Interview with Jeff Gunhus, author of Gypsy Blood

by grant

in Author Interviews, Mystery, News, Thriller

02 May 2018

What can you tell us about your new release, Gypsy Blood?

Gypsy Blood marks a return to horror for me after several recent thrillers. A down-on-his-luck writer living in Paris witnesses a gruesome murder in a back-alley in Paris. When the victim’s blood gets in his mouth, he becomes infected with the man’s soul and dragged into a terrifying war between two cults living in the shadows of modern society. However, at its heart, the book is about our human need to belong to a tribe and our desire to feel part of something greater than ourselves.

What or who inspired you to become an author?

I lived overseas from ages 5-12 in Greece, Cyprus and Saudi Arabia. We had no TV and only a few movies on video, so I read a lot. Tolkien, CS Lewis, Frank Herbert, Jules Verne, all transported me into different worlds. Then Stephen King showed me you could scare someone silly while they were sitting comfortably in their own bed. I liked that emotional response so decided to try my hand at it at an early age. Started writing and never stopped.

What’s on your top 5 list for the best books you’ve ever read?

Dune, Fellowship of the Ring, The Stand, A Canticle for Leibowitz, Wonder Boys.

Say you’re the host of a literary talk show. Who would be your first guest? What would you want to ask them?

Stephen King. I love how he can traipse his way through multiple genres without falling victim to tropes. He also has that great voice throughout his work.

What’s your favorite thing about writing?

The freedom to have no limits. When I talk to young people in school visits I always make a big deal about how writing is absolute freedom. It’s the creator’s story. If I want a purple elephant to suddenly appear in a scene, I can do that. I might decide not to because it doesn’t create the story I want, but I could. That’s a liberating level of freedom.

What’s a typical day like for you?

When I’m into a project, I write 5am-8am, 6-7 days a week. I go for the consistency and I’m able to jump right into work in the morning (benefit of being sleep deprived!) By day, I have five kids and run a national company with over 2000 employees, so those hours get spoken for pretty quickly. When I’m in editing mode I’ll add a 9-11pm session for a week or two. Writing never feels like a job. If it did, I definitely “wouldn’t have time” to do it.

What scene in Gypsy Blood was your favorite to write?

The chase scene in Notre Dame cathedral was fun. I went to Paris and explored the area for possibilities. During that I asked a security guard to help me and he took me behind the scenes to show me some secret doors that led on the the cathedral roof. I added his ideas into the chase and that made it fun to write.

Do you have a motto, quote or philosophy you live by?

Writer’s write. It’s the idea that keeps me from getting to drawn into marketing or conferences or thinking about reviews. Writer’s write gets my behind in the chair and gets me going in those early morning hours. Also, let them happier than you found them. Whether a check out person at the grocery, a man working the toll booth or even a telemarketer, I try to leave people a little happier than I found them. I hope that my books are able to do that to the people who invest the time into them!