Self-Publisher’s Showcase: Today we are joined by Mark Gray, author of the thriller DENY.  Welcome to the Showcase Lounge, Mark.

Mark Gray: Thanks for the opportunity!

SPS: For any of our readers that haven’t come across any of your work previously, can you take a moment to tell us all a little about yourself?

MG: Sure. I’m a new self-published author and I just released my debut novel last year with two more on the way by the end of 2014. I’ve always had a passion for writing so I’m excited to be pursuing this dream.  As much as I love to write, I don’t read as much as I should, so I’m trying to remedy that. I watch too much TV, run a TV blog and work full-time at a Christian radio station as a music director and on-air talent. So I love music and I concerts, things like that. Been married for four years, but my wife and I have actually been together since I was 14. That’s me in a nutshell. Fun, happy life; I’m blessed.

SPS: Any particular reason you are the only one of our authors posing with a knife in their author pic? Anything you’d like to tell us?

MG: Haha because something’s not right with me, man. I don’t know haha. I took that picture Thanksgiving Day 2012 and I just figured it’d be a fun pic to use to catch people’s attention.  Besides, my first book is a thriller, so I figured I looked the part in that pic, so why not?

SPS:  We understand that you’ve had years of putting your dream of writing on hold. What was it that finally gave you the push to get your first work published?

MG: Well I’ve had a passion for writing my whole life but I got into radio in high school and that kind of took precedence. So I pursued radio, but all through college, I knew that I really wanted to do both. I couldn’t give up writing. Well, after college, I had to work a miserable job to make ends meet before a radio job came along and I had about an hour of down time every day where I answered the phones while the receptionist was out to lunch. Since there weren’t a lot of calls during lunch time, it gave me time to write. I wrote most of Deny during my time there. When I got the job in radio, before I left my old job, an older lady who had always been so nice to me told me to make sure I still pursued writing because she could tell I was passionate about it. I thought it was good advice so I’ve been giving as much as I can to both passions ever since.

SPS:  When it’s time to write, do you have any perfect writing conditions?

MG: Well, I can adapt pretty well and work under most conditions but I prefer it to be fairly quiet with just some music on.

SPS: You are someone that’s looking to write across a multitude of genres, what made you decide to write a dark thriller as your debut work? Was it just the story shouting the loudest to get out?

MG: Yeah, I definitely have story ideas I’ve toyed with that are about as wildly different as you can imagine.  But I do like exploring dark subject matter so Deny was something that came naturally for me. I don’t know—for me, I have a lot of ideas floating around and then one day, almost in an instant, one leaps out and all the pieces fall into place in my mind and I just have to get it down on paper. That’s what it was like with Deny.

SPS: Your debut novel, DENY enters the mind of a teenage girl, coming of age and developing something of a bloodlust.  Did you do anything in particular to research how someone in that situation would deal with it?

MG:  Well, like I said, I’ve always been drawn to darker subject matter so I’ve watched so many shows and movies about killers and where they’re at psychologically, but I’ve never seen a story that delves into the origin quite like this. Honestly, the fact that the story is as dark as it is with a teenage girl at the center of it just makes the whole ordeal all the more unsettling, but I feel like it allows us to explore some interesting themes.

SPS:  “Cassie Moore just killed her only (sort of) friend. And she liked it” What led Cassie to take that final step?

MG: Early on, it’s clear that she has a preoccupation with violence and it’s getting harder and harder for her to not act on these urges.  Because of who she is and how messed up she feels she is, she resists human connection. Her only friend is a guy named Duncan and when he tries to push things too far with her physically one night while they’ve been drinking, she sees it as her excuse to finally act on her impulses. She’s just surprised by how much she enjoys it.

SPS: She continues to really struggle to listen to all of the voices in her head, presumably Duncan isn’t the first and last?

MG: Yeah, it becomes much more than a book that’s simply about a killer pretty early on. There are some supernatural elements and the character representing darkness is very persuasive. So yeah, the body count is definitely higher than one.

