I’d
like to welcome Stan Hampton to my blog today.
SSH: Hi. Well, I’m a
full-blood Choctaw from the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, I have three kids, and thirteen
grandkids. At the moment, my home is Las Vegas, Nevada.
RW: How many hours a day do
you spend writing?
SSH: Not enough. I write
when the mood strikes me, which is not the best way to write. Sometimes I can
start writing in the evening all the way to dawn, and sometimes I can start at
dawn and write until dusk.
RW: Would you like to write a different genre or
sub-genre than you do now?
SSH: Well, I did write a Native American steampunk
story in the past couple of years. I’ve been fascinated by steampunk for a
number of years, now and finally gave it a try. I would like to explore more of
the Native American steampunk world.
RW: How many books have you written, how many have
been published?
SSH: Truthfully, I’ve only written two novels; one (Sharing Rachel) has been published and
the sequel (Prairie Muse) will be
released in July 2017.
RW: After you’ve written your book and it’s been
published, do you ever buy it and/or read it?
SSH: No.
RW: Which comes first, the story, the characters,
or the setting?
SSH: I think the story idea comes first, then the
characters, and finally the setting.
RW: Are you in control of your characters or do
they control you?
SSH: I’m pretty much in control of my characters
because I write a biography of each one, and therefore I know their strengths
and weaknesses, and pretty much how they will respond to different situations.
On the other hand, I’m also flexible enough that if the characters seem to
insist on going in a different direction, for whatever reason, I can do so.
RW: Have you experienced writer’s block? If so, how
did you work through it?
SSH: Oh yeah. I pretty much focused on writing guest
posts for blogs, outlined future writings, and did research for future
writings. Eventually the writer’s block passed and I was able to get back to
writing stories again.
RW: What can we expect from you in the future? Where
do you hope to be five years from now?
SSH: More writings regarding alternative histories,
especially the Middle Ages and Native American steampunk, and more
military/supernatural fiction. Even a straight horror story or two. Probably a
science fiction story or two.
RW: A biography has been written about you. What do
you think the title would be in six words or less?
SSH: “I Am…”
RW: If money were not an object, where would you
most like to live?
SSH: I’m not sure. France, England, or Ireland. I
love the history of each country, as well as the Medieval architecture. I’ve
visited France and England, and both offer wonderful photographic opportunities
(I am also a photographer). And I enjoy the somewhat “laid back” lifestyle of
France in particular.
RW: Party life or quiet dinner for two?
SSH: A quiet dinner for two. I don’t have to yell
over other conversations, and it is far more rewarding to be able to focus only
on your dinner companion. Besides, I think a quiet dinner is more fun.
RW: Those
are all the questions I have for you. Thank you for speaking to me.
SSH: Thank you for having me. I appreciate it.
MONOLOGUE
The
Plot
You can run, but what if you find yourself aboard a space
faring Flying Dutchman?
Luther Raynor is a son of one of the world’s wealthiest and
politically influential families. When the Etava Virus appears, and spreads
across the world, mankind’s very survival is in question. Luther uses his
family’s wealth to construct a sleeper spacecraft to take the family into
space, to orbit in safety around Jupiter for a thousand years in suspended
animation. At the last minute, he changes the plan after calculating that upon
awakening, survival supplies for one would last far longer than for two dozen
or more people. He flees into space alone except for the Mobile Artificial
Intelligence Image—May, responsible for operation of the spacecraft. But,
Luther has no idea what awaits him out there.
ABOUT
STAN:
SS
Hampton, Sr. is a full-blood Choctaw of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, a
divorced grandfather of thirteen grandchildren, and a veteran of Operations
Noble Eagle (2004-2006) and Iraqi Freedom (2006-2007). He continues to serve in
the Army National Guard, where he holds the rank of staff sergeant. He is a
published photographer and photojournalist, an aspiring painter, and is studying
for a degree in anthropology.
His
writings have appeared as stand-alone stories and in anthologies from MUSA
Publishing, Melange Books, Ravenous Romance, Dark Opus Press Horror Bound
Magazine, Ruthie’s Club, Lucrezia Magazine, The Harrow, and River Walk Journal,
among others. He also has stories in anthologies from Edge SF & Fantasy,
and Ravenous Romance. At one time, he was a homeless Iraq war veteran in Las
Vegas, Nevada.
Book
Links:
Contact Stan At:
Website:
http://sshamptonsenior.com/
