Interview Roulette: T.J. Nichols

 

It’s T.J. Nichols’s turn at the wheel!

  1. Write a story—no more than 100 words–based on this prompt: When the levee failed….

When the levee failed there was nothing to stop the red diablo from invading. As the sea rushed through the gap it brought them in on a tide of angers. The diablo had plucked the levee apart over the centuries. Rock by rock eager for revenge, hungry for flesh. Now they rushed along the flooded streets and took up residence in the houses, reaching up and snatching people, who were waiting for rescue, with long tentacles. There would be no rescue. This wasn’t the only town stained red. The island kingdom would fall into the sea. Lost to history.

 

Erm that got dark quickly…

 

  1. When it comes to travel, do you prefer to plan everything or play it by ear?

Plan where I’m going to be, but have a short list of things to see and do. So a little bit of both.

  1. Describe a traumatic weather-related experience you’ve had. If you’ve never had any, make one up.

I’ve had two. Though given the recent weather events they are pretty mild. I don’t remember which happened first. When I was a young teen someone set fire to the hills and a bushfire came within meters of destroying the house I was growing up in. It was a pretty major fire and for weeks afterward we’d wait for nightfall then have to go out with buckets of water to put of spot fires (often just embers) before they could flare up.

The second was a storm, same house, that was so bad my siblings and I have to sleep in the hallway in case all the windows blew in (the hallway was the only part of the house that would protect us from flying glass). Glass actually bows and creaks quite a lot. None of the windows did give in, but the house was struck with lightning.

  1. Someone is writing your biography. What’s the title? And who plays you in the movie?

Too busy to die. I have a never ending to do list and I’m one of those people who struggles to say no so I end up doing a whole lot of extra tasks for other people because they know that if they give to me it will get done. The whole film will be a battle about getting a monstrous list under control while at the same time still trying to enjoying life…maybe the ending is surrendering the list to the wind and shouting no.

I have no idea who plays me, I never cast characters either.

  1. Let’s face it—there’s someplace you’ve been to and absolutely hated. Where was it and why was it so awful?

I hated Dubai (unpopular opinion because I have friends who love it, but there you go). There are a few reasons (and things that happened), but it boils down to not feeling safe.

  1. Describe a really bad decision you once made.

Giving up writing and art while working full time. I wished I’d kept at it over those years instead of trying to be sensible and grown up.

  1. You can eat only one ice cream flavor for the rest of your life. Which is it?

Is that really a question? Chocolate is the only answer. It’s the only flavor I eat now.

 

Book blurb:

Inline image 2Kill his lover or disobey his king and instigate civil war?

As the feared court poison master, Nikko is sworn to do as his king bids. As the lover of the king’s nephew, Lord Rodas, Nikko must hide his affection or risk being labeled a traitor and punished. A former thief who clawed his way into the palace from the filthy streets, Nikko longs to be deserving of Rodas’s love.

A respected war hero, Rodas is in a delicate political situation. He is not the kingdom’s natural heir, though many support his claim over the wastrel, Prince Fortin. The last thing Rodas wants is war. His highest ambition is for Nikko to openly wear the jewels he’s bestowed on him as a public declaration of their love.

Neither man is prepared for the king to order Nikko to poison Rodas during the solstice feast or for the deadly intrigue they’re plunged into, which exposes their affair and rocks the foundations of the kingdom.

 

A story from the Dreamspinner Press 2017 Advent Calendar “Stocking Stuffers.”

 

Book buy links:

https://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/books/poison-marked-by-tj-nichols-9084-b

https://tjnichols-author.blogspot.com.au/2017/11/cover-reveal-poison-marked.html

Author bio:

TJ Nichols is an avid runner and martial arts enthusiast who first started writing as child. Many years later while working as a civil designer, TJ decided to pick up a pen and start writing again. Having grown up reading thrillers and fantasy novels, it’s no surprise that mixing danger and magic comes so easily, writing urban fantasy allows TJ to bring magic to the every day. TJ enjoys writing novellas and novels and has a series, Studies in Demonology, coming out with DSP Publications.

With two cats acting as supervisors, TJ has gone from designing roads to building worlds and wouldn’t have it any other way. After traveling all over the world and Australia, TJ now lives in Perth, Western Australia.

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Author contacts:

  • Website tjnichols-author.blogspot.com
  • Newsletter Newsletter: eepurl.com/cO-YRz
  • Facebook facebook.com/TJNichols.author
  • Twitter @TobyJNichols

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