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Tuesday, 5 February 2013
Jack Templar Monster Hunter {Review & Interview}
Today at our stop for the Jack Templar Monster Hunter tour presented by Kathy at I Am A Reader
Not A Writer we have Jeff Gunhus, Author to this amazing Middle-Grade Adventure book with us, answering a few questions. Read til the end to find out how you can win a $50 Amazon gift card or Paypal cash, in honor of this tour and courtesy of Jeff Gunhus. Please follow the rest of the tour, schedule can be found here.
Jeff Gunhus
Website | Twitter | Facebook
Jeff Gunhus grew up in Cyprus, Greece, and Saudi Arabia where there was a
distinct lack of television. He quickly found books were the gateway to
incredible adventures, fascinating characters and unbelievable
discoveries. Now, with five children of his own (all who watch too much
television, in his opinion), he has enjoyed revisiting his old books and
reliving those adventures all over again.
Author Interview
What would you say to a reluctant reader, if you were trying to recommend Jack Templar the Monster Hunter to them?
A great book will give you a more intense entertainment experience than anything else you can do. Better than a movie. Better than a video game. You just have to give books a chance to get its hooks into you. Fortunately, Jack Templar starts fast and never lets go. Give it a shot. You won't be disappointed.
Are there any other projects you are working on apart from this series?
Yes, I write screenplays as well with a partner, Jim Beard. We have a great alien property as well as an adult comedy.
Was this always going to be a 7 book series or was it originally a standalone book?
As a result of writing screenplays with a partner, I've become an obsessive outliner, so when I outlined this book I knew the story was larger than one book. The 7 books grew organically from what I knew would become Jack's quest revealed in Book 2.
You have just finished the draft to book 2, do you have a title and estimated release date?
Yes, it is call Jack Templar and the Monster Hunter Academy and I'm shooting for April 1st. I'm very happy with how it turned out and I love the cover created by artist Nicole Cardiff. I plan to reveal the cover March 1st.
Do you have a series schedule eg. a book every year? When do you envision the last book will be released?
I'd like to strive for every six months, but it realistically will likely be nine months between books. As the series progresses I anticipate they will grow more complicated and my characters will continue to face tougher choices. Book 2 will be nearly twice as long as Book 1.
Your a Tolkien fan, if you could only choose one of his book, which would be your favorite?
The Fellowship of the Ring. I read it before I read the Hobbit so it holds a special place for me emotionally as it was the first time I was completely floored by a book. Love it!
What was your favorite books as a child that sent you to the path of being an Author?
I grew up overseas and attended British schools so my early favorite books were Enid Blyton's Famous Five and Secret Seven as well as the Adventure Series by Willard Price.
You wrote Jack Templar to persuade one of your children to read, did it work?
We just had to create a rule that there are no Kindles in the morning until backpacks are ready for school because he's knee-deep in the Kane Chronicles and can't stop reading! I couldn't be happier.
You like to listen to music as you write, what were you listening to when you were writing Jack Templar?
Pandora has become my new best friend. I select a great soundtrack like Lord of the Rings, Batman, or Inception and then let Pandora do its magic. So, it's always movie soundtracks and never any lyrics. I love words too much and I find myself appreciating the words too much if there are lyrics.
If you could envision a soundtrack for Jack Templar Monster Hunter, what songs would be included?
Green Day/US Saints Are Coming (rock edge for Jack and his friends when they face the bad guys) Lenny Kravitz American Woman (Cindy Williams theme), then I would kidnap John Williams and have him write the score.
If you could choose which monster to fight first which would it be and why?
The mole-creature Jack faces as his first monster seems like a pretty good place to start. Not too smart, not too fast, but big enough and scary enough that if you survive, you feel like you're ready to face anything...even though you're not!
You can choose anything from Ms Hester's weapons collection, what would it be and why?
She gives Jack a cloaking device that hides his life-force from the monsters. Stealthiness is cool, so I'd go for that.
You are stranded in a deserted island, you can choose ONE character from Jack Templar Monster Hunter to accompany you, who would it be and why?
Probably Eva. She's tough as nails and has been through a lot. I imagine she would build a shelter, scavenge for food and then figure out how we could get off the island by the time I stopped panicking.
Must have items whilst your writing?
MacBook Pro, ear buds, coffee or Diet Dr. Pepper, Bruiser and Sophie (my labs.)
How do you combat writer's block?
I work on another project until the one I'm blocked on calls me back.
This is your first ever fiction book, did you enjoy writing it and will you continue to write more fiction books after you have finished this series? Or do you plan to go back to non-fiction writing?
It's nice having a built-in audience with my kids because that's no longer a choice. They want to know what happens next and I think I would have a rebellion on my hands if I stopped mid-series.
