AUTHOR INTERVIEW: John F Allen talks about CODE NAME: KNIGHT RANGER

By Peter Welmerink

Captain Alexandre Cornelius “Neal” Du Bois is a US Army Ranger and decorated war hero. When his unit is ambushed by supernatural hostile forces while in Afghanistan, only Neal survives. When he wakes up in a secret government facility, Neal discovers that his whole life has changed forever.

A shadowy government agent named Elijah Bishop arranges for Neal’s brain to be transplanted, without his permission, into a bio-engineered body capable of amazing feats. Armed with advanced body armor and weaponry, he becomes the epitome of the Ultra Soldier.

To protect his family and those closest to him, he must let the world and everyone he loves believe he is dead. With assistance from Dr. Avery Clarkson–the scientist responsible for his new body–Neal reluctantly utilizes his superhuman abilities to work for Bishop and his organization called G.E.N.E.S.I.S. (Global Espionage Network of Elite Supernatural Intelligence and Surveillance), in order to track down those responsible for the slaughter of his unit and keep the world safe from supernatural terrorist forces.

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CREATIVE HELP BOARD: Where did you come up with the character Captain “Neal” Du Bois and the KNIGHT RANGER storyline?

JOHN F ALLEN: I was reading an article on U.S. soldiers who returned to life after suffering severe injuries while serving abroad. It also alluded to the breakthroughs in bionics/prosthetics. I did some research on those modern technological advances and recalled my childhood fascination with Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, Captain America and Iron Man from Marvel Comics, James Bond and the TV show The Six Million Dollar Man, based off of the Cyborg novel series by author Martin Caidin. Thus, Captain Alexandre “Neal” Du Bois aka Knight Ranger was born.

CHB: With your military background, how much research, if any, did you put into KNIGHT RANGER? Are there elements and/or knowledge from your time spent in the USAF that intermingle with the elements within the novel and characters?

JFA: To be totally honest, I was only an enlisted Airman through tech school. I got a medical discharge early on and although I didn’t actually serve a full term. However, I’m still a registered veteran because I was active duty for at least one day.  That said, my time in the military didn’t contribute to any research directly, but it certainly did inspire me to create this character and write the novella. I’ve talked with other veterans and conducted research via the internet, interviews and the VA to compile the data I used to write Codename: Knight Ranger.

CHB: Did you already “know” the KNIGHT RANGER characters before you started writing the story, or did Captain Du Bois, Elijah Bishop and Avery Clarkson write their own story and identities as you wrote the novel?

JFA: Elijah Bishop was first introduced in my debut novel, The God Killers, which features my urban fantasy heroine, Ivory Blaque. Also, Captain Alexandre “Neal” Du Bois aka Knight Ranger made a cameo in the novel as well. It was from there that I decided to tell Du Bois’ story and in the course of writing it, I wanted to develop Dr. Avery Clarkson as a character prior to getting into Neal’s journey. I felt it was an important aspect of Knight Ranger’s origin which helped to solidify the bond between the two characters. Since I’d already written Bishop, I knew he was a butthead and that part came easy.

CHB: Is it important to know the full background, quirks, etc., of each character when writing a story about/around them? Why and/or why not?

JFA: I keep a wiki site where I write out the histories and statistical data for each character and storyline which appears in my writings. I suppose you could look at this as reverse outlining, as most times the stories are already written or at least started before any wiki entries are made. The wiki also helps me keep the timelines and continuity for the characters/stories straight in my mind.  I don’t necessarily think having all of this data prior to writing the stories and developing the characters in important, at least for me. I like for things to develop organically through storytelling, so any background info is shown in the writings themselves.

CHB: What do you like most about writing Paranormal and/or Urban Fantasy tales?

JFA: In writing Paranormal/Urban Fantasy stories, I enjoy the freedom in such story telling which allows me to use a familiar, modern setting and its history, to spin tales of fantasy adventure. Anytime I can incorporate real history into my writing I’m on cloud nine, as those are two areas I thoroughly enjoy researching. I also enjoy using the urban setting as a character in and of itself.

