Show Notes
Out and About with Brian Hershey, author of “Damned to Live”, book #2 of his werewolf trilogy.
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Episode Transcript
Speaker 1 00:00:08 Welcome to S J's podcast with the public library of Steubenville and Jefferson County shares with you. Our favorite quirky questions finds out with leaders in our community are reading interviews, local authors, and so much more. This podcast is part of the out and about series where we talk to business and community leaders, organizations, and anyone outside library Doris to learn a little more about them personally and professionally. And as always, we'll find out what they're reading today. We welcome author and Steubenville native Brian Hershey. Ryan has penned four books of horror. His newest release Damn to Live is what we're here to talk about today. Damn. To live as part of his werewolf series and is second to forgotten sin. Welcome Brian. Welcome home. It is so exciting to have you here.
Speaker 2 00:01:06 Well, thank you for having me.
Speaker 1 00:01:08 So I want to know, how long has this story lived inside of you before it went to pen and paper or keyboard? However you <laugh> put it down.
Speaker 2 00:01:16 Well, let me think. How am I, Uh, so, uh, no. I would probably say that the idea came to me, uh, close to 2009. Um, and, uh, from that point, it, it was really about, okay, let's set the timeline. Let's figure out the, uh, the ins and outs of how it's going to be presented. Um, what's, uh, characters need to be involved, how I wanted to set up the perspectives. And it just so happens that it, it, we had a full moon on that Halloween <laugh> Perfect <laugh> that year. So I said, Oh, I cannot resist. I have to actually go, go with this. And, uh, ever since then it's just been building and building and building and
Speaker 1 00:02:00 Buildings. So then you do layout and you know exactly how your book is going to progress as you're writing or how Absolutely.
Speaker 2 00:02:07 I know the very last word that I, that I'm going to write before I even start writing anything. Oh man. So I know how everything is going to end.
Speaker 1 00:02:15 Well, I love, you're right. I just finished up forgotten sin. Absolutely loved it as I had shared with you. Yeah. So when I got my hands on the new copy, I started reading it last night. Of course I wasn't able to get very far. I only got through three chapters, But yeah, so we'll talk about that in a few minutes. But, um, what, what I do enjoy about your writing is how descriptive you are. Uh, and I can actually visualize as scenery as I'm reading. I love it. Um, do you use present surroundings as you write or do you make it up as you go because it's very descriptive? Yeah,
Speaker 2 00:02:45 Both. Um, I think if there's a specific setting that I know or that everyone could know, such as an office building or, uh, maybe a, a public building, uh, uh, community center, something along those lines, I can easily just pull up pictures or I can just go based off of the memory that I have of, uh, the ones that I have been to. But, um, for the most part, I have to imagine myself being in these locations. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>. And as you well know, uh, these books actually take place overseas. Yes.
Speaker 1 00:03:18 Um, so had you been to London, is that No
Speaker 2 00:03:21 <laugh> and that's why, why people say, how did you, how did you do that? Google Earth is wonderful for that. I got to walk the streets of London, Cambridge awesome. All of these different places just by doing a few clicks so I could get the street names correct, I could get the buildings correct. You could even go inside certain buildings and stuff like that. So it, it really became this fun journey of, okay, well where can I go?
Speaker 1 00:03:47 Yes. And just so you know, I have to plug the library. Of course we do have a database, <laugh>, that's called A to C, uh, world maps. So it gives you actually like weather or different things like that,
Speaker 2 00:03:57 That place right into all of it. So when you're thinking about the atmosphere that the characters are gonna interact with, whether it be the physical location or if they're outside, you have to get those details Absolutely accurate. Yes. Perfect. You did a great job as much as you possibly can at the, at the very least, uh, just because you wanted to be believable, you wanted to be like something that says somebody actually says, um, yeah, I think this might actually exist.
Speaker 1 00:04:29 Yeah. Honestly, as I was reading it, I thought, Oh wow, he must have like traveled and just like I said, because you're so descriptive about everything and I thought world like guy here who's, you know, sharing this information with us. So I'm glad that you're doing the research for it cuz that was one of my questions worldly
Speaker 2 00:04:46 Through my computers, <laugh>
Speaker 1 00:04:48 And just about all of us are. Right. Um, as for the characters, is there a piece of you that is in each of them? Oh, yes. Yes.
Speaker 2 00:04:55 Um, oh, I could, I could truly say that. Um, Dr. Maya Bishop is my alter ego. <laugh>.
