Interview with Jeff Gunhus - Author of Jack Templar Monster Hunter



Can you tell us a little about your books and yourself?

I'm Jeff Gunhus. I've authored five novels, three for my middle grade/young adult series called Jack Templar Monster Hunter and two novels for adults, Night Chill and Killer Within. In my spare time, I own and run a national home services company with a few thousand employees and chase around my five kids with my wife Nicole. 
What inspired you to write your books?
The Jack Templar books were inspired by my son who was a reluctant reader. I wrote them as a way to hopefully inspire a love of reading in him. It worked and he is now a voracious reader. The adult books are my homage to Stephen King and Dean Koontz who I enjoyed reading growing up (and still do.) The horror and thriller genres are fun for me to dive into and I've been blessed with great sales and fans. 

Did you learn anything from writing your book and what was it?
Every book teaches me something new. The Jack Templar books were the only books I've written in the first person which can bring you inside the character but also has limitations as well. The horror and thriller novels were great reminders that character comes first as the reader has to care about the people they are following in order to feel the emotion of the situations in which they find themselves.

What are some challenges that you faced while writing?
Time is always the scarce commodity. With a business to run and a family to enjoy, the only time to write is from 5am-7am. Luckily, I'm a morning person and feel the most creative before the sun comes up over the horizon.

Who or what in your life would you say influenced you the most?
I grew up overseas in Greece, Cyprus and Saudi Arabia from the ages 5-12 and I didn't have access to TV. As a result, I read pretty much every day and got hooked on books for life. 

What are your hobbies and interests away from the desk?

With five kids, I'm interested in finding things I can do with them We fish, kayak, hike, play tennis and I coach sports teams. There's never a dull moment!

What do you get passionate about?

I'm passionate about getting kids excited about reading. I speak on the subject and wrote a small book called Reaching Your Reluctant Reader. It's not just literacy, put instilling a passion in kids so they want to read in their spare time. 

What does "success" mean to you?

Success is being proud of your relationships, being proud of the way in which you achieved your accomplishments and feeling confident you've honored the path and much as the destination. 

What are your current projects?

I am editing the follow-up to Night Chill and four chapters into Jack Templar #4.

Do you have any advice for aspiring writers?
Read On Writing by Stephen King. Read it a second time. Then put your butt in a chair and write. Every day. Period. 

Killer Within (An Allison McNeil Thriller)
http://www.amazon.com/Killer-Within-Allison-McNeil-Thriller-ebook/dp/B00IYX1YKK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1400610014&sr=8-1&keywords=gunhus

Night Chill
http://www.amazon.com/Night-Chill-Jeff-Gunhus-ebook/dp/B00CRKPTL6/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1400610014&sr=8-2&keywords=gunhus

Jack Templar Monster Hunter
http://www.amazon.com/Jack-Templar-Monster-Hunter-Chronicles-ebook/dp/B009SRYACA/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1400611615&sr=8-3&keywords=gunhus

Jack Templar and the Monster Hunter Academy
http://www.amazon.com/Jack-Templar-Monster-Hunter-Academy-ebook/dp/B00C1GLB7C/ref=pd_sim_kstore_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=133G08QKXKQ5EQP3GQDD

Jack Templar and the Lord of the Vampires
http://www.amazon.com/Jack-Templar-Lord-Vampires-Chronicles-ebook/dp/B00FIOIFO6/ref=pd_sim_kstore_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=1H07MZWGK9PPTHTYX79R

http://www.JeffGunhus.com












Leave a Reply