Wayne Turmel has been a standup comic, a car salesman and a business consultant. He lives and writes in Las Vegas. He's the author of 6 novels, 10 nonfiction books and his short fiction has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize.
What genre do you write?
I have blibliographic ADD so I write in multiple genres. Fun to write, murder on the branding. For fiction it's mostly historical fiction or Urban Fantasy.
Tell us about your WIP.
Johnny Lycan and the Last Witchfinder is out in May of 2024. It's the third (and final? Maybe? Kindof?) in the Werewolf PI series. Someone is stalking Chicago's paranormal community and our boy is the only one who can stop them.
What comes more easily, plot or characters?
Characters are so much easier to write than plot. I come up with all kinds of interesting and unique characters then need to figure out what happens to them. That's the hard part.
Do you cross over genres or do you only stick to one?
I read in all genres, and my brain won't stick to just one. I've done 10 nonfiction books, 3 HIstorical Fiction, and 3 Urban Fantasy. My short stories are all over the place. I"m a mess, basically but it keeps writing fun.
What is your personally most significant achievement as a writer, and why?
Just getting published (I have been trad pubbed as well as Indie and Self-Pubbed) is a huge feat. The one most people would care about is a short story called A Simple Purse, that was nominated for a Pushcart Prize.
What would be the greatest achievement for you to aim for as a writer if anything were possible?
I would love one of my books to be made into a film. There exists a screenplay based on the first Johnny Lycan book if anyone out there cares. But come on... wouldn't you love to have people cosplay your characters? I am dying to see someone dress like Nurse Ball (if you know, you know.)
Do you have a day job? What is it?
I still have the dreaded day job. I pine for the day I can just sit on my back deck and writing pays the bills.
Do you read fellow indie authors' works? Why or why not?
I read a ton of Indie authors work. Some of it is Karma- they read mine and we help each other with beta reading and reviews. Also, it's crazy cheap and most of what I read for fun is on Kindle.
Is there an author who inspires you?
Mark Helprin (A Winters Tale) writes the most beautiful prose. Every time I read him I want to just quit in self-loathing. Sylvia Morena-Garcia keeps cranking out work that is under the radar but she's so proficient and doesn't care about genre. If she wants to write it she will.
Do you have pets?
My office mate and proof reader is Mad Max: defender of the realm, scourge of lizards, and most manly of poodles.
Featured Book: Johnny Lycan and the Vegas Berserker: Book 2 of the Werewolf PI
This is the second book in the series, and if you read it now, you'll be prepared for book 3, Johnny Lycan and the Last Witchfinder, which comes out in May of 2024
Who was your favorite character to write and why?
Johnny is a blast, but there's a woman named Cree (Lucrezia) Jensen in this book. She's a young, tattoed hedge witch with a chemistry degree who studies MMA. Of course Johnny (and readers) fall for her.
What was your favorite scene to write and why?
In this book? There's a fight between Johnny in werewolf form and the Berserker, who is kind of a were-bear. It's bloody and lots of fun. In the new book, my all-time favorite scene to right involves rats. Lots and lots of rats.
Loved the Johnny Lycan books! Snark, mystery, gritty adventure, endearing supernatural characters— it’s got it all! If you’re a fan of Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files, you will love this!
What was the spark that started this series?
Before I wrote the fist book in the series, I dreamed of a werewolf detective fighting Russian Gangsters. Johnny Lycan was born. The second book came because I just moved to Las Vegas and thought how much I love it--and how Johnny would hate it. Werewolves aren't made for the desert.
Chicago is a pretty good place to be a werewolf if you have to do it. Summers are short, winters are cold but you provide your own fur coat.
What was the most interesting random fact you researched for this book?
I spent a lot of time at Zac Bragan's Haunted Museum here in Vegas. It inspired Karmen Mystere's Theatre of the Occult.
What's the message you worked into this book?
You can take the Lycan out of Chicago, but can't take Chicago out of the Lycan.
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