CHB: What do you like most about writing in general?

JFA: I enjoy world building first and foremost. I equally enjoy storytelling in general, as it allows me to live vicariously through my characters and incorporate actual history and real life world scenarios into my writing.

CHB: What do you like least about writing?

JFA: The thing I like least about writing is that I can’t write fast enough to keep up with the voices in my head and story ideas which I come up with. If I could extract my stories from my brain digitally, I’d have about a dozen novels, fifty stories coming out each year.

CHB: It has been said nothing truly new has been written. I find writers who write in their favorite genre usually have READ and/or quite learned in the specific genre. What are your thoughts on that beginning statement, and writing within a genre that you also enjoy reading?

JFA: I wrote a guest blog post on this blog tour which directly addresses your initial statement. I believe that essentially there are no entirely new stories. What separates each story is the life experiences and unique creativity of the author which is derived from those experiences. For those interested in a more detailed assessment of my position, please read the post.

(Note: The link to John's more in-depth comments on the subject above has been linked.)

CHB: What is your writing routine? When is the best time for you to unleash your muse?

JFA: I generally write in the early morning or late at night, both are times when my family is gone for the day or asleep. I usually have music playing while I write as well. I have an eclectic playlist which consists of: R&B/Soul (1960’s through now), Old School Rock (1950’s through now. Some Hard, but no Heavy Metal), Pop (70’s & 80’s), Jazz (1930’s through now), Old School Hip Hop (late 1970’s through mid-1990’s), World Music, some Classical and instrumental movie soundtracks. This helps me to relax and sometimes I play specific songs which inspire the muse for certain characters and/or settings.

CHB: For anyone interested in getting into the writing business as a writer, what would you say to them?

JFA: I immediately think of two quotes from two authors I admire.

"If you can quit, then quit. If you can't quit, then you're a writer."
~ R. A. Salvatore

“If there's a book that you want to read, but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it.”
~ Toni Morrison

CHB: Can we expect more stories and/or novels involving Captain Du Bois or is this a standalone novel? If so, anything on the literary horizon from the mind of John F. Allen?

JFA: Yes, this is Book One in a series of novellas featuring Captain Du Bois. He will also appear in various other works I have planned throughout the coming year(s). One is a trilogy of epic length thrillers which utilizes every current character in the Ivoryverse to some degree.

CHB: And final words on the CODE NAME: KNIGHT RANGER?

JFA: I’m looking forward to writing the expanded adventures of Knight Ranger and further integrating him and the other characters surrounding him, into the Ivoryverse. I will be tackling real world issues such as terrorism, fallout from the Cold War, emerging weapons technology and domestic/international political intrigue.

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About the Author
John F. Allen is an American writer born in Indianapolis, IN. He is a member of the Speculative Fiction Guild and the Indiana Writers Center. He began writing stories as early as the second grade and pursued all forms of writing at some point, throughout his career. John studied Liberal Arts at IUPUI with a focus in Creative Writing, received an honorable discharge from the United States Air Force and is a current member of the American Legion. John’s debut novel, The God Killers was published in 2013 by Seventh Star Press.

John currently resides in Indianapolis, Indiana with his wife, son and daughter.

Author Links
Website: www.johnfallenwriter.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/johnfallenauthorwriter
Twitter: @johnfallen1970

Code Name: Knight Ranger Book Links
Amazon
Print Version:
http://www.amazon.com/Codename-Knight-Ranger-John-Allen/dp/1511496533
Kindle Version
http://www.amazon.com/Codename-Knight-John-F-Allen-ebook/dp/B00YG3NJZK
B&Nhttp://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/codename-john-f-allen/1122019036?ean=2940151360548
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CODE NAME: KNIGHT RANGER VIRTUAL TOUR

