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Interview

Jimmy D. Gillentine p1

READERSVOICE.COM aims to collect a few interesting reading tips. In Jimmy D. Gillentine’s novel Of Blood and the Moon, a bouncer working in a Memphis bar runs into some trouble after he bounces some drug dealers. It looks like he’s going to end up another murder victim of the dealers. But he does have some experience handling people like that. Several hundred years experience, in fact. Of Blood and the Moon was First Runner-Up for the Darrell Award in Memphis, TN. in 2009.

Visit jimmygillentine.com.

READERSVOICE.COM: Memphis really suited your story Of Blood and the Moon. What is it about Memphis that you think made it an ideal setting for a fantasy/ horror novel?

JIMMY GILLENTINE: The city of Memphis has many interesting locations that range from pleasant to downright spooky. I always thought it was the perfect setting for a horror story with it being near so many forests and abandoned buildings downtown. Other writers, like Elizabeth Donald who runs www.literaryunderworld.com, have used it for settings for their work. I guess you can say that there’s something in the water here in Memphis that makes it a perfect place for a horror story.

RV: Memphis has a lot of interesting history, and your lead character has a lot of history. Do you think Memphis history will end up feeding more and more into your stories in future?

JG: Oh, most definitely. Memphis’s history is full of tales that you could draw from to write horror/suspense stories from. One story from Memphis’s past that I find most interesting is the Yellow Fever Plague in 1878 that nearly destroyed Memphis when 75 per cent of the population died or fled the city. That is something I would like to tell a story about.

RV: What parts of Memphis did you grow up in and what was it like?

JG: We moved a lot when I was growing up in Memphis, so I don’t really have one spot in the city I call home. Growing up in Memphis was a lot of fun, with the zoo, Liberty Land, and the MidSouth Fair to go to. I have many fond memories going to those places and having fun with my family.

RV: What’s your daily routine in Memphis?

JG: Right now, my daily routine consists of working at night and sleeping most of the day like a vampire. I try my best to write in the spare time that I have and spend time with my kids. I also go up to Edwardsville, IL to visit my girlfriend every chance I get. I’m looking for a job in St. Louis so I can move to be closer to her.

– copyright Simon Sandall.