Author Interview: Stuart Jaffe

This week, I'm interviewing Stuart Jaffe! He writes post-apocalyptic fantasy and scifi/fantasy short stories, and he's here to tell us a little about himself and his books.

His books:
The Malja Chronicles: Post-Apocalyptic Fantasy

Book 1: The Way of the Black Beast 

Book 2: The Way of the Sword and Gun 

10 Bits of My Brain - SF/Fantasy short story collection

If you like what you see (that's a pretty awesome book cover, right?), you can visit his website, Blog, Facebook, Twitter, or his podcast, The Eclectic Review.

A magician has cursed your next reader so they can read only one of your books. Which book do you choose for them and why?

The Way of the Black Beast -- it's the first of the Malja Chronicles, so it's the best place to start the series.

What's the first sentence of this book?

Malja had followed the killer for hours.

What's the last? 

Now, I'm the law.

Fill in the blanks: [My book above] is like [book/movie/TV show] meets [a different book/movie/TV show].

The Way of the Black Beast is like Xena meets Mad Max.

The world's scientists have just released the first time machine, and you've been chosen to get a free ride (with assurance that you'll be able to come back, of course ;). To when do you go and why?

Far into the future.  Thousands of years.  If we're still around, it'll give me hope.  If not, I still won't know how long we have, so I can continue on without becoming Cassandra.

Which book of yours was the hardest to write? Why?

A paranormal mystery I hope to see in print later this year. A major part of the mystery traces back to World War II. I ended up doing a lot of research on the war and the Holocaust. Every time you think you've seen the worst, there's always something more horrifying to learn. That aspect made the research gut-wrenching to go through.

Which book of yours did you have the most fun writing? Why?

My latest, The Way of the Sword and Gun, was a complete blast to write. It's the first book I've done since going indie, and as a result, I found a new kind of freedom in writing it. Plus, it's one of the most action-packed tales of done.

What's the last book you read? What did you think of it?

Clapton by Eric Clapton. I'm not one for autobiographies, but my wife put this on my Kindle.  I've played blues guitar for almost 20 years, so she knew I would enjoy this book, and she was right. Very personal and frank look at himself. I would've preferred more on his music thoughts, but that was clearly not the intent of the book.

If you weren't writing, what would you be doing with your time instead?

Is this even possible?  To not be writing?

What do you want readers to come away with after reading your books?

First, I always want the reader to have simply enjoyed the experience.  I do layer in ideas on morals, government, leadership, and other topics, but if the reader doesn't enjoy the story, the rest is lost. So, that's paramount.


Thanks, Stuart! I enjoyed interviewing you!