Speaker 1 00:05:02 I was going to ask you who, who is she your favorite?
Speaker 2 00:05:05 Uh, you know what, I, I love all of my characters. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>, they all serve the, the, the purpose of telling the story. Um, but when you start with one, you, you grow attached.
Speaker 1 00:05:16 Yes. And as I was reading damn to Live cuz of, of course I told you I just finished up forgotten sin. So for me everything was still kind of fresh. Right. But I was so excited, um, when I started, um, seeing Osborne, Robert Osborne and the characters in Damn To Live because you don't start out with Robert Osborne or Dr. Bishop. So a
Speaker 2 00:05:35 Whole new cast characters
Speaker 1 00:05:37 In chapter two. I was excited to, I felt like I was going home and <laugh>, I'm like, oh, I know these characters. I know, um, you know, the, uh, the men who are are helping Dr. Osborne, um, and his quest to find the where Wolf. Yeah. Yeah. So that was great. And how we were talking, um, the research that you do, but how much research research does go into, uh, each of the books that you do.
Speaker 2 00:05:59 Oh, I would, I would say that that's probably the, the bulk of my times. The only thing that is second to that is actually sitting down to compose the story. Um, just cuz you run into pitfalls and stuff like that. But no, there's massive amounts, uh, of things that you research. Everything from, as we had already talked about the buildings and, uh, the climate to even the, the dialect and dialogue that goes into it because you wanna be able to, to say things as accurate as possible. So there's been times where I would literally just pull up a podcast or I would pull up a, a YouTube video and just listen to how people talked.
Speaker 1 00:06:39 So that explains damn to live when we have Yes, Yes. The foreign language. Correct. Just a couple. Yeah.
Speaker 2 00:06:46 Just, just a few spots there. Yeah. Um, but no, and, and it plays in really well to the authenticity of the, of the story. Yes. But I think that's also being a language arts teacher too. It really came in. Cause I was, I'm listening for the sounds. I'm listening for, uh, the, the, uh, voice inflections and expressions. Yes. And so when I can translate that into a text and somebody says, Whoa, wow, that was really cool. How did you do that? I'm like, Yes. Okay. I hit
Speaker 1 00:07:13 The mark. So you are a teacher. What grade do you teach? I
Speaker 2 00:07:16 Teach seventh and eighth.
Speaker 1 00:07:17 Wow.
Speaker 2 00:07:18 Creative
Speaker 1 00:07:19 Writing do well. Perfect. Yeah. So do they, do they know that their teacher is an author and what
Speaker 2 00:07:24 Oh yeah. They, they know that after the first day, because as soon as they come in they Google search you and say, Miss Hershey, I looked you up online. And it's like, Okay. Yeah. Find, Okay.
Speaker 1 00:07:34 Don't even think to do that. Or they'll
Speaker 2 00:07:36 Say, Well, you have more hair back then. Oh, thanks, I appreciate that <laugh>.
Speaker 1 00:07:41 So they ever, Has anyone ever brought in a book for you to autograph or, Uh oh yeah. Yeah. That's fun. That's fine.
Speaker 2 00:07:46 Or I'll, I'll, cuz I actually, I don't use my teaching position to promote or anything like that. Right. It's, um, it, I'm in a place of authority, so I really don't want to abuse that. I don't wanna Absolutely. But if kids ask about it and say, Hey, do you have a book? I wanna read one of them. I tell 'em, you have to bring in parent signature, parent permission. Parent Guardian has to say this is, they have to know what they're all about before I can ever even consider that. Yeah. So I don't promote I have to do anything like that. But the kids, they they search you out <laugh>. Yes.
Speaker 1 00:08:19 That's, I bet they do. So, um, as I was reading the book, let's go through the Wolf Pro Protocol because, um, it kind of reminded me of vampire. So I knew about full moons, I knew about the Silver bullet, but I didn't know about, um, I didn't know if you had created this or if that is part of the werewolf culture as when you get bit, you turn into a werewolf. Is that something that you,
Speaker 2 00:08:40 That's part of the werewolf
Speaker 1 00:08:42 Culture. Okay.
Speaker 2 00:08:42 Uh, some people take it as if, if you get scratched by a werewolf in Bitten. I wanted to go based off of my storyline, based off of my explanations for the werewolf. It has to be a
Speaker 1 00:08:54 Bite. Okay.
Speaker 2 00:08:54 Okay. It has to be otherwise, honestly, like you would have werewolf turning around everywhere.
