In my continuing  “Have an author for dinner™ “ Interview series We will be chatting with my pal C.T. Phipps. This talented author Writes everything from Horror to Humor and Super heroes / Villains to Post-Apocalyptic Lovecraftian. So, everyone should find something of him that is very appetizing.

So lets get this interview cooking…..

 

Q) Have you always wanted to be a writer?

 

A) Oh yes, I wrote my “first” book when I was six or seven years old. It made no sense whatsover and probably had more typos than success but it was wonderful. I was already thinking it was good enough to be published too. Hehe. Needless to say, in the thirty years or so until I was actually published, I had quite a few rude awakenings.

 

Q) What books or authors do you feel have influenced you either in your writing or just in everyday life?

 

A) That’s a bit of a loaded question as I have hundreds of authors who have added to my love of the genre and each throws a little tiny bit of their essence into the primordial soup which is my brain. Okay, that sounded dirty. However, if I had to choose a top ten I’d go with J.R.R Tolkien, Mark Lawrence, George R.R. Martin, HP Lovecraft, Robert Howard, Stephen King, David Weber, Joe Abercrombie, Jim Berheimer, David Niall Wilson, Brian Lumley, and a few others who are friends as well as influences.

 

Q) What is your favorite quote of yours?

 

A) I have a lot of snarky dialogue and memorable quotes that my readers love. Indeed, a favorite scene of quotes is The Secrets of Supervillainy where the characters pause in a siege by superpowered mercenaries to discuss whether The Force Awakens was any good. However, if I had to choose one quote, I’d probably choose one I just wrote for my character Cassius in Lucifer’s Star’s sequel, “If I am damned then that is the ultimate freedom. Everything I choose from this point on is something I do simply because I want to.”

 

Q) Any favorite quote by someone else?

 

A) HPL wins this one, barely, with, “The most merciful thing in the world, I think, is the inability of the human mind to correlate all its contents.” I have a bunch of ones, though, which have stuck with me over the years. This one, though, was just so nicely evocative that I think it is always in the back of my mind.

 

Q). What is your favorite and least favorite part of the writing process?

 

A) Oh, I love the conversations I write in my books. It’s weird but I just love the back and forth patter that knowing what my characters will say to anything is so entertaining to me. I could do most of my books out of pure dialgue. Least favorite? I won’t say editing because that’s an easy answer and sometimes I enjoy improving scenes. Instead, I’ll say promotion is often a hassle because you want it to all just magically be a bunch of best-sellers.

 

Q) I have really enjoyed All 5 books of yours that I have read. For this question, I would love for you to tell us a little about one of your main characters? Do they have any Strong Political views, OCD habits, super powers, Homicidal sentient weapons? You know the usual type of things.

 

A) Thanks for reading as much of my work as I have. Here’s some factoids about all of my leaders.

 

Agent G (Agent G): Loves pictures of pandas and cats. Also watches people play video games on Youtube in his free time versus actually playing them again. His favorite weapon is the garrote. He actually can’t get drunk due to a cybernetic liver but loves the taste of booze. Is the only believer in a higher power among Letters. Fantasy casting is Ryan Reynolds.

 

John Henry Booth (Cthulhu Armageddon): His greatest regret from leaving “civilization” is the loss of his daily coffee ration. Also, leaving behind his family. Is actually only an above-average shot but his training puts him above most Wastelanders. Fantasy casting is Idris Elba.

 

Cassius Mass (Lucifer’s Star): Despite being born a nobleman, his title of Count was awarded for meritous service in battle. His title isn’t worth a bag of chips post-war and embarrasses him now. Only realized the Archduchy of Crius were Bad GuysTM after the war. Tries to be Han Solo and ends up more like a hung over Malcolm Reynolds. Fantasy casting is Christian Bale.