Tour Schedule and Activities

11/2  On Cloud Eight-and-a-Half Guest Post
11/2 A Charmed Life Review
11/3 Creatives Help Board. How may I direct your call? Author Interview
11/4 Armand Rosamilia, Horror Author Guest Post
11/4 Book in the Bag Interview
11/4 RJ Sullivan Top 5 List
11/5 Darkling Delights Interview
11/6 Beauty in Ruins Guest Post
11/6 Sheila's Blog Guest Post
11/6 Bee's Knees Reviews Review
11/7 The Infamous Scribbler Review/Interview
11/7 Vampires, Witches, & Me Oh My! Top Ten List
11/8 Sapphyria's Book Reviews Guest Post

 Tour Page URL:

 http://www.tomorrowcomesmedia.com/john-f-allens-codename-knight-ranger-virtual-tour/



Things Learned By The Editors and Organizers of GIFTS OF THE MAGI: A SPECULATIVE HOLIDAY COLLECTION

by darkheroicfantasy

I met Chris Garrison, John Allen and RJ Sullivan in person at IMAGINARIUM 2014. Three fine gents who were immediately friendly and outgoing to a fellow writer new to not only writer conventions but to the joint publisher we work with.

When I heard they had put a collection of short stories together and were donating proceeds to charity, it was obvious to me they needed some space to talk about this undertaking and great anthology of very talented writers and authors.--PJW Dec 2014

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SFG Publishing, a newly formed publishing label of the Indianapolis based Speculative Fiction Guild, is proud to present its first-ever release: a holiday anthology with all proceeds benefitting Indy Reads, a not-for-profit organization that provides tutoring to illiterate and semi-literate adults.

Gifts of the Magi:a Speculative Holiday Collection gathers original fiction assembled by editors and SFG members John F. Allen, E. Chris Garrison and R.J. Sullivan.

The editors made a list of up-and-coming new voices that they loved to read, checked it twice, and started inviting. Most authors offered an immediate and enthusiastic "yes", and contributed some amazing stories, all new and written especially for this collection.

In most cases, the editors received stories set within an author's series universe. Readers of fan favorite series can return to familiar settings and characters, such as the Coyote Series by Chantal Noordeloos and the Clockwork Republics tales by Katina French. NYT and USA Today Bestseller Debra Holland also revisited the fantasy world of her Gods' Dream Trilogy, and the anthology's editors each contributed a new story from their ongoing series.

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THINGS LEARNED BY THE ORGANIZERS

RJS = RJ Sullivan

ECG = E. Chris Garrison

JFA = John F. Allen

1. How did this anthology come about? When was the idea born? Why?

RJS: For years I've been making "Blue Christmas" puns every holiday on my Facebook wall, the pun coming from the blue-haired punk girl protagonist of my paranormal thriller series. Originally I thought I'd do an original ebook short story titled "Blue Christmas" available for holidays this year. Then I thought I'd pitch it to Seventh Star Press as an in-house collection.

SSP was enthusiastic but they could not make room for it with the relatively short notice I'd given them. Understandable, but that meant waiting until 2015 and I'm not that patient. In the meantime, Chris and John were on board and drafting stories. Chris has a great deal of layout and organizational  talent and knows how to make software behave. John has the art skills you desperately need for a project like this. The three of us are local to Indy and are founding members of the Speculative Fiction Guild, a local writer support group. The three of us had collaborated at many levels--conventions, marketing, support, etc. So I knew we would work well together. We formalized the partnership over a conversation, divided up the duties, and it seems like overnight, we were off and running.

2. If this was a CLOSED or SELECTED AUTHOR SUBMISSION piece, how did you pick the writers for the anthology?

RJS: Speculative Fiction Guild (SFG) member Matthew Barron had the connections with Indy Reads, and SFG had held an event there a year ago. So we had a charity to support. After that, we just thought of authors we knew, liked, and knew well enough to approach. We gave priority to authors who had ongoing series, and by keeping it invitation only, we had no rejections and no slush pile--just a few rewrites. We filled 15 slots very quickly, and the high quality in many cases is stunning.

RJS: I think what I learned....or rather, what was confirmed for me, is that there is more than one way around a problem, and not to give up the first time you hear the word no. I had envisioned GofM as one thing, and when I found out that couldn't happen, I could have just accepted it. But instead I looked at other options, my own resources, and the friendship I'd formed with Chris and John, and I suspected, I hoped, we had the talent between us to get it done ourselves. So I didn't accept the "no" I was first handed, and instead found another way to get it done. Quite possibly, we made something as good or better than the original idea.

