Fiction
Date Published: May 10th, 2019
Publisher: Lucid Books
An inmate finds himself in an impossible predicament after a life-changing encounter in prison, his survival tied to three seemingly unconnected people on the outside. Unseen forces work to destroy them before they can discover their destiny. Divided families, destroyed careers, sexual abuse, drugs, violence, and attempted murder combine to derail their lives and thrust them into peril. If they can find a way to overcome these obstacles, they can change their world forever; but if they fail, they will set in motion a series of events spelling destruction for future generations. A cosmic war rages in an attempt to prevent the unleashing of hell’s agenda. Four lives converge at the center of the battle…THREE MUST DIE SO THAT ONE MAY LIVE.
Interview with Jono Comiskey
As a writer,
what would you choose as your mascot/avatar/spirit animal?
My
imaginary self would be a tough, intelligent, courageous, and honorable
(non-super) hero. Someone in the mold of Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan.
How
many hours a day do you put into your writing?
When I am
in a writing season, I put in a minimum of an hour a day, but I push for larger
blocks of 2–3 hours once or twice a week. The demands of a very fulfilling day
job mean I must discipline myself to get my hour in. On many occasions, this
results in me falling asleep at my desk and waking up to find the masterpiece I
thought I was writing was gibberish.
Do
you read your book reviews? If yes, do they affect what you write in the
future?
When I first
started to get feedback on my writing, I took everything people said to heart.
I am a people pleaser by nature, so the negative reviews dented my confidence.
It was debilitating at times. During the times when my confidence was
particularly low, I had to force myself to continue writing. I think my
breakthrough came when I decided to write for myself. I love to write. I hope
it engages and inspires others, but at the end of the day I do it for me. If I
become successful and can earn enough money to live off my writing then great,
but if not then I will continue to write. I do look for constructive criticism
as I think anything worth doing is worth doing poorly (at first), but we should
aspire to become the best we can be in any area we have a passion.
Do
you leave hidden messages in your books that only a few people will find?
I have to laugh at
myself here. I used to think I was clever enough to have hidden messages, but
my wife always worked out my plan before I had even thought it through all the
way J My strength is being a story teller, a creator of characters
who will move and inspire people to see the best and worst in humanity, who
will amplify their own journey in life as significant, even in the grand scheme
of things. I want to make the average person feel special—not for a moment
while they read my book, but to realize just because their life does not have
the kind of notoriety that warrants attention from the media, they nonetheless
have the power to impact many lives in life-changing ways. The best I can offer
is an unexpected ending or clever twist in a story.
Can you tell us a little bit about the characters in “Dying to Live”?
“Dying to Live”
tracks a period of about 10 years in the lives of four characters in a smaller
town in Tennessee: A cop, a drug addict, an inmate, and a young boy. Their
lives don’t appear to be linked and each face significant, but very different
struggles. However, they each share the same dark secret that is the source of
their brokenness. If they don’t find a way to deal with the darkness inside
them, they will all die.
The vulnerability
of the young boy is particularly heartbreaking in light of his struggles. The
cop is a child abuse and child homicide detective who escapes the horrors he
sees every day through any form of self-medication he can find. The drug addict
is a low-life scum bag who is very easy to hate with a passion, but in the
middle of his worst moments manages to draw pity or even affection from the
reader. The inmate who undergoes a life-changing epiphany is the shining light
of the foursome, but his newfound enlightenment carries its own set of dangers.
Can you tell us a little bit about your next books or what you have
planned for the future?
I am
finished with the first draft of my next book and I have written it in a
different genre. “Dying to Live” was based on true life events but written in a
fictional sequence to tell a more engaging story. My next book is part of a science
fiction trilogy set in a pre-apocalyptic world that is hurtling toward global
domination by an evil and very powerful group who believe they are on the brink
of immortality. There is some intriguing science, but it is mostly science
fiction and involves interdimensional beings who believe they are responsible
for the current condition of earth and its inhabitants (think angels and
demons). These beings are fighting a war against their own kind as they align
with the two sides of the human factions in a coming global and cosmic war to
end all wars.
Do you allow yourself a certain number of hours to write or do you
write as long as the words come?
I have a
small window usually. When I started writing I would write in 30-minute bursts
as that is all I had. Now I am more flexible, but typically I am time-bound
rather than word-bound.
Do you have a certain number of words or pages you write per day?
I shoot for
a minimum of 1000 words, as I can usually capture that in a one-hour sitting,
but it is more time-based than word count-based (even though I always count my
words after I’m done).
What inspires you to write?
I truly
believe that being a writer is part of who I am and not something I am talented
at. It is a calling or a vocation. As with many other vocations, it may go
unnoticed or unrewarded. However, I do it because I am a writer and not to
accomplish some goal (even though I believe in goal setting). At the end of the
day, I am an encourager who desires to inspire people to reach their potential.
Writing is one expression of that identity.
Would you rather
Read fiction or
non-fiction?
I would definitely rather fiction, but
I have read more non-fiction because of work and life demands.
Read series or
stand-alone?
I don’t think I have the time/patience
to read a series.
Read Science fiction
or horror?
I love science fiction—thrillers are
ok, but I hate horror.
Read Stephen King or Dean
Koontz
Probably Koontz, but I have to admit
I have never read either.
Read the book or
watch the movie?
Here I go again not being a purist.
I’m definitely a movie guy. I see people and their interactions, emotions and
tensions, drama and adventure, but the settings of movies help me with the
pictures in my head. I borrow the talent from the movie producers to create the
settings and lay the landscape for my interpretation of the characters.
Read an eBook or
paperback?
I prefer paperback all day long, but
I am trying to discipline myself to be an eBook reader for the pure
convenience.
Be trapped alone for
one month in a library with no computer or a room with a computer and Wi-Fi
only?
Library—hands down!
Do a cross-country
bookstore tour or blog tour online?
My family and work commitments would
steer me to do a blog tour at this stage of my writing career, but if there were
enough demand and there were enough finances, I would be open to doing a
cross-country tour at least once.
About the Author
Born and raised in Dublin, Ireland, Jono Comiskey grew up in a country that was struggling for economic stability. Following his two older brothers, he embarked on a journey to find adventure in the land of hopes and dream-the United States of America. Twenty years later, he is convinced more than ever that each person carries incredible potential to affect the world around them in either a positive or negative way and that their God-granted privilege is to choose which path they will follow. Jono is married and has three wonderful children. Having spent more than two decades in the corporate world, he now pastors Transformation Church in Conroe, Texas, which focuses on making disciples who understand their identities in Christ.
Contact Links
Facebook: Jono Comiskey: Author
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1 comments:
thanks for hosting
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