 

Derek Hawthorne (Esoterrorism): Is a Daoist despite the fact he is complete s*** at following said religion. Is a ridiculous fanboy of Bruce Lee. Gets away with being a complete ass**** due to his father being the boss of the Illuminati but tries to pretend it’s for other reasons. Fantasy Casting is Karl Urbam.
Jacob Riverson (Wraith Knight): Jacob despises the nobility despite the fact he was (posthumously) raised to it. He drinks mead and wine in place of water but otherwise is a teetotaller.Jacob, while alive, was the setting’s equivalent of Solomon Kane in Middle Earth.

Fantasy Casting of Young Sean Bean while “Old Sean Bean” voices his ghost form.

 

Gary Karkofsky (Supervillainy Saga): Politcally identifies as an anarchist socialist despite the fact he plans on conquering the world. Despite being about as geeky as the comic book guy on the Simpsons, is actually really good looking. Is unwittingly the equivalent of Jimmy Olsen on his planet. The only reason he hasn’t been killed yet is no other supervillain acts like he’s in a comic book. Fantasy casting is Wentworth Miller.

 

1. Q) Describe one of your books Badly. Example Star-Wars deadbeat dad tries to get his son to take over the family business.

 

1. A) Agent G: Brain damaged man with numerous prothstetics and violent tendenacies struggles with existential crisis in foreign country.

Cthulhu Armageddon: Basically the Dark Tower except not as good and more shooting things.

 

Esoterrorism: Basically Agent G except magic instead of cyborgs.

 

Lucifer’s Star: Ace pilot suffering PTSD becomes drunk and knocks boots with lots of sexy space women.

 

Supervillainy Saga: Psychotic manchild geek gets superpowers and unleashes killing spree–yet mysteriously only makes more friends and improves his marriage.

 

Wraith Knight: Where I shamelessly rip off J.R.R Tolkien and have a Ring Wraith team up with the Witcher 3’s Ciri.

 

Q} What have you got out now? Basically, Promote something here
A} THE TOWER OF ZHAAL is the sequel to my CTHULHU ARMAGEDDON novel and picks up with John Henry Booth and Mercury Halsey finding out someone is about to resurrect the last Great Old One and finish of the remains of humanity. But they have more pressing concerns as John is in the final stages of his transformation into a creature from beyond. Will he choose life as a monster or merciful death as a man?

 

AGENT G is my cyberpunk technothriller about a man who belongs to a corporation that provides murder services all across the world. Their operatives, Letters, each have their minds wiped and have to serve ten years before they receive their servance pay of millions as well as a return of their original identities. G isn’t content to wait and is searching for who he was. Unfortunately, his quest is interrupted by a traitor infiltrating the Society and forcing him to infiltrate his opponent’s employers right back.

 

LUCIFER’S STAR is basically my “R-rated Star Wars” which is what I call a story about a famous starfighter pilot who finds out, after his side loses, that he was working for a ruthless totalitarian dictatroship the entire time. Reduced to being a drunk and a navigator on a freight hauler, not even Han Solo but more Dave Lister, he ends up getting dragooned by the government he spent a decade fighting into stopping a terrorist organization eager to re-start the war. Probably my best work, to be honest.

 

The fourth novel in the SUPERVILLAINY SAGA will also be coming out on April 15th.

 

1. Q) What are you working on now? What is about to came out?

 

1. A) I’m working on far-far too many projects, including sequels to Agent G, Lucifer’s Star, and another Supervillainy book.

 

1. Q) Where can my curious goblins find out more about you?

 

1. A) I keep a “for fun” blog for reviews called the UNITED FEDERATION OF CHARLES.

 

http://unitedfederationofcharles.blogspot.com/

 

I also have an author page. https://ctphipps.wordpress.com/

 

Well I hope that gave my readers  something to chew on. I want to thank Charles for doing the interview and helping out with Phipps day…… It would have been nothing without you C.T.!

Phipps Day, like many holidays is a day to give gifts…. well at least one gift. That’s right everyone that shares this post or these 1 and 2 Phipps posts to FB or twitter will be put in to the drawing at the end of today 4/12/17. One winner will be able to chose any one book by C.T. Phipps in audio or EBook formats