JFA: Coming together to produce Gifts of the Magi was a HUGE learning experience for me. It showed me how much is necessary to produce self published material and how to do it effectively. The collaborative efforts involved were inspiring to say the least. I couldn't have asked for a better group of fellows to work with and awesomely talented authors to contribute. 

  

ECG: Putting together Gifts of the Magi showed me that communication at the beginning saves a lot of trouble, and fixing things later takes a lot of time. I think by communicating the goals for the anthology early on, we got a great set of submissions from the invited authors that have an alchemical synergy that makes the book have something for everyone, and better than we could have planned. On the flip side, formatting is a LOT more work than I expected, especially if authors are left to their own devices in formatting. The work of making the whole look homogenous and clean while combining the different stories took arranging and massaging the text into a common form that would have been simpler had we specified what we needed for submissions in the beginning. It was a learning experience, and a valuable one. I'm quite proud of the result, both in content and form.

GIFTS OF THE MAGI: A SPECULATIVE HOLIDAY COLLECTION

Stories for Christmas--authors for the New Year!

Find within this magical tome 14 NEW original holiday-themed stories of fantasy, horror and science fiction by a talented group of authors--plus one holiday essay. The tales from our Magi vary from the light and satirical to the dark and serious, and we've shuffled the deck to keep you guessing.

In "Unraveled" by A.D. Roland, a time guardian may have to choose between preserving reality or destroying the man she loves.

In "Freezy the Snow Demon" by Scott M. Sandridge. A snowman comes to life, but he's not a happy soul.

In "How Krampus Saved Christmas" by S.R. Roddey. Santa makes a terrible bargain in order to save Christmas.

On Christmas Eve, a furious fairy princess attacks a double-decker bus in E. Chris Garrison's "Christmas Special".

Two secret agents attend an exclusive Christmas party with an unusual price of admission in "A Quantum of Solstice" by J.P. Bastin.

In "The Dead of Night" by David Jobe. Soldiers in the midst of the zombie apocalypse try to find the Christmas spirit.

A boy and his father confront an alien creature on..."The Longest Night" by Matthew Barron.

In "An Ivory Christmas" by John F. Allen, a mercenary packing magical pistols battles a monster while Christmas shopping for her werewolf boyfriend.

Steampunk detectives find themselves fending off Christmas "elves" in "The Curious Case of the Cobbler's Christmas" by Katina French

Humans exiled to an alternate world blend alien and human holiday traditions in "A Season of Renewal" by Debra Holland.

A banished prince with a magic chicken finds a nearly drowned soldier--so says the storyteller in "The Warmth of Midwinter" by Marian Allen.

In "An Outlandish Christmas" by Chantal Noordeloos. Bounty hunter Coyote searches for a rogue elf.

A traumatized punk girl confronts the spirits from the worst night of her life in "Blue Christmas" by R.J. Sullivan.

In a dystopian future, Christmas is outlawed, as told in "This Thing Called Christmas" by Herika R. Raymer.

...And Shirley Jackson Award-nominated author Nicole Cushing reveals the holiday specials that she feels deserve "Lumps of Coal."

100% of all proceeds from this book benefit Indy Reads.

Gifts of the Magi: a Speculative Holiday Collection will be sold at Indy Reads Books, with ebook and paperback available online at Amazon. 

For more information, go to http://speculativefictionguild.wordpress.com/home/

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Indy Reads is a not-for-profit organization that relies on volunteers to provide basic literacy tutoring to illiterate and semi-literate adults. . "Our mission is to promote and improve the literacy of adults and families in Central Indiana. We believe that everyone should have an opportunity to learn to read, and our goal is to make Indianapolis 100% literate. Our programs include one-on-one tutoring, small group sessions, English as a Second Language instruction, and 'Literacy Labs' at neighborhood centers." Indy Reads operates a bookstore in downtown Indianapolis. Learn more at www.Indy Reads.org.