I'm pleased to welcome Paul Seiple, author of Chasing Fireflies, Book 1 of the Morning Star series!

1. Hello, and welcome to my blog! To start off, what made you decide to take the plunge into the world of publishing?

First of all, thanks for having me. I've always "written." I started writing songs when I was kid and thinking I'd replace Vince Neil in Motley Crue. The songs weren't that good, neither was my voice. I decided to publish after I wrote The Shape of Things to Come, which was the first story that I truly wanted to share. 

2. Tell me about your book.

Chasing Fireflies is the first book in my new Morning Star series. It follows the life of a homicide cop with boxful of secrets from his past that refuse to stay hidden. 

3. I see you write thrillers and horror. Are there any horror/thriller authors that have inspired your writing?

Honestly, music inspires my writing more than anything. I learned to write from listening to Jerry Reed and Jim Croce. Every song told a story. If I had to choose an author, I'd say Joe Konrath's Jack Daniels series made me fall in love with writing serials. 

4. What part did you have the most fun writing (without spoilers, of course)?

With this being the first book of a series, I loved adding little snippets of the future that will only become obvious as the series progresses.

5. If you could achieve one thing with your writing, what would it be?

It's already happened. I had someone on twitter private message me and tell me that he loved my book. Selling books is great, but knowing that someone took the time to reach out and tell you he loved your book is what makes it worthwhile to me. 

6. What do you do when you're not writing?

When I'm not writing, I'm thinking about writing. My mind never turns off. There is always a story idea floating around in there. I also try to stay as active as possible. It's really easy to ignore physical activity when you're a writer. Health-wise, it's incredibly important not to take your body for granted. I spend a lot of free time hiking, biking, and playing basketball.

7. Can we expect more novels in the future?

Absolutely. The second book in the Morning Star series will hopefully be out in October. The lead character in the series is also teaming up with Joe Konrath's iconic Jack Daniels for a couple of adventures. 

Off-Beat Questions

1. You write horror. What is something you're afraid of? Any weird phobias (one of mine, for example, is small spaces)? 

I like heights about as much as I like Justin Bieber. In fact, my idea of Hell is being trapped on a roller coaster blasting Bieber songs. This is not really a fear, more of an odd fact. The Ouija board that is a key point in my book The Dark Stuff actually exists. It's in my basement now. There is a scene in the book where the board is used to contact a dead neighbor. That happened pretty much as it does in the book. I have no explanation for what happened. 

 2. You're a thriller writer. What would you say is one of the most thrilling things that has happened to you?

At the risk of sounding boring one of the most thrilling things has to be writing "The End" in my first novel. Since I write about the stuff, I wish I had a story about the time I hunted down a serial killer and caught him just before he took his next victim, but I don't. I'm such a poser. But seriously, even though I've written most of my life, I really didn't feel like a writer until I wrote the last sentence in the first novel. For me, that's pretty thrilling.