Author Interview with Scotty Schrier

Scotty Schrier is the author of “Jode Unforgiven,” a tale of an ageless cowboy demon hunter who has to save the world against an ancient evil.  This book was just released from J. Ellington Ashton Press.  He has also written several short stories and has a collection of stories entitled “Mental Menagerie: A Collection of genre-bending short fiction.” He lives in Florida and writes whenever he can get enough coffee.

You can learn more about Scotty’s Writing Life at:

Website: http://scottyschrier.com

Book website: http://jode.scottyschrier.com

Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/THEScottySchrier

What brought you to writing?

I'm not photogenic enough for movies? I've always been a storyteller. I tried my hand at cartooning, and found that what I wrote was so much stronger than what I drew...okay, I sucked at drawing. So, I focused on words. And one thing led to another until I was posting short stories online and getting pretty good responses. Then one year I gave NaNoWriMo a shot, and hammered out my first novel in 30 days. The feeling I had when I typed 'The End' was electric and addicting. That's when I knew I was destined to write.

Tell me about your novel, Jode Unforgiven -- who is Jode and what is he up against?

Jode is a man who's family was killed by a demon. In the process of trying to save his family he was infected with demon blood and became half-demon himself. This book starts with Jode tracking down a gang of demons who had been terrorizing the countryside. Once he interrogates them, he stumbles across a plot to bring about the End Times early. He has to gather together a small band of misfits from a local ranching town and try to save the world from utter destruction.

What was the inspiration for Jode Unforgiven?

I was mowing my lawn one day and I had the image of a snake slithering through the grass towards my son. I thought the best way to take care of that would be to hit the snake with my lawnmower. Then this whole scene played out in my head. This guy hits the snake with the lawnmower and sparks began shooting from under the mower deck as the blade scraped against impossibly hard scales. 

Then, the next week when I was mowing the lawn, when I was in the same spot, the scene grew. Each time I mowed for a couple of months, the same scene played out, and each time I was given a little more and a little more. Until the snake (who by that time I knew was a demon) had a conversation with the man. And I knew I had to write it down.

The odd part, was when I started writing it...it was set in the Old West. So, I ran with it!

What books or authors have most influenced you?

On Writing by Stephen King is the book that lit the fire and finally made me decide to do this. Don McQuinn, my mentor, has published a ton of books, and knows more industry experts on a first name basis, than you can imagine...and he was my writing coach for the better part of three years. Even now, when I'm writing, I can hear his voice in my head. Urging me on, and asking me questions about 'why' a character is doing something, or 'what' does a character feel after something happens. I can hear him asking me, "Do you think this is a genuine reaction?" and my perennial favorite: "Write the damn book."

What is your greatest challenge as a writer?

Selling books. It's insanely hard to get noticed. And it doesn't help when so many of us are selling books wrong. I see so many authors who tweet a hundred times a day 'Buy my book.' 'It's great!' 'You'll love it.'...so often I feel like that guy by the roadside with a sing yelling for people to repent. So, yeah, finding a sales tactic that works, and doesn't spam people or turn them away before ever reading your words. That's my greatest challenge.

What advice would you have for other writers?

Study the craft. Learn how to write well. Then learn as much as you can about the industry. Also, read some marketing books too. You're going to need them. 

But my biggest advice would be this: "What differentiates an author from a hobbyist is a hobbyist FINDS time to write; an author MAKES time to write." If this is your thing, get serious about it.

What’s your next project?

I've got about four different ones on various burners right now. I'm struggling to get them all down on the page. But the main one I'm working on right now is the sequel to Jode Unforgiven called Jode Unchained. It takes place 70 years later and Jode is trying to get his life back together after the epic ending of the first book.