Author Spotlight Saturday ~ Meet Luke Ahearn + Giveaway!

Please welcome Luke Ahearn to Genuine Jenn! If you are a Zombie fan you will want to read on to learn more about Luke and his book Euphoria-Z!

Tell us a little bit about your book.

Euphoria-Z is a traditional zombie apocalypse novel with plot twists, well-developed characters, and a unique beginning.

When was your first book published?

Over ten years ago, I was up at the wee hours of the morning, surfing the web. I have no idea what I was looking for, but the last thing on my mind was getting published or submitting a book proposal. I came across the submissions page for a publisher that was looking for computer game development books. I spent about twenty minutes filling in the submission form, skipping large chunks of it. There were questions like, “why do you think there is a market for a book of this type?” and I would answer, “because you are looking for people to write these types of books.” Then I went to sleep and forgot about it completely. The next day, I did all my usual stuff: coffee, etc., and when I checked my email later in the morning, there was a message from the publisher. The subject line was something like, “Can you call me ASAP?” So it turns out, they had an author who took an advance, blew them off, and never even started working on the book. Worse still, he was lying and telling them all along he was making progress on the book. He was a well-known author of these types of books at the time, so they took his word for it until it was close to the launch date. They asked me if I could write a book in two months, so I said yes. I had a lot of leeway as I wrote the book, since they were desperate to get a book (any book) finished and on the market. I ended up writing a book that sold far better than any of the original author’s work. I was fortunate, blessed, whatever (I hate the term lucky for personal reasons) and after I blew the doors off the joint with that first book, the publishers were coming to me.

Are you currently working on anything?

The next book in the Euphoria Z series. I am delighted that people are already asking me when they next one comes out.

When did you first consider yourself a “writer”?

Not until recently. I’d been published for well over ten years, but for some reason, never considered myself a writer. I started to question this and realized my definition of a writer was wrong. I read somewhere a long time ago that if you are writing, you are a writer; when you stop writing, you are not. I just accepted that I am writer because I decided to consider myself one. Being a writer is a call no one can make but the individual.

Who and what inspired you to write?

My wife.

When you are writing to you like to listen to music? What is on your playlist?

I could score this entire book (Euphoria-Z) with ambient sounds. When I write, it feels real to me and I can hear, smell, and feel it all. I struggle to describe what feels so real to me without sounding clichéd or too verbose. I do play music to distract me and drown out the world, but it has nothing to do with what I am writing. I listen to old jazz, mostly from the 50’s and 60’s, because it makes good background noise; pleasant and inert. It has a kind of energetic but relaxed vibe that I need to write. I need the energy to keep going and the relaxed vibe to keep going at a steady pace; it’s not rushed or impatient.

Who is your favorite character in your books?

The lead character in my sword and sorcery series Dark Deeds and Black Magics. Xanthus is a city-dwelling scoundrel in his late teens who can go anywhere in society, but fits in nowhere. His family is wealthy, so he is not trusted or even liked by the poor and working class. But his family is nouveau riche, so he is not accepted by the old money, either. He is left alone in a large city to babysit his wealthy father’s home and is incredibly bored, so he dabbles in thievery, debauchery, and rarely a bit of responsibility. He meets a few other oddballs and they generally participate in shenanigans that are sometimes orchestrated by the gods. I love writing him because I love the setting of Kingspoint, the massive maze-streeted city with its magics and dangers. The prequel to the series is available now and contains a sample of the actual series.

Do you ever take characteristics or nuances from close friends or family when working on character development and if so has that friend or family member noticed and what was their response to it?

Oh yes and yes. If there is anything recognizable it’s usually an inside joke that the person appreciates.

What is your favorite book of all time?

I would say The Hobbit is my favorite book. It’s what really woke up that part of my brain that said, “I want to be a writer.” I know I’ve read it all the way through at least eight times and then chunks of it at various other times. I love the first half of the book in particular.

Tell us in one sentence why we should read your books.

I honestly write to give to the reader. I want to give the experience that kept me going as a child. I am getting a lot of great feedback so I am comfortable saying you should read my books because you will enjoy them. It’s hard to find a good read.

List your books that are available

Visit Amazon for a full list.

Where can people connect with you

Website | Facebook | Goodreads |

Thanks for taking your time to answer some questions for my readers at Genuine Jenn.

Thank you for having me on your blog.

Giveaway time! Enter to win 1 of 5 e-books of Euphoria Z by Luke Ahearn

a Rafflecopter giveaway