Interviewing Matt Myklusch of the Jack Blank series
The very talented Matt Myklusch is here today with an author interview. I was lucky enough to interview him in honor of his upcoming book in the Jack Blank series, The Secret War.
If you haven’t already had a chance to add these to your TBR, you can find them on Goodreads. You can also find out more about Matt at his website. Either way, you’ll likely find yourself completely intrigued like I was. I am so excited to read these!
1) If Jack Blank’s adventures were being turned into a movie, what would the tagline on the movie poster read?
Every kid dreams of growing up to be a super-hero. Some of them actually get to do it.
2) Can you share with us one guilty pleasure that you have?
Butter battered Flopflips with special Kazellian Floovberries. These things are the reason I will never have washboard abs:
“The Flopflips were something very much like light, airy, blue pancakes, but the flavor of the Floovberries, found only off-planet deep in the heart of the Kazellian Nebula, was literally out of this world.” (Jack Blank Book 1, The Accidental Hero: Pg. 187)
3) What do you enjoy about being a writer?
There are so many great things about being a writer. It’s a job I would do – and have done – for free, so to make my living writing is a dream come true. I love making something out of nothing. I have all these stories in my head that I want to get out, and when I finally commit them to paper in a complete and polished manuscript, it’s not only gratifying… it’s a relief. It means I don’t have to explain the story to anyone anymore. It’s all there in the book for people to read. They can see what was in my head, get to know the characters like I know them, and hopefully be entertained by them as well.
On top of that, writing a job I can do anywhere. A city, a beach, a house in the ‘burbs, a mountaintop… it doesn’t matter. All that matters is that I write. All my time is my own. I get to keep my own schedule. I don’t have an office to commute to or a clock to punch. I just have to do the work, which as I already said, is a pleasure. It’s not real work. It’s not a real job. (Believe me, I’ve done real work and had real jobs, so I know what I’m talking about here). But, that’s not even the best part. The absolute best part is what all of this freedom adds up to, which is more time with my family. Most of us spend more time at work than we do with our families, it’s just a fact of life. That’s no longer true for me. I get to work from home, doing what I love to do right next to the people that I love, and I know exactly how lucky I am.
4) Is there anything that Jack would want to say to his readers before they dive into his stories?
“Normal is boring. Differences inspire. Every now and then, there comes a person so incredibly different that everyone normal wishes that they were different in the same exact way.” (Jack Blank Book 1, The Accidental Hero: Pg. 117)
5) If you could go anywhere in the world without money being an problem, where would you choose?
I’d go where Jack goes in my books– Empire City, capital of the Imagine Nation:
“It was the most unusual city Jack had ever seen or even imagined. It was built on a hill that ran right up to the cliffside edge of the floating island, and Jack could see what Jazen had meant when he said people brought their own cultures and styles with them when they came here. Looking at Empire City was like looking at six cities crammed into one. Jazen called out the different boroughs of Empire City, describing them for Jack as they made their approach.
There was Galaxis, the futuristic spaceport, home to aliens from across the cosmos and beyond. Directly above that was Karateka, a singular fusion of modern and ancient China, where Kung-Fu Masters trained in martial arts disciplines long forgotten by the outside world. On the opposite side of the city, the walls of Varagog guarded gothic castles, medieval villages, and ancient magic. Behind that stood the mysterious and ever-changing borough of Cognito, where the streets have no names and the residents answer no questions. Higher still were the smooth lined towers of Machina, shimmering with data bytes and binary code messages that only the androids who lived there could read. And in the center of Empire City, towering over the wide expanse of SeasonStill Park and the majestic monuments of Hero Square, were the mighty skyscrapers of Hightown, the tallest buildings in the world. As the evening sky took on a shade that was equal parts purple, red, and pink, the shining towers of Hightown responded with an opalescent reflection that was so beautiful it seemed to be singing the next verse in the sky’s favorite song.” (Jack Blank Book 1, The Accidental Hero: Page 82-83)
6) You’re told you can only grab one item before running out the door of your home. What do you grab?
Nuclear Knuckles. If we are running out of the house because of a zombie apocalypse or some other calamity, I have a feeling that these things will come in handy:
“Jack punched his hands together and the gloves started heating up. His hands lit up with energy as the gloves emitted a sizzling yellow glow. “Check it out,” he said as he waved his hand over the ground at his feet. The earth ruptured as if he’d dragged a spike through the dirt, even though he hadn’t even touched it.”
“Jack closed his eyes and swung as hard as he could, his gloved fist hitting the Graven square in the chest. Mud splattered everywhere and the vine’s grip on him loosened instantly. Jack opened his eyes and saw that all that remained of the Graven was a pair of legs. He had knocked off the Graven’s entire upper body.” (Jack Blank Book 2, The Secret War: Page 172)
7) Where do you see yourself 10 years from now?
Hopefully, attending the premiere of a Jack Blank movie, followed by a nice vacation with my family at Jack Blank theme park inside either Walt Disney World or Universal Studios (I’m not picky, I’ll be happy with either one).
Why not? Anything is possible!
“The only thing I find impossible is the concept of impossibility.” (Jack Blank Book 1, The Accidental Hero: Page 183)
