I was lucky to get an interview with A.C. Cross, the author of Where Blood Runs Gold, one of this year’s #SPFBO8 entries.

Please, tell us a bit about yourself…
I’m an American from the Great White North of the country and I’m a doctor! Well, not the kind you want operating on you. I mean, I COULD but you probably wouldn’t make it, so keep that in mind.

Why did you decide to take part in the SPFBO?
I think SPFBO is a great opportunity to get your name and books out there, even if you don’t win! With as many people as pay attention to it, there’s bound to be someone out there that your book clicks with and I want to find that person. I did participate back in SPFBO 4, but the less said about that the better, I think.

Why should we buy your SPFBO8 book?
If you like tough men finding their hearts again, you should buy it. If you like weird, terrifying things creeping into a normal setting, you should buy it. If you like creative swearing and gut-punch dialogue, you should buy it. If you liked Red Dead Redemption 2, you should buy it. If you like sex and violence and lots of it, you should buy it. Basically, if you like fun things, you should buy my book!

What got you into writing? And how long have you been doing it?
I’ve been writing ever since I can remember. Even when I was very little, my brother and I would put on little plays that I had written (basically all ending up in me being shocked by something) and that love only grew as I got older. I wrote my first ‘book’ in middle school and I have that buried deep in a physical archive because I’m pretty sure that exposing it to the world is tantamount to violating the Geneva Convention.

Why did you choose to write fantasy? And why pick this particular fantasy subgenre?
Fantasy seemed like the natural choice given the creativity it allows for that other genres may not. In fantasy, the only limits are your imagination and how much you can explain or create. For WBRG, I went with weird Western because it just spoke to me. Something about the rugged land and tough characters let me introduce fantastical elements that shook up the standard of what a Western really could be. It’s really my first foray into going with real violence and swearing and I kind of love it, I won’t lie.

What’s the best thing about being a writer?
I love the moments where things just click. Where you can spend hours upon hours just creating things from nothing but thought and realize that it’s something good. I love the late-night writing times with music and a little scotch. The sheer joy of creation is addictive.

What’s the hardest thing about being a writer?
When nothing is coming. When you have no idea what you’re doing and feel like you can never write again. When you think everything you’ve written is terrible and that you’re a hack and that nobody should read what you write. As high as the highs can be, the lows of feeling like a total failure loom just as large sometimes.

Do you have a tip, app, tool, or resource you recommend to authors?
Really, my best advice is to take a ton of notes that you can refer to when you need. Other than that, give yourself permission to do something different! Write a character you don’t expect. Write a scene that confuses you. Write something off-the-wall and unique to YOU. Let YOUR voice work within the book and it will come out better, guaranteed.

What new projects are you working on?
I have way, way too many things I’m working on, but at present, I have two. First, there’s the sequel (of sorts) to Where Blood Runs Gold. I love that universe too much to let it go. The other main project is a noir-style thriller that has the potential to be really, really good (at least in my mind). That’s not to say I don’t have another 50-ish WIPs/titles I can work on, but those two are my nearest-to-completion babies right now!

Anything else you would like to say before we close?
Just that I am always happy and excited to talk to other writers or readers, so please don’t ever feel like you’re intruding. Drop me a line on Twitter or whatever and I’d be glad to talk to you!

And I was excited to get to know you, Aaron! Best of luck with the competition and with sales. Thanks for doing the interview.