About the Book
Jack Templar Monster Hunter by Jeff Gunhus
Series: The Templar Chronicles #1
Published: October 2012
Publisher: Seven Guns Press
Buy it Now: Amazon
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Synopsis
Orphan Jack Templar has
no memory of his parents and only the smallest details from his Aunt
Sophie about how they died. The day before Jack's fourteenth birthday,
things start to change for him. At first it's great: A sudden new
strength helps him defend his nose-picking friend "T-Rex" from the
school bully, and even his crush, Cindy Adams, takes notice. But then a
mysterious girl named Eva arrives and tells him two facts that will
change his life forever. First, that he's the descendent of a long line
of monster hunters and he's destined to be in the family business.
Second, that there's a truce between man and monster that children are
off-limits...until their fourteenth birthday! Jack has only one day
before hundreds of monsters will descend on his little town of Sunnyvale
and try to kill him.
As if that weren't enough, things get even more complicated when Jack discovers that the Lord of the Creach (as the monsters are collectively known) holds a personal grudge against him and will do anything to see that Jack has a slow and painful death. To stay alive and save his friends, Jack will have to battle werewolves, vampires, harpies, trolls, zombies and more. But perhaps the most dangerous thing he must face is the truth about his past. Why do the other hunters call him the last Templar? Why do they whisper that he may be the "One?" Why do the monsters want him dead so badly? Even as these questions plague him, he quickly discovers survival is his new full-time job and that in the world of monster hunters, nothing is really what it seems.
As if that weren't enough, things get even more complicated when Jack discovers that the Lord of the Creach (as the monsters are collectively known) holds a personal grudge against him and will do anything to see that Jack has a slow and painful death. To stay alive and save his friends, Jack will have to battle werewolves, vampires, harpies, trolls, zombies and more. But perhaps the most dangerous thing he must face is the truth about his past. Why do the other hunters call him the last Templar? Why do they whisper that he may be the "One?" Why do the monsters want him dead so badly? Even as these questions plague him, he quickly discovers survival is his new full-time job and that in the world of monster hunters, nothing is really what it seems.
Paperback Princess' Review
At the eve of Jack's 14th birthday, strange things start to happen. His Aunty Sophie is getting all misty-eyed, his Principal just changed into a creature (that must be hallucination on his part), he meets a strange man on the way to school and if that's not enough, he seems to be going through some physical changes, cool changes! He seems to be able to run faster, dunk a basketball...Jack thinks he is turning into a superhero!
Things couldn't be further from the truth. Jack, unknown to him, comes from a long descendant of Monster Hunters. At the age of 14 the changes take effect and he officially becomes a Monster Hunter. This doesn't get explained to Jack until he meets a seemingly elderly woman mere minutes before his very first monster attack!
Things couldn't be further from the truth. Jack, unknown to him, comes from a long descendant of Monster Hunters. At the age of 14 the changes take effect and he officially becomes a Monster Hunter. This doesn't get explained to Jack until he meets a seemingly elderly woman mere minutes before his very first monster attack!
Jack Templar Monster Hunter is a middle-grade fiction filled with action and adventure. I'm a judge a book by it's cover kinda gal (I know, terrible reader!) and didn't think that I'd like it but I thoroughly enjoyed it! Being an MG book it was a short read but I enjoyed every single page. I love the Warning at the start of the book, it sounded so real! Had I been a child I certainly would have started checking my doors to ensure it was locked, that's how real it seemed! Even at this age I was contemplating the realness of it LOL.
The main characters, Jack, Eve, T-Rex and Will were so fun to read about. Their strange group just had a great interaction between them. The secondary characters were just as good, I really liked Ms Hester and Aunty Sophie.
From the very first page I was hooked, what really hooked me in was the Warning letter (can be read here), I loved it! That introduction was different and it also showed me the potential of Jeff Gunhus' writing and I was impressed. Each page gripped me til the end. Definitely a must read, not just for children but adults alike will love it.
Loved It! A Must Read!
A giveaway is currently being held in honor of this book tour, win a $50 Amazon Gift card OR Paypal cash! To enter click here, you'll also find the warning letter I raved about in my review, along with the book trailer. Enjoy and please don't forget to follow the rest of the tour, schedule can be viewed here.
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1 comments:
Hi Angelina! Thanks for the great review and for hosting Jack Templar Monster Hunter! I really appreciate your kind comments. I love hearing about people considering whether they ought to lock their windows and doors while reading the book! Thanks again for your support! Best wishes, Jeff
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Thank you for stopping by at Paperback Princess. I always appreciate comments and feedback so please do leave one, and I will always endeavour to return the favour.
xoxo
Angelica