Book: Chokehold Of Darkness
Q1. Hello, can you please introduce yourself? Readers would love to know more about you.
My name is Peter J. Reurings, J Standing for Jacobus, after my late great grandmother. I am a Dutch first time author born in Vlissingen though grown up in and around the city of Deventer. I have both a form of autism and dyslexia, though neither of them will stop me from doing what I love, but a spell checker does help. Speaking of which, if you are ever worried about mispronouncing my surname, as far as I am aware it came to be due to a spelling error two hundred years ago.
Q2. What were the key challenges you faced while writing ‘Chokehold Of Darkness’ book?
There are a lot of things I could mention here, my poor English grammar skills at the start, inconsistent characters, ever changing storylines, my dyslexia, and representing difficult subjects such as female representation and other such subjects, (there are many female characters in my story, ask yourself why this world is the way it is). However, without talking spoilers, the one problem that was the hardest to fix was the whole character of Vivian. The problem was due to how my story first started, something I will no doubt speak of later. Put simply this character began as a self insert, to give such a character his own personality and let go of him was the hardest thing to do on a personal level.
Q3. What books or authors have most influenced your own writing?
The easy answer here is Tolkien, even though I watched the movies first there is no denying the influence Tolkien’s world had on me. I will however acknowledge the influence of my other great love Star Wars, specially a few notable works from the old expanded universe. Joe Schreiber’s maul Lockdown was brilliant and brutal as was Michael Reaves’ Darth Maul: Shadow Hunter. That said I would be amiss if I didn’t recognize Timothy Zahn’s Thrawn trilogy, this trilogy is what got me into reading. They are not the first books I ever read, but they did cement my love for reading.
Q4. What’s your favourite spot to visit in your own country? And what makes it so special to you?
The beach in my birth town Vlissingen, it represents the past. I was orphaned at an early age so I never knew my parents, that place, that town, its where my roots lie, I could never forget that.
A spot halfway up an old stairway under the Wilhelminabrug in Deventer, it represents the present. In this city I leaned to live on my own, overcame many challenges, and started doing what I love. This spot has nothing to do with that, it is just my favorite spot in the city.
A bench along the Waal river in Nijmegen, it represents the future. I have only been there once and not more recently then the last spot, but it means a lot, and not just to me.
Q5. Is there lots to do before you drive in and start writing a book?
Of course, lots of things in fact. You need to plan out the main tread of the story, work out the characters and lore and hundreds of other things. However, most importantly of all I need to put up some good instrumental music and pick out one of the thirty-six flavors of tea I have collected so far.
Q6. How long did it take you to write ‘Chokehold Of Darkness’ book?
At least three years if not more. That said the origin of the story goes back at least fifteen years. This is all because this story began as my teenage fantasies and a bunch of storylines I used in games with two of my brothers. A character like Vivian finds its origin at least ten years ago, but that is still not as old as a character set to appear in book two. This character, whom I will call Av for now, is at least fourteen years old and has both changed a lot yet so little.
Q7. On what all platforms readers can find ‘Chokehold Of Darkness’ book to buy?
Bol.com for the Netherlands and Amazon would be the places where you can buy it for now.
Q8. Tell us about the process of coming up with the book cover and the title ‘Chokehold of Darkness’?
I always try to make people think with covers, illustrations, and titles in particular. That said there is no process here, the only thing that matters is what do you think it all means before reading, and what do you think it means after you read the book or chapter. There tends to be meaning behind everything in my work.
Q9. When writing a book how do you keep things fresh, for both your readers and also yourself?
One way is the magic system , fundamentally its a very hard system, but its also very soft in that every mage has a unique magical ability. For the more general story I try to use a lot of different story formats and story lines, different characters with different morals and goals. I don’t tend to pay a lot of attention to tropes and cliques, I care about writing a good unique story, represent certain topics to the best of my abilities, and just write the story I want to write.
Q10. Are there any secrets from the book (that aren’t in the blurb), you can share with your readers?
Funny you should mention the blurb there. In any case if I told you it wouldn’t be a secret right. That said you should pay close attention to everything, an offhand remark might just foreshadow something or point to deeper lore, minor events and appearances might have great consequences later, and there are plots involving in the background. Trust that I will not lie to you, but know that I will mislead you. The biggest secrets might just be in plain sight and the characters might not tell you the truth, if you can find any hidden secrets try and keep them to yourself, its more fun that way right?
Book Is Available On Amazon
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