Why write?

It’s something that I’ve enjoyed since childhood. I love to tell stories, to entertain. There’s some ego in there too. I get a feeling akin to the thrill of the chase when I’m writing, like I’m running to catch the threads of something ephemeral that is barely visible in this distance. And much like the chase, it has its joys, satisfactions and its many frustrations, and in the end while I never feel I captured the story exactly as I’d wished, I still get some pleasure from writing “The End.” And then I go back and start tinkering…

If you didn’t write, what would you do?

Read more. Do more hiking and home-brewing. Most likely numb my urge to be creative by watching more television on the one channel I do get (although I am somewhat guilty of that already). It’s certainly a good thing I don’t have internet at home.

If you could hunt any speculative fiction creature ever imagined (except one of your own), would you? Why?

No. Because those types of creatures tend to end up hunting you.

If you could have any speculative fiction creature ever imagined (except one of your own) as a pet, would you?

Yes.

Which one?

The Golden Goose — yes, I’m stretching the definition of “speculative fiction” with this one perhaps.

Why?

Well, there’s that whole thing about the golden eggs and I don’t recall a tale about a Platinum Goose…

You are on a holodeck: You’re sitting in an intergalactic bar, sipping your favorite beverage, waiting expectantly for someone to take a seat at your table. Which author from any era does?

If I can be allowed to jump across lines here — Leonardo da Vinci.

Why?

He was the Renaissance man’s Renaissance Man. He was a genius whose influence continues into today and probably into this future where I’m hanging out on a holodeck.

What do you talk about or do?

We talk about whatever he wants; it’s bound to be far more interesting than anything I could come up with. I would probably be hard-pressed just to follow the conversation…but I’d definitely press him on all those “hidden” things and secret societies he’s associated with in pop culture. Bestseller here I come.

More importantly, which chair does he sit in?

He sits across the table and keeps the holodeck’s translator on.

Why Ikuru? What initiated his story and made you complete this particular tale?

This story was written specifically for the open call for submissions for Rage of the Behemoth, so that was the initial impetus and helped set some of the criteria. From there it started with the image of the opening paragraph, nothing else — no outline or idea about the ending — and just unrolled as it saw fit. It was a very linear process, which is unusual for me. Even the protagonist was a surprise when he appeared. I enjoyed the challenge of trying to write a character whose culture was so different, but in the end you still find those underlying similarities.

What appealed to you about being included in Rage of the Behemoth?

I enjoyed their initial anthology offering: Return of the Sword. RBE brings a lot of enthusiasm and passion to their projects, and I can really appreciate what they are doing and what they are putting into it. The authors they already had on board for Rage of the Behemoth were outstanding, I loved the premise, and I wanted to be a part of that.

Do you write/read aloud to/with anyone (family member or friend)?

I try to read aloud to my son from some of his books, but he’s not yet of an age where he wants to sit and be read to for very long. He usually takes the book from me, points to the colorful pictures on the heavy cardboard pages, and although he’s only now beginning to learn his letters, “reads” it to me instead. His stories are always so much better.

Why?

I grew up loving to read, just as my parents did, and I want to instill this love of reading in him. Books can offer so much and I don’t want him to miss out on the opportunity.

Quick: For each of the below, what’s your first thought in regards to the future of genre fiction:

Publishing: Dying, dead, on life support – or just going through a change? If it’s any of the first three, will it be euthanized or revitalized?

Change, it’s the one constant…

Reading Formats: Print, electronic, audio, or interactive?

All of them to varying degrees.

Books: Hardcover, trade paperback, mass market, other?

I think all those forms will stick around, but perhaps not in the numbers printed today. With the advent of electronic reading devices that can download texts, etc. I think that those people who read for content might start moving that direction. Others, who have a love of books not just for the content, but the entire experience of holding and smelling the physical object, they’ll continue to buy print, but possibly fewer titles.

Preference for reading/writing: Science Fiction, Historical Fiction, Fantasy Fiction, Horror Fiction?

I like to read them all but thus far I have written only Fantasy.

Thanks for the fun answers, Jason! That ‘Golden Goose’ one was particularly clever.

“Runner of the Hidden Ways”  by Jason E. Thummel appears under the ‘Mysterious Jungles’ theme in Rage of the Behemoth. Jason’s fiction has appeared in multiple venues, both online and in print.

An opening excerpt

Silence. Not even the fall of a single dew drop disturbed the ominous slumber. Thick vines twined their way from out of the choking undergrowth to quietly stalk and strangle the tall, sinuous trees whose canopy blanketed the sky and cast the world below into a constant, green-hued twilight. And through that deep quiet came a whisper, like a gentle caress of wind winding its way down unseen trails in the growth.

Ikuru felt power surge through him, coursing beneath his skin, lending strength to muscle, sinew and bone as the jaguar tattoo transformed him into something other than himself. His blood pounded with the power of the Runner, and the jungle’s unnatural stillness spoke to him of horror. He plunged farther ahead into that absence of sound, of life, following its tale toward the acrid scent of fire and death that clung to the stagnant air; ever away from his painful past and deeper into lands unknown.

He soon found this story’s sad beginning. The huts were smoldering skeletons, cradles of soot and ash that still embraced the bodies of the villagers who had once lived here. The terrifying scene reminded Ikuru of his own village, a season ago, when the skinless men and their cruel priests had brought the road of death to scar the Mother jungle…

Watch for review praise for “Runner of the Hidden Ways” and Rage of the Behemoth!

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