J. D Cunegan
Hampton, VA
USA
Good morning, J.D., and welcome to Vision and Verse, the Place for Art and Authors. Tell us a little about what you've written.
The novels Bounty, Blood Ties, and Behind the Badge, which are the first three novels in my Jill
Andersen mystery/thriller series.
What is your favorite
genre to write?
To this point, I’ve only written mysteries and thrillers, but
my books also have elements of sci-fi and superhero in them. Future projects
will cover fantasy, the supernatural, the occult, and perhaps some political
thrillers as well.
Favorite food.
I’m a
sucker for chicken wings. I don’t know why, what elevates them over everything
else, but that’s my weakness these days.
Tea or coffee?
I love
both, but a steaming mug of coffee really helps me kick off the day and get the
writing juices flowing.
Pizza or ice cream?
Pizza – especially if there’s bacon on it.
Wine or beer?
Beer; my
alcohol tastes have always been simple.
Where would you like to
visit?
Either Las Vegas or Australia. I don’t know why, but those two places
reach out to me.
Favorite musical
artist. Do you listen to music when you
write? What? System of a Down… I always listen to music when I write; I have to
something going on in the background. I can’t write in silence. Sometimes, the
heavier the music I’m listening to, the more of a groove I find myself in.
What makes you laugh?
Really good stand-up comedy. A well-placed pop culture reference. Not so much
comedy movies or comedy books, for some reason; those genres have never done
much for me.
Favorite work of art or
sculpture. Man, if I was still in college and studying art history, I’d have a
better answer for this outside of “I don’t know.”
This is an author AND art website, so I'm obliged to ask. It's okay.
How old were you when
you started writing?
I was 11 years old and had just read my first comic book –
an issue of X-Men from the Jim
Lee-Chris Claremont era. Comic books triggered the creative spark inside me,
and I’ve been writing in one form or another in the 23 years since.
Describe your perfect
evening.
At home, no responsibilities to take care of, nowhere to go… just me,
my laptop, and either a mug of hot tea or a bottle of beer (depending on how
the day went).
I understand. I do the cup of herbal tea or a wine bottle and a straw. Where do you get your
inspiration?
Anywhere and everywhere. There’s no telling when the spark might
get lit. I was on my way to the office one morning last week, and since I was
the first one there, the light in the hallway hadn’t been turned on yet – and
the hall was pitch black. Voila! Short story idea. I get inspired a lot by the
books I read and the TV shows and movies I like as well, but inspiration can
hit me from just about anywhere.
What do you do when you
get a writer's block?
I read, because for me, writer’s block is nothing more
than me growing tired of my own words… so getting lost in someone else’s words
for a little while always does the trick.
Who is your favorite
author?
Best book you ever
read.
Oh, wow… umm… there was a huge X-Men
crossover event in the late 1990s called Age
of Apocalypse… this might not be what you were thinking with this question,
but that storyline is easily one of the best, most memorable things I have ever
read.
Last book you read.
Armada by Ernest Cline. It wasn’t Ready Player One, but it was still
really good.
What would you do for a
living if you weren’t a writer?
Technically, writing is my day job; I work in public relations for a small private
university, covering the school’s athletic programs. Before that, I was a
sports reporter for a local newspaper, so even when I’m not writing one of my
books or other stories, I’m still writing.
Who is the one person
who has influenced your personal life the most and why?
My sister Kat. She’s
not actually my sister – I’m actually
an only child – but we’ve been such close friends for so long that we consider
each other brother and sister. She’s been the one constant in my life since
middle school, and she’s been there for all of the ups and downs of my life. I
can’t imagine where I would be, creatively or otherwise, without her.
If you could sit down
and have a conversation with ONE person, living or dead, real or fictional, who
would it be and why?
Stan Lee, so I can thank him for his role in creating so
many of the comic book medium’s most famous and fantastic characters; it’s
because of comic books that I got into writing in the first place, and I hate
to think where my life would be without that.
What advice would you
give someone who aspired to be a writer?
The only way to improve as a writer is
to write. Just sit down and do it. Writing is simultaneously the easiest and
most difficult thing to do, but doing it is the only way to get better. Don’t
forget to read, either; reading will enrich your writing in ways nothing else
can.
Do you have some links for us to follow you?
Twitter: @JD_Cunegan
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/J.D.-Cunegan/e/B00YNTP4S2/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1433567933&sr=8-1
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14050436.J_D_Cunegan
