The 10D10 Interview Challenge

#5 – J.D. Demers, author

J.D. (or Sex Titan, as he’s known on the cage-fighting circuit) and I met while enjoying a picnic near a scenic bend in a river in rural Iowa. We looked at each other’s cucumber sandwiches, and knew right then and there… we both wrote post apocalyptic fiction.

Actually we met via Facebook. He read my books, I read his, and now we’re friends. It’s a lot of fun.

J.D.’s rolls for this interview were: 2, 10, 1, 10, 5, 2, 3, 5, 2, 4

Which leads us to these in depth, critical questions:

1. What food makes you cringe, and want to throw up?

When I was seventeen and headed to my first duty assignment in the Army, they sent me to Korea. One of the dishes they served on the flight was Sushi. I had never tried it before. Umm…Never try Sushi on a plane…especially one that is airborne for 13 hours. Now I can’t stand the sight of it.

I love sushi. I’m judging the SHIT out of you right now. But you know what; I get it. Bad food associations can stick for years, just like the smell of rural Korean military bases. 

2. On a good day, what’s your writing goal before you give up, and throw a tantrum?

I try to do a chapter a day (on writing days). I usually throw a tantrum the next day when I go back and decide to change everything.

This, I identify with. I try to do a chapter in a workday as well, then edit the following day to clean stuff up, and check for continuity errors. Mostly I cry.

3. Give or take, how many different movies do you think you’ve seen in your lifetime, and do you regret that number, now that you’ve thought about it?

At least a billion. Just kidding. Probably a couple thousand. I love seeing other people’s visions and it lets me know that I’m not the only one with crazy ideas swimming through my head. And no, no regrets.

Strong words from a man with… good taste in films. 

4. Pets. Do you have them? What’s the best thing about each of them?

Yes: 3. Sagje, my Sheppard mix. He is the reason no one comes to my front door. Leia, my energetic Blackmouth Cur…she drains all of Sagje’s energy. And a fish. Nothing nice to say about it. My wife has killed it twice and we have to tell my daughter that “Minnie Fish” went to her mom’s house for the weekend each time.

How do you pronounce Sagje? Like, Sage? Or like, Sad-Gee? Curious minds want to know. And as for the fish… that’s heartless, yet wise. At least you aren’t telling your daughter that Daddy ate it on a flight to South Korea.

5. How do magnets work? Is it magic? Do you think it’s magic?

No long answer here. But yes, it’s ‘magic’. Just because science can explain something doesn’t make it any less magical.

THAT’S WHAT I SAY ALL THE TIME!!! What’s that Asimov quote? Any science of sufficient advancement will appear to magic, or some such shit. And, it’s true. Imagine explaining smart phones to someone in the Middle Ages.

6. What’s your current work in progress, and why is it taking so long to finish?

I have two. One is The Hunt Chronicles: Volume 4 – Reckoning. It is taking so long because I hate myself and scratched half the book and went back to it. The second one is classified.

Oooh… classified. Such a military word to use, instead of, “I can’t talk about it yet, because I don’t know what I’m talking about.” Clever man. And if anyone is wondering, The Hunt Chronicles is good stuff. I read it and liked it.

7. Are you a sports person? Were you, at least, before the crushing weight of adulthood ruined all that you loved? What sports did you like to play, or watch?

I grew up playing and watching all sports. Baseball, Football, Soccer, Tennis, etc. I hate them now. I wish I could go back and take every minute I watched a game and invest it into writing…or eating cheese cake. I love cheese cake.

Curious that you left out cage-fighting, Sex Titan. And, we are yet again of one mind as it regards to cheesecake. Food of the gods.

8. What’s a guilty pleasure you have when it comes to books? Are you into the nasty, Dick Tingle erotica? Do you cozy up with a Lovecraftian flesh-shredder on a wintry day? What’s something you read your fans might not know about?

Sci-fi. Most of my fans think I am neck deep into zombie books…but the truth is, I have only read/listened to a handful. My true loves are fantasy and space operas. Lately, Sci-fi has taken the lead. I blame that beer can Skippy (If you know that reference, you know why I have taken a liking to Sci-Fi)

I get the same. I actually don’t read that many zompoc books. So many authors in the genre are all doing the same thing, or slight variants on the same thing, so it’s rare for me to pick up a book in that genre and be like, “fuck yeah.” So… I read a lot of regular sci-fi, and horror, and fantasy. No idea on the Skippy reference, but I suspect you’re gonna message me as soon as this goes live with a link. You’re good like that.

9. What was your first mobile phone? Was it in a bag? Was it the size of a brick? Or are you a youngin’, born into the smart phone era? Also, what’s your high score on Snake, if applicable.

Man…I am looking back some years… I think Motorola made it. It had a dot, one-line screen. Damn I am old. I never played Snake…that must have been a game for rich people.

Ha. Rich people. And I think I remember that phone, because I think it was the same one I had. Size of a suitcase, flipped open to reveal the keypad. Got like, no service anywhere, because there were no towers for another year. And yes, you are old. 

Very old. Not as old as Tufo, but yeah, old.

10. Someone holds a gun to your head and tells you to write a book about something you don’t want to write about. What is it they’re asking you to write?

Lesbian Dance Theory. A: I’m not a lesbian (but man…if I had one wish…). B: I can’t dance (ask my wife). C: My theories makes Alex Jones seem sane.

I don’t even like… know how to be funny off this one. That’s both strange, practical, and beautiful all at once. It really sums you up nicely, J.D. Strong finish.

 

Thanks buddy!

Next up: Dean Thomas

 

Jacob Demers served in the US Army as an Intelligence Analyst, and later as a Defense Department Contractor. Now, he lives on the Space Coast of Florida soaking up sun and writing in the rain.

He is the author of The Hunt Chronicles and writes in a wide range of genres including Horror, Sci-Fi, and Fantasy.

Find him here on Facebook.