Please welcome T.A. Bound to my blog. Shall we get started?
1. Please introduce yourself to those reading this blog post.
Hello, I am T.A. Bound and I want to frighten and delight you with some spooky stories. My latest is historical fiction based upon the last person to be blamed after death for being a vampire, bringing to a close the New England vampire panic.
2. Has writing always been part of your life and when did you “know” that it was time to start writing your first book?
I was always a voracious reader, back to childhood. In elementary school, for punishment, the teacher would send kids to the school library. Needless to say, I learned to become a disciplinary problem, toeing the line to avoid being sent to the principal, so I could spend an hour or so roaming the shelves.
It seems I have always written. I wrote for my high school and college newspapers, and my first job was covering local Little League for my hometown newspaper.
As a lawyer, you write all the time—letters, threatening letters, nastygrams, Motions, Briefs, etc. My first book was a legal How-to book. Not exactly enough to scratch the itch, but my desire to write taking form.
About 15 years ago, the bug hit, and I began writing a still-unfinished historical fiction novel. Then, life happened, and I put it aside.
About six years ago, I started dabbling with various writing projects, learning the craft, studying how to write, honing some ideas. That’s when I knew I had to write.
3. How difficult was it writing your first book?
Well, it is unfinished, so… Perhaps bit off more than I could chew.
My first completed book began as an exercise in screenwriting. I wrote Sharkano as a complete screenplay, then realized I have no idea how to get a screenplay into the hands of directors or producers.
Then Covid hit and shut down the legal system, a virtual standstill. So, I decided to turn Sharkano into a book. That was a relatively simple process, as everything was visualized and the dialogue ready. Before I knew it, I had a publisher, and Sharkano was published as a book.
4. Have you ever wanted to give up and what stopped you?
I never wanted to throw in the towel, but the querying process is a soul-destroying experience. I am thankful that a publisher did accept my manuscript fairly early in the process. Another wanted it as soon as I signed my publishing contract! And the reviews were great, which stoked the fire. Seeing four- and five-star reviews really was a Sally Field moment!
5. Who is the most supportive of you and your dream to be a writer?
Support has come from everywhere. My wife and extended family. Several friends have been amazing, and the writing community on Twitter has been a revelation and a joy.
6. Anything specific you want to tell your readers?
Dream!
And, there are more to come! My latest book, The Last Vampire, has a finality to the sound of it, but it is only the beginning. Two sequels are complete, polished and ready to launch. The first, set in 1949, starts as a noir murder mystery that veers to the paranormal, set in the Jim Crow South. It tackles some difficult issues with a dark sense of humor.
The second sequel is set in the 1980s—big hair, sex, drugs and Gothic rock. Lots of fun, as the Last Vampire’s journey continues.
7. What is the best advice given to you (book or otherwise), and by whom?
My parents always encouraged me to follow my dreams. They were not always what they might have chosen for me—particularly when I decided to try my hand at rock climbing—but they encouraged me in other sports, in my education and my career. I was fortunate to have their support.
They also taught me that failing at something does not mean failure. Learn from what does not work, and incorporate that into what you try next!
8. What is your target audience and what aspect of your writing do you feel targets that audience?
For my first book, the target audience was teen readers. This was not my goal, but is just the natural audience for how the story turned out, with a teenage protagonist.
For The Last Vampire, my target audience is adults who are interested in the paranormal—particularly true paranormal incidents—as well as people like me who have always been drawn toward weird history and historical mysteries. Those who know there is a simple, logical explanation, but that explanation is unsatisfying and fills you with a desire to dig deeper to get to the truth.
9. Did the cover evolve the same way, or did you work with someone to make it come together for you?
I had an image in my mind. I worked with a very talented model named Shelby Toole, who brought the image to life. I love how it turned out, and the most difficult problem was trying to decide which shot captured the mystery and mood best!
10. What are you working on now? Can we get a peek, an excerpt?
I am putting the finishing touches to The Last Vampire, and you can certainly get a peek! I am also roughing out a couple of new projects, a Gothic reimagining of a silent horror classic, and a brand-new project, a YA magical reality, but they are far too early in their first-draft stage. I can’t let anyone see until I have removed some of the warts!
11. Any last words before we wrap things up?
Thank you for supporting indie authors! Since I joined their ranks, I have read mostly indie books and have been blown away by the quality and diversity!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
T.A. Bound’s debut Young Adult adventure, SHARKANO, was published in 2020 by Solstice Publishing. An attorney by trade, he has also published a non-fiction book on insurance claims. Raised on the Gulf Coast of Florida, after attending college and Law School in South Carolina, he moved to Marietta, Georgia, his current home. There he lives with his wife and their adopted dog Maksim Gorky, named after the Soviet author, where he enjoys cooking, writing and reading: history, biography, horror and thrillers—particularly historical fiction.
He is currently working on sequels to The Last Vampire, as well as other stories.
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/20858697.T_A_Bound
https://books2read.com/b/TheLastVampire
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-last-vampire-ta-bound/1140568479
https://books.apple.com/us/book/the-last-vampire/id1597849534
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the-last-vampire-12
When Angels Fly 