SPS: What sort of feelings would you like to invoke in your readers?

MG: I hope that they have fun reading the book; there’s a ton of dark humor and some exciting scenes so I hope it’s an enjoyable read. There are also some very difficult scenes along the way, but I hope the bigger picture is clear; we’re all wrestling demons and when they win, it can be devastating—but they don’t have to win.

SPS: It may not be possible for the reader to exactly relate to Cassie. But, how did you work on allowing them to connect, and really care about the decisions she makes?

MG: The whole thing is pretty heavy and contemplatives and in a strange way, very relatable. We all have things about ourselves we wish we could change. Faults we’re ashamed of that seem to haunt us.  Cassie’s struggle is like that, just manifesting in a much more disturbing way. But through her journey, we’ll understand some of the questions she’s wrestling with. 

SPS: Was the plan always to have a sequel or did you start with the idea of a standalone piece?

MG: No and I don’t plan on setting up another trilogy anytime soon, haha. It’s hard work and a long time to stay in one world, especially one this bleak. I had a couple of endings in mind as I wrote Deny but I quickly realized that there was no satisfying conclusion that could be reached in one book. I will say, however, that each book will be quite different.

SPS: Presumably with the sequel in the works, there are a few things left unanswered?

MG:  Yes.  People tend to yell at me for the final scene but I promise it will be worth it when they read the next one.

SPS: What we can we expect next from the pen of Mark Gray? Will it be the sequel to DENY or is there something else you would like to tackle first?

MG: Well, as I said, Deny is pretty bleak so while I am hard at work on the sequel, I needed an escape from time to time so I’m simultaneously working on another book. Pretty far along in the process for both so the goal is to have them published by the end of the year. The other book is called My Winter With Reese and it’s a light-hearted holiday tale about a young boy and his snowman. It’s about as far removed from the world of Deny as you can get, but this isn’t some children’s tale. It’s just a fun way to tell a story that examines some very real things about family and community. Aside from my novels, I also run the TV blog, Untempered Television at www.untemperedtv.com.

SPS: Was the Self-Published/Indie-Published route always your preferred route for your work?

MG: I looked into a lot of options but this seemed like the route that made the most sense. It gives me freedom that I wouldn’t have otherwise without relying on a middle man to get the work out there. Certainly I’d love to have financial success with it, but in a way, that’s secondary. It’s just nice to have my work out there in a way that’s easily accessible.

SPS: Has the experience so far been all that you thought it would be?

MG: Well, I have learned that I don’t have a business mind. Doing it on your own means you have to rely a lot on your own wits when it comes to promoting and marketing and that’s just not my forte.  That aspect of it has been stressful at times but everything else has been awesome. I’ve enjoyed the experience and plan to keep doing it this way for the foreseeable future.

SPS: If you could give one piece of advice for someone looking to get into writing, what would it be?

MG: I don’t care how you do it, just do it. I feel like anyone who has a passion for writing is, at least to a certain point, kind of miserable if they don’t act on it. Just start working on something. There’s nothing more rewarding or terrifying (in a good way) than completing a work and letting others read it. Don’t miss out on that if it’s something you desire.

SPS: Before we bring this interview to a close, it’s your chance to name-drop. Anyone who you feel is deserving of more recognition at present or someone whose writing you have recently enjoyed? Now is your chance to spread the word…

MG: As I’ve confessed, I don’t read as much as I should.  I will say, however, that there are a number of other authors showcased on this site that I’m very interested in checking out and since I’m trying to read more, I will be doing just that this year. This past year, I’ve mostly been checking out some of the bigger mainstream releases like Gone Girl (which I loved), Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock (which I mostly liked) and The Fault In Our Stars (which I thought was pretty good, but overrated).  Always up for suggestions!

SPS: Thank you for joining us today Mark, and good luck in the future.

MG: Thank you for the time and for all that you do.

SPS: If you‘ve enjoyed this interview we welcome comments below. For more information on Mark Gray and his work, please do visit his Author page here. While you’re there do pick up your copy of DENY.