Author Interview & Contest with Anton Strout

This week I managed to get us a little testosterone here on Amberkatze's book Blog! Author Anton Strout is well know for his Urban Fantasy series (doesn't he look too innocent to write Paranromal in his photo?) featuring Simon Canderous. Now even though I am a little behind with the books I do have them on my to be read pile. Do you?

Dead Matter, the third book in the series is out now and it has gotten some amazing reviews! Deader Still and Dead to Me, the first two books in the series, is where you need to start if you want to get to know Simon better. So make sure you enter this weeks contest because Anton is going to send one lucky winner their choice of book from the series.

So get reading and maybe even win a book!

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Amber - Welcome to Amberkatze's Book Blog! It is great to have you here as a guest! Could you start things off by telling us a little about your Simon Canderous Series?

Anton – Sure! The first three books in my series follow the adventures of an ex-art thief in New York City who is trying to turn his life around. Simon possesses the power of psychometry- the ability to read the history of an object. After a brush with the law, he now works for NYC’s Department of Extraordinary Affairs- a clandestine and terribly underfunded agency that deals with red tape and policing the paranormal. Their proud motto is “Fighting evil, under budget.”

Amber - How did you come up with the idea for the Simon Canderous series? Was it a long process or did it just come to you?

Anton – Simon came to me basically because I missed Ghostbusters and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I like the idea of a guy with powers he had trouble controlling trying to change his life for the better, and having lived in New York City for fifteen years, I wanted to explore it. The idea of a man with magic hands was based on a short story within John Irving’s The World According to Garp, about a man with hands that could perform miracles when he wore his magic gloves but he couldn’t feel. That got me thinking about the price of magic and Simon was born.

Amber - Are you anything like the main character Simon Canderous? Are any of your characters based on people in your life?

Anton - I think some of Simon’s laughing in the face of danger defense mechanism is a bit like me, but other than that, I don’t think he’s that heinous trope of a glorified version of the author. I think all my characters have bits of people I know in them, but no one specific. I do tend to throw in the names of friends as background characters though.

Amber - What kind of research have you done for your books? Anything interesting or is the research boring?

Anton – I have a book due a year, so I try to minimize my research on my first pass of my manuscript. Otherwise, I’d get totally caught up in all the coolness of historic New York and reading my Dungeons & Dragons Monster Manual. I tend to Wiki things so my narrative has the correct flavor regarding certain details, and only when I get to certain things do I allow myself to get totally immersed in the details.

Amber - The third book in the Simon Canderous series came out in February. What can readers expect from Dead Matter?

Anton – Monsters trashing supermarkets, secret and mysterious buildings dotting the New York skyline, ghosts, mountains of paperwork, and some villains I can’t talk about lest I ruin the book for your smart and sexy readers

Amber - How do you pick the names for your characters? Do they have any special meanings?

Anton – Sometimes I just feel them. Other times they have some significance. My favorites are the last names Canderous and Wesker, both from video games I adore. The first is from the Stars Wars: Knights of the Old Republic and the second comes from Resident Evil.

Amber - How many more books will there be in the Simon Canderous Series? Are you working on any other projects you would like to tell us about?

Anton – I just turned in book four to my editor. I have plans for a fifth book in the series, but it’s not under contract yet. I have three or four other ideas, ranging from some modern day zombie tales to a young adult Dickensian steampunk idea I’ve been letting stew in my brainmeats.

Amber - Did you always wanted to be an author? Why did you pick the Paranormal Urban Fantasy genre?

Anton – I always dabbled with writing, but I meandered about with it up until a few years ago. My friends and I started the Dorks of the Round Table writing group so we’d actually have accountability partners to keep us motivated. I didn’t set out to write urban fantasy. I was just writing about a guy and his problems, and in the end there were ghosts and vamps and powers and zombies… didn’t see THAT coming!

Amber - I am sure that being an author has its ups and downs. What experiences have you had so far?

Anton – It’s a very bipolar career. You spend a year alone crafting something, then you edit it for another year once it’s turned in, the people get to read it and you finally connect with them. You get people who love what you do which is awesome, and then you have people who don’t love your work and it’s gutting to hear. The highs are incredibly high and the lows are just as intense.

Amber - How do you relax? Do you have any hobbies?

Anton – I read a lot and I’m a gamer by heart. Although being mobbed by zombies in Resident Evil 5 and Left 4 Dead right now aren’t terribly relaxing. In fact, I seem to twitch a lot.

Amber - Alot of authors have 'soundtracks' for their books. Is there any music influenced your books?

Anton – I love music playing when I write, but I don’t have set soundtracks. I tend to write to either classical music or else techno/electronica. On a perfect day, The Matrix soundtrack is in the background. I also like all the Star Wars music and several video game soundtracks as well, such as Final Fantasy and the original Metal Gear Solid.

Amber - What books do you enjoy reading? Do you have any favourite authors/series?

Anton – I’m all over the place. I’m a huge fan of Nick Hornby, Neil Gaiman, the DC Comics Fables Series, Planetary, Hellblazer… but most of all I adore most of what Stephen King writes.

Amber - If you could be any paranormal creature, what would you be and why?

Anton – I would, of course, be a werejaguar. I made it up when on a panel with Jim Hines at Gencon a few years back, then suddenly he and a whole lot of people sent me Happy Werejaguar Day cards one day. Meow.. rawr!

Amber - Thank you for visiting Amberkatze's Book Blog! I hope you will come back for another visit in the future!



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Contest Time!

The winner this week is allowed to pick on of Anton's three books! So if you haven't started the series yet you can start with Dead To Me! Or maybe you have been waiting for the new book? Then you can get Dead Matter!

How to Enter

Anton is a gamer. Are you? Tell us what you like to play. Maybe a computer game? An online game or just a normal board game?

No Game = No Entry

Earn more entries for each place you link this contest on the net. You can post on Facebook, Twitter & MySpace but make sure you add links here for me to confirm your entries! However please do not make individual postings for each entry. Please post all your info in one post.

You can also earn extra entries by emailing your friends about the contest. Just make sure you send a copy of your email or receipt to me at Amberkatzes_book_blog at gmx dot net.

Make sure you post your links here so I can confirm your entries.

Keep the contests going by using the Amazon link below and around the site!

The contest will stay open until Sunday 6th of June 2010 4pm CET and the winner will be picked by a randomizer. Entrants should check back to see if they have won. I do not hunt down winners and will pick new winners for any prizes not claimed within 7 days.