FACING 50 'S IN THE SPOTLIGHT...

I am all of a fluster today and have even put on make up. My knees have just turned to jelly and I have, according to Hubby got a very "high colour"! Why? Well, opposite me is *gulp* Jason P. Stadtlander. (Even his name makes him sound like a superstar.

Jason is a sci-fi/horror/suspense author and is currently working on not one but four novels. I understand that one is semi-erotic (Whoops, I have gone all flushed again.)

Jason, a very warm (has someone turned up the heat in here?) welcome to you. I am very glad you agreed to come on to my blog today. I have a few easy, rapid fire questions for you, just to get you comfortable. Ready?

No way was I putting
up photos of 'Babes'!

‘Charlie’s Angels’ or ‘Baywatch’? 

Hmm, they are both awesome ‘babe’ shows. I would have to say Baywatch, only because I haven’t seen Charlies Angels in years.

Did you play with Meccano or Hot Wheels Track? 

Definitely Meccano, though here in the U.S. we call them Erector Sets, and I played with the metal ones… that you can cut your fingers on, not these cheap plastic toys of today. Not enough danger in the world these days.

Can you tell us a short joke? 

Sure. Dali Lama walks into a pizza shop says "Make me one with everything."

After the Dali Lama gets his pizza, he gives the waiter a $20.00 and the waiter says "Thanks".

The Dali Lama looks at him perturbed and says "Hey! Where's my change?"

To which the waiter replies "Change must come from within."

Smarties or Wonka Gobstopper? Smarties! Talk about instant sugar rush!

Did you ever wear a pair of platform shoes? Not unless you count snow shoes.

What one mad thing would you like to do before you are too old to do it? 

Jump out of an airplane naked when I’m seventy and see if my skin will work as a skydiving suit (you know, wings and all?). I’ve done so many mad things in my life already, though I would LOVE to go on a hot air balloon ride. I’ve never done that yet.

What is your happiest childhood memory?

I have so many… I think my happiest memory was traveling to Walt Disney World alone with my grandmother. She and I drove down to Florida from Ohio.

Grin and say yes if you or your parents owned one of the following:

A lava lamp No, but I did J

A shag Pile carpet Yes J

A bean Bag Chair No, but I did J

I am still laughing about the sky diving. I should try that too, might be cheaper than a facelift. Right, let's chat about your books and your writing while Hubby is looking for his old Meccano set which I hid in the attic. You have brought back happy memories for him of chopping off bits of his fingers.Actually, he might have gone in search of Smarties...

What genre do you write? 

Although you might not know it (only because “Ruins of the Mind” is a mix) I usually write Sci-fi and Horror / Suspense

Who is your favourite character in your books?

I love all my characters, but if I had to choose one, I would have to say Shaudee from “The Sheadroch”. She is an old woman who has a crazy way of talking and I always pictured her as a loveable old witch-like woman. Writing her dialog often made me laugh out loud.

Where do you think up your ideas for stories? 

That’s a very good question and difficult to answer. Most of the time, I literally am walking down the street, or driving or listening to music and a question pops into my head. I decide to answer the question by coming up with a story that explains it and sort of getting lost along the way.

What do you do to help you concentrate on writing?

I listen to a lot of classical music and instrumental sound tracks. Sometimes I will gear them to support the mood. Such as playing the theme to “Pirates of the Caribbean” to get myself pumped for a crazy scene involving rapid activity.

Being a very nosey sort of person I'd like to ask you a more personal question. What could you tell us that we don't know about you? Something that doesn't appear on your website or on your profile pages. Surprise us!

Hmm, well – I hate spiders, but see their purpose in the world. I am scared to death of bees and taxes and although I see the purpose of bees, I don’t really see the purpose of taxes.

On a personal side, I am very introspective, concentrating on how I tick as well as those around me. I enjoy studying people, seeing how they interact with each other and in my mind, attempting to categorize their personality so that I might write it into a character. I do not believe in being politically correct and feel that it’s WAY overdone these days. Part of what makes being “human” fun is that we can poke and play at each other and take a punch. Too many people out there are offended far too easily and I think it begets a society of wimps to constantly dance around things. Now, I’m not saying we shouldn’t respect one another. There is a big difference about being politically correct, and respecting your fellow neighbour.

I am a father of two boys and feel that family is the most important thing in the world. My boys are a very deep part of my writing. I enjoy involving them in the creation of my characters and my creatures. I can honestly say that without them, I probably would not have pursued the idea of writing (for publication). 

Jason it has been a huge pleasure to have you here today. Thank you for taking time out form your writing to be with us.

Jason and his editor Linda

“Ruins of the Mind: An Anthology”

Enter a world of intrigue in this anthology of short stories.

Discover a unique elderly home that offers justice to those who are unkind and uncaring of others, yet rewards those who are loving and compassionate in "The Lantern".

Shawn could never have imagined what she might find when she ventured into the storm drain near the train tracks. Follow her through her adventure in "The Ter'roc"

It’s a rainy, dreary Sunday afternoon. Howard is pleased that he has a way to occupy his son indoors by taking him to a birthday party. However, things begin to seem a bit strange as children at the party ignore his son and his day takes a turn in the direction of bizarre in "In the Shadows of a Moment".

When Jake and Gwen traveled to the airport together, they took a quick liking to each other. Read about their experiences as you are put into their shoes in this touching story about the events of American Airlines Flight 11 during the attacks of 9/11 in "Feathers in the Wind".

Read these stories and many others...

I was fortunate enough to read "Ruins of a Mind - an Anthology" just before it was released and was very impressed by some of the stories in it. 'Feathers of the Mind' stood out for me and let me feeling very strange for quite some time. It's not often I get surprised by outcomes in stories as I can invariably guess what is going to happen next but I was completely caught out this time.

"Ruins of the Mind - an Anthology" is available at:

Amazon US

Amazon UK

Or it can be bought from Jason's e-store by clicking HERE. He has very kindly created a special discount for us all today which will entitle you to 20% off the book. Type in “38TXGNEN” 

You can find out more about Jason on: 

Goodreads 

Twitter 

Facebook

Or his website: http://www.jasonpstadtlander.com