Reading by Deb: INTERVIEW with JUSTIN BOURNE BORING

I want to thank Justin Bourne Boring for taking the time for this interview!

BIO:

I live in North Carolina with my beautiful wife and my lovely step-daughter.

I work as a CT tech during the day but my true love is art. I am an artist and writer at heart. I enjoy bringing my characters to life and challenging my writing skills by changing genres. My beautiful wife is the one who got me into romance.

I love living in the mountains and hiking but have lived all over the country and enjoy writing about all of these various locations.

When and how did you know you wanted to be a writer?

My mom encouraged me to write as a child. She was a high school English teacher and encouraged me to express my natural story telling talent in written form.

Did you have any influencing writers growing up?

Clive Barker, Stephen King, John Skip & Craig Spector were the main writers that I loved to read and influenced my writing.

Are any of your characters based on people in real life?

Yes, all of them have characteristics from people from my life.

Where do you draw your book inspirations from?

Pop culture and years of growing up on horror movies and the shows from the 80s and 90s, including Heavy Metal.

Do you use have a basic outline when starting a new story or do you let the characters lead the way?

I let the characters lead the way. I start with an idea for the plot hook and the characters lead me from there.

When you are picturing the characters in your book, do you have a cheater photo for inspiration?

No, it’s all in my head. I am an artist and will draw out my characters.

Many people read as a form of escape and relaxation. What is your favorite way to sit back and relax?

I love to watch a good horror movie, especially the classics from the 80s.

Who are your favorite current authors to read?

Stevie D. Parker, Sophie Polderm, Harker Jones, and John Russo.

What are your favorite books by others?

542 Days: Recollection, Seducing and Killing Nazis (Biography), Until September, Undead.

Do the locations in the stories have any meaning to you?

The realms are made up by me, but I lived in Morristown, NJ in my 20s and I absolutely hated it so I blew the town up in Violence & Roses.

Do you write in single or multiple POV?

Multiple POV.

What do you find to be your best research tool?

Google. My books are mainly fantasy so I don’t do a lot of in depth research.

Do you write under a pen name? Also, do you write under more than one name?

I write under my name but the Bourne in Justin Bourne Boring is a part of a pen name I used in my 20s. I only write under Justin Bourne Boring.

What genre do you write and why is this your preference?

My first book is a contemporary romance, which I started because my wonderful wife works as an editor and PA in the romance genre and wanted to see if I could even write a romance novel.

I enjoyed writing again so much and had some success with the book thanks to my wife’s help marketing that I decided to continue writing.

However, my current series is dark fantasy romance which is a more enjoyable to write for me. I love horror, sci-fi and fantasy so writing this series is more up my alley.

I intend to write a mystery romance series next.

Tell me something about yourself outside of writing. Jobs, accomplishments, family, quirky trait...what led to you being you?

I am a CT/X-ray tech at a hospital here in the mountains of North Carolina on the weekends.

I spend most of my free time sculpting, drawing, and painting whenever I can. Most of my artwork is horror based but I have done some fun projects with my step-daughter.

We have built a dino mask from scratch! She has started making her own Thereon cat masks to sell on Etsy even.

What advice would you give to an aspiring writer?

Write for yourself and what you love.

How do you deal and process negative book reviews?

I typically don’t look at reviews, my wife will read them and give me any helpful feedback and not even tell me about the trolls.

What is the most difficult part of your writing process?

Deadlines, lol.

What do you need in your writer’s space to keep you focused?

Music, I love to listen to music while I write and it helps block out any other distracting noises.

What is your naughty indulgence as you are writing?

I like to snack, a lot, lol. I will find all kinds of things to snack on as I write.

If you could spend a day with another popular author, whom would you choose? And why?

Stevie D. Parker because she is chill and easy to hang out with.

What is your schedule like when you are writing? Do you have a favorite writing snack or drink?

I actually do a lot of my writing at night. I work nights on the weekends for my regular job so my sleep patterns are all messed up, I’m typically awake writing when everyone else is asleep.

Do you listen to music when you write – what kind of music is your favorite?