Blog Tour: A.J. Scudiere & Jason Mondy Interview

Phoenix 
A.J. Scudiere 

Release Date: October 2nd, 2012
Publisher: Griffyn Ink

Jason Mondy’s world is unraveling.

His seemingly secure job as a fire fighter is suddenly thrown into chaos. The bright spot in his week is that he rescued two children from a house fire, but he returns home that night to find all his furniture is missing. His girlfriend has left him without warning and his nightmares keep him from sleeping. Even just a simple trip home to find some rest leads his adoptive mother to sit him down and tell him that maybe his troubles aren’t quite as innocuous as they seem. Then his she divulges a secret she’s kept for over twenty-six years . . .

Jason has a brother he doesn’t remember existed.

He doesn’t remember his life before he was adopted at age seven. He only knows that he was rescued from the fire that took his birth mother’s life. But the story is deeper than that, and the foundation on which he built his world is now cracking. The brother he doesn't remember it out there somewhere, left behind.

Armed with only this stunning new piece of information, Jason embarks on a quest to find the truths buried deep in his past. As he searches, one by one the pieces of his life fall like dominoes. And the more he uncovers, the more everything he thought he knew about himself and his past begins to turn to ash.

Jason:

For those that don't know, can you tell us a little bit about your story?

I’m just a firefighter. I like my job and I’m good at it. I’m not as good at other things though—my girlfriend walked out on me and took all the furniture from the apartment. She’s not the first. I’m studying to get a higher rank though. Ultimately, I’d like to be a fire inspector. But all that got put on hold when the nightmares started . . .

When your story begins you had just saved two young boys. Why did getting credit for saving their lives bother you so much? 

Because it wasn’t just me who saved them. I didn’t run into a burning building by myself. It wasn’t some kamikaze act. There were others on the hose who made sure there was a safe path. Wanstall was in with me. She didn’t carry the boys because she’s better at finding a way out than I am. Some days, I’m on the truck. This day I was in the house. I didn’t save those boys by myself. I just lifted them. Everyone deserves the credit. Not just me.

You discovered that you had a brother, who could possibly have been dead. Why had it been so important to go and search for him? What were you hoping to find at the end of it all? 

I always knew about the fire that claimed my birth mother’s life, but I never remembered any of my life before I was seven. I grew up thinking I was special, that I had been rescued. It was a huge blow to find out that I had a younger brother that I didn’t even remember. Most importantly, why did was I rescued, but not him?

What advice would you give to others who have lost siblings or relatives? 

Keep looking. Dead ends are everywhere, but so are loose threads. You have to follow one lead to another to another. That’s the only way to find all the pieces.

How different will your life be now? 

It’s very different. But mostly, I’ve started to live my life actively—not neglect certain parts of it.

If you could have done this all over again, what would you have changed? 

I would have paid more attention to the things around me. I thought it didn’t matter that I couldn’t keep a girlfriend, and that I didn’t miss them when they were gone. I thought my friend Alex was just luckier than I was when it came to that kind of thing. I realize now that it was me missing some pieces.

Scudiere

What was your initial inspiration for this story? What is the meaning of the title? 

Originally I knew that this would be a story that could happen. I wanted the characters to be responsible for what occurs in their lives. Early on, it becomes apparent that Jason’s mother didn’t die in a random fire—but I asked what choices could lead to that kind of a horrible end? I also wanted to examine how Jason’s mother’s choices affected him and his life. The events in the story aren’t random and Jason triggers a lot of the things that seemingly happen to him.

I also used the classic tale of “Jason and the Argonauts” as a base for this book. If you aren’t familiar with the classic you won’t miss anything, but if you are you’ll see clues and recognize key pieces of Jason’s story.

What advice would you give to aspiring writers? 

2 Ps: Practice and Persevere! 

Yes, writing well is an art, but it’s also a skill. Practicing makes you better. Don’t expect perfection on your first try. Learn to do one thing well, then add another skill to your repertoire.  

And remember, there are a lot of big writers out there who probably aren’t better writers than you. You’ll get rejected—maybe a lot. But if you really want it, you can have it. I have close to a hundred rejection letters, but I also had agents pick up the phone and call me, just from my query letter. Keep looking for the right fit.

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Books: 

Resonance

Vengeance

God's Eye

Phoenix

AJ Scudiere is the author of three thrillers, Resonance, Vengeance, and God’s Eye. The fourth book—Phoenix—is due out this fall. As a writer, AJ’s motto is “It could happen. It wouldn’t. But it could.”