Author Interview: Justin Enos

Tell us a little bit about yourself. Where are you from? 

Asking me where I am from has always been a tough question for me to answer. Does the person asking mean where was I born, or where did I grow up, or where do I currently live? All vastly different answers. My father was in the military so we bounced around quite a bit. Two foreign countries and five US states to be exact. Right now I live in Portland, Oregon, but will be moving soon. Even as an adult I am a nomad! I have enjoyed writing ever since I was a kid and always did well on creative writing assignments in school. It wasn't until about ten years ago that I started giving serious thought to writing for a living. Coming up with ideas for stories has never been a problem for me, I have notebooks full of maps, histories, religions, character descriptions and so forth. My problem was sitting down and actually writing chapter one. Finally about four years ago I finally buckled down and began writing in earnest, every single day. The result was my first fantasy novel "From Wrath To Ruin". While I would love to leave the 9 to 5 world and just write, I know that very few lucky writers can actually do that. Whether or not my writing career is financially successful or not, I will continue to write because I love it and because I have so many stories to tell! 

What was the inspiration for your most recent book?
My novel "From Wrath To Ruin" will eventually be an ongoing series though each book will be a

stand-alone story. The "Conan" books written by Robert E. Howard, and later by Robert Jordan, were like this and I enjoyed reading them. Before the days of Amazon, when we were dependent only on our local book stores, it could be frustrating sometimes to find a book that looked and sounded really great until you realized it was #3 or #4 in a series and they didn't have the earlier ones. With the "Conan" books it didn't matter much if you read them in order or not as there was very little carry over from one to the next. 

What was the hardest part about writing this book?
Probably writing the fight scenes. From the beginning I knew that my book was going to involve a lot of fighting so I wanted to make sure I got the action sequences done just right. I took a few classes of Kunst des Fechten (Art of Fighting) which is a 14th-15th century German longsword training regime. That helped me learn some basic footwork and body positioning which translated well into my writing.

Do you often develop characters from your personal experiences or draw from that of others?
A little of both. There is one very specific experience I share with the main character in my novel, Tijodrin. It was unintentional, and eerie, because it was not a shared experience back when I originally came up with the idea of him and who he was, it was something that happened to me years later. I do see pieces of myself in other characters, as well as bits of friends and people I have known throughout my life. 

Are your comfortable writing in different genres? What is your go-to genre?
I write mostly fantasy, but have dabbled in military sci-fi and historical fiction.

Is your writing genre one that you read a lot of? 
I read a lot of fantasy when I was younger, now I read more historical fiction than anything else. I imagine it must be one of the hardest fiction categories to write as there is so much research involved. I do actually have an idea for a vampire novel/series that begins in ancient Egypt and then leaps forward a couple times, stopping during historical periods that I particularly like. The massive amount of research I would need to do is the only thing holding me back at the moment. Someday...

When did you decide that it was time to take your writing public?
Started writing my book about four years ago and once I was finished I decided to go the self-publishing route simply because I wanted it out there immediately. I didn't want to wait around for an agent or a publisher. It was such a great feeling to get those first copies in my hands!

What’s something that you do to help find new inspiration?
I will almost always read something. Either some passages I wrote that I particularly liked or a chapter or three of a book that I really enjoyed. That usually does the trick. If not I turn to Mother Nature. I love the great outdoors and hiking somewhere helps to clear my head.

What is your next writing project?
I am currently working on the second book in my fantasy series "Under A Shadow Of Sorcery".

Now for one of my favorite requests - tell us a random fun fact about yourself.
I was born in Bangkok, Thailand. Our next door neighbor was the personal doctor of the King of Thailand.

Purchase on Amazon

In the great city of Hohvenlor, a rivalry between two powerful merchants has simmered for many years. Now, the son of one merchant, spurned by the daughter of the other, vengefully stokes the fires of that rivalry. Soon, retribution follows retribution until the conflict threatens to turn the streets of Hohvenlor into a battlefield.
Into the midst of this inferno of hostility comes Tijodrin, a man who is no stranger to violence and bloodshed. Exiled from his homeland for reasons he keeps to himself, Tijodrin wanders the land as a mercenary, selling his skills with a blade to those who have the coin to pay.
Within the walls of Hohvenlor, Tijodrin finds no shortage of enemies and faces danger from many corners. Can he survive the endless plotting of the vindictive merchants and the swords of their bloodthirsty henchmen, as well as the lurking daggers of the shadowy assassin’s guild?