July Blog Hop

I was recently invited by Audra Middleton to participate in a blog hop. I haven’t done one in a while, so I thought it might be fun. Audra is the author of Watcher, by Burst Books, and also Hitchhiker, due out later this year. You can find more about Audra at http://audramiddleton.weebly.com/

As part of a blog hop, authors answer various questions about themselves and the projects their working on in order to connect with readers; helping them get to know them a bit better.

1. Please introduce yourself, who are you and what do you do?

Hi, all. I’m Justin Swapp, I’m a lot of things. Professionally I manage multiple sales programs with lots of great employees across the United States. When I’m not doing that, I’m a writer, amongst other things. I’ve been published in several anthologies, and have just completed my first novel, The Magic Shop.

2. What first inspired you to start writing?

I’ve always enjoyed writing. If I had to pin it down to one thing, it would probably be my mother. In our younger years, she was the type that would give us a treat if we memorized a poem and things like that. She always enjoyed good books, and I think she instilled that in us. My grandmother (mother’s mom) had also done some writing. So, that probably influenced me as well.

3. If you could spend a day with anyone from history, who would it be and why?

This is a tough one. Perhaps my grandmother, Sybil, who recently passed away. Why? Well, she wrote a short book called “Toronto Teddy,” and no one can find it. Having written a book, and knowing what goes into it, I felt an absolute loss; an additional loss, upon learning that the manuscript had disappeared. I’d spend time with her, talk with her, and secure a copy to make sure it got published.

4. Are you a planner? Or do you prefer to dive straight into writing?

I’m a hybrid. My impulse is to dive straight in. I have more success, however, when I resist that urge, and think things through a little bit before I go crazy.

5. What is your favorite word?

I’ve been saying, “bugger” a lot lately – don’t know why 🙂

6. What is the best writing tip you have ever been told?

“Write what you see.” I believe that’s from Stephen King’s, “On Writing;” at least the audio book version. So, yeah, he literally told me that.

7. What is the last book you read?

Monster Hunter International, by Larry Correia. His books are fantastic. By the way, he’s also a great speaker. I’ve seen him at a couple of writing conferences.

8. What are you working on at the moment?

I’m working on the sequel to The Magic Shop. I’m currently plotting it out, and deciding what sticky, dangerous situations to put my main characters in.

My latest work is really two fold. First, I just finished a fun MG/YA novel entitled, The Magic Shop, which can be found here, on Amazon:

US: http://www.amazon.com/The-Magic-Shop-…
UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Magic-Sho…

Back cover copy:

Marcus is a troubled youth. When his grandparents decide it would be good for him to tend the family business, a Magic Shop, Marcus is thrown into a world that he never knew existed. Not only is the family business a front, but Marcus learns that he has been marked as a dead man from the time he was born.

Marcus tries to develop his powers before the Dun-Bahr find him and assimilate the magic he was born with. Will he survive? Will he find his parents? First he must discover the secret his grandparents have been keeping from him all these years. It all comes down to what’s hidden at the Magic Shop.

For additional information, you can always visit my personal website – www.justinswapp.com

Next, I had a story accepted into the final volume of The Crimson Pact anthology. This anthology is full of great authors, including some NY Times Best selling authors. The anthology stems from one original story entitled, “Failed Crusade.” Based on that story over one hundred other stories in various universes have been written for this anthology – all about demon hunting.

The wonderful Paul Genesse was a co-writer of the original story, and the editor of the anthology. I have three stories in the five volumes, and I can say the end to the anthology is most epic. More will be announced soon, with the fifth and final volume coming out this summer. To find out more you can visit Paul’s website at http://www.paulgenesse.com/