Chronicles will be a 13 novel series with a few novellas thrown in for good measure. I have already begun book 4 as I am awaiting book 3 to be returned from my awesome editor. Books 1 and 2 are around 80k words with book 3 jumping to 135k. Every book from 3 on will be no less than 100k words which means it’ll probably take 3 months or so per book.

Are you self published or did you use a hybrid publisher, or a traditional publisher?

Self-published all the way. I enjoy the freedom and complete artistic control afforded by self-publication. Right now, the books are free for Kindle Unlimited users. They are also offered in paperback and Kindle.