Why write?

I think I’ve always had an interest in telling stories; often in quiet moments I’d create scenes and settings, never writing it down or anything, just all inside my head. It was only when my daughters were born that I really sat down and decided to put these ideas on paper–once they were born and we had them settled down for the night, I found myself watching far too much tv and I had the desire to do something more productive. Also, I liked the idea of having something to show the kids when they’re older, maybe prove to them that their dad wasn’t always that boring guy telling them to eat their greens and do their homework.

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

If I wasn’t writing once the kids are asleep on a night, I’d be sitting in front of the tv, eating junk food and feeling my brains dribble out of my ears.

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

I’d like to imagine myself being brave enough to hunt some terrifying fantasy creature, but the older I get I find I have to admit even to myself that I’m a total physical coward and would only do it if there was no risk involved whatsoever.

Which one?

Probably Smaug from The Hobbit.

Why?

Because he can be killed from a distance and I’d get a nice monetary reward from it, too.

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

As long as it was friendly.

Which one?

The ice dragon from GRRM’s The Ice Dragon.

Why?

I’ve always loved stories set in icy worlds and this dragon fits that perfectly. Frightening and mysterious but loyal and brave, and the way GRRM describes the bond between the two and the feel of flying on this great beast…I’d like a bit of that.

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?

Charles Dickens

Why?

He’s a writer from a period of history I’ve always been fascinated with and every time I finished his novels it was like saying goodbye to a friend, I’d love to know how the guy could create so many incredible characters in one lifetime.

What do you talk about or do?

Apparently he was a great talker and I’d love to just sit back in my chair and listen. I’d want to know where he’d get his energy from, where he found his gallery of characters and what he thought of the ending of Great Expectations.

More importantly, which chair does he sit in?

The one next to mine so I can hear him clearly.

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

I am a member of an online writer’s group called Hatrack and I wanted to post on there that I had written a dark fantasy. That was my springboard — I wanted to write a dark fantasy! Sometimes when I was looking for ideas in those days, I’d look in a book called Mysteries of the Unexplained and I came across the old Werewolf legends and that’s what kick started the idea of Hunter Jon and the Sagarki.

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

The first thing that I thought when seeing this anthology was that I would seriously love to read this book. Just the thought of being in a book that I would dearly love to read was really exciting. Even now, regardless of Hunter, I’m excited about reading RotB.

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

Hah! I’m lucky if family and friends read my work, never mind standing there while I read it to them!

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?

Things change — always have and always will. But there’ll always be markets for well told stories.

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

All of the above. A good story is a good story however it is told. There will always be a place for all of these.

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

In these cost-cutting days, its hard to see a future for the hardback.

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

As I set off on this road I thought of myself as a fantasy writer who forced himself to write science fiction to open up more markets. I think my first three sales were science fiction. And the last two stories I wrote were horror. So I would say all of the above, apart from historical. As a reader I would answer horror at the moment, ask me in a couple of weeks and the answer could well be historical.

Thank you for your thoughts and words, Martin, in the mini-interview and in Rage of the Behemoth!

Martin Turton‘s “The Hunter Of Rhim” appears under the “Scalding Sands” theme in Rage of the Behemoth. In addition to writing science fiction, fantasy and horror, he reads slush for Ray Gun Revival and is always on the lookout for quality space opera stories.

An opening excerpt

It was three weeks before his cries, before his pleas for mercy, fell silent. Hunter Jon waited another two days before he descended the steep stairs into the murky cell. The stench already hung heavy in the air.

He barely recognized the body when he found it curled up, fetus-like in a corner. Barely recognized it as the human it had once been. The skin was loose and sagging where it had been stretched over the mottled, heavy brow. The fingers were fractured and twisted where once they had been cruel talons. The teeth were broken and shattered. And, of course, the eyes were gone. The eyes were always gone.

That terrible, eyeless gaze turned toward Hunter Jon as he drew his knife. Its breathing was pitiful, coming in short, shallow gasps.

He rested a hand on its rough, scarred cheek. “Forgive me, brother. May The One have mercy on us both.”

The screams were loud and dreadful as Hunter Jon began to slice at that loose, clammy skin…

Watch for review praise for “The Hunter of Rhim” and Rage of the Behemoth!

Enjoy this interview and excerpt?
Read more like it from other members of the anthology here on RBE.
Better yet – buy your own copy
of Rage of the Behemoth: An Anthology of Heroic Adventure today!