Speaker 1 00:08:58 Yeah. So, so apparently I don't read too much, uh, Werewolf books <laugh>, if I wasn't sure all that thought, Ooh, this kind of reminds me of a vampire. So I wasn't sure if that was something that you had created. And then to of course, um, when they, from Dr. Bishop, when she turns into a werewolf from Out of Anger. Right. More so, and I was actually like kind picturing the Hulk, it reminded me <laugh> Yeah. Of, of the Hulk. So I didn't know that's all part of,
Speaker 2 00:09:22 Actually the Hulk actually falls into that story archetype. Um, because it's a metamorphosis. It's the, and and the werewolf is really just a metaphor. Yeah. It's our metaphor that that internal battle. True. True. Yes. So if you get angry and you lose control, if something triggers you, you lose control. Well, the mo full moon's always been the trigger. Yeah. And so if you lose control and that trigger doesn't mean that you can't lose control on other triggers. Right. And then applying some of the science and, um, medical knowledge that I was researching for too, it offered up a very good explanation that not only did it tie the full Moon to the werewolf, the bite, but silver bullets, they're all connected. And so there's a reason why a regular bullet won't work. You have to use Silver. Yes. Yeah. He's the number one conductor of electricity in
Speaker 1 00:10:21 Here. Yes. Yes. So <laugh> Well, that's what I, like I said, you were just so descriptive and, and so it gave me a better understanding as I'm, you know, reading through, I'm like, Oh, okay. That makes sense. Yeah. <laugh>. So, so it does. Um, so I wanted to ask you, I, we were talking a little bit yesterday when you were setting up at the library, um, you have your own, it's your own publishing company now, right? I do. That you're printing these books from, So can you tell us a little bit about that and
Speaker 2 00:10:49 Yeah. And, uh, we, we had shared briefly, but um, when it came down to this is this is a very difficult business to be in. And we have from a writer as an editor, as an illustrator, as anybody who could possibly be involved. And so when the previous publishing company, um, took their interests elsewhere, um, and I was able to, to, to get the rights back for forgotten sin, um, I just applied my knowledge of this business, but with the intention of creating a platform for not only myself, so that I could continue with the storyline and, uh, still service the readers that are waiting to see what happens next, but also to create a platform for editors and illustrators who are trying to break into the business mm-hmm. <affirmative>. So it becomes a little bit more of a stepping stone publishing company. Whereas you can offer up anywhere from 18 to two, uh, to two year contracts or, uh, 18 month, two year contracts and reevaluate and ask the author, Hey, have you gotten enough recognition? Do you wanna stay with us? Or do you want to take and move elsewhere? Mm-hmm. <affirmative>, and it, it, it's, it creates a win-win for everybody. Yeah. Because it allows new authors to gain the exposure and the experience. It allows illustrators to come in and do cover arts, uh, or any kind of interior art that may go with it, but then also being able to give editors an opportunity to gain their experience. Um, so again, the whole purpose behind it was to create a win-win scenario for everyone. Well,
Speaker 1 00:12:26 I'm sure that definitely will happen. And um, as again, as we had talked, we are going to be doing a program at the library on how to get published. You will be, um, you know, doing that for us in the near future. So. Yeah.
Speaker 2 00:12:38 Sounds
Speaker 1 00:12:39 Exciting. And neither can we, because we, um, usually when we have, um, we have writers groups now starting at the library and we have a lot of people who are excited and, and enjoy writing. And I, I know. We'll, um, you know, based on your experience, like those tips that, uh, you will be sharing with us and, um,
Speaker 2 00:12:58 I would love to do it again. I can't wait. I'm excited about it and I was thinking about it all last night.
Speaker 1 00:13:02 Oh, good. Good, good, good. So we could talk about it a little bit later. So I have to ask just one question. Um, we have two in the series. Uh, are we going to see a third one? A yes? Yes. Okay, good. Cuz I saw the end of book two, so I thought Right. I'm excited. Looking forward to it. And finishing up this one,
Speaker 2 00:13:21 There will be a third and final, uh, book for the trilogy. Okay. Wolf Trilogy one, which is three. I mean, I, somebody asked me just recently, Well you gonna do any spinoffs or anything that I can't even answer yet? I don't know. <laugh>. Okay. Okay. So, I mean, there are some characters that I could do that with, but I don't know if I want to go down that, that path. I think it might be time to, uh, also open it up to other authors, uh, as well as, uh, write a few different things. Okay. I have other things that are coming down the pipeline, so. Okay.
Speaker 1 00:13:50 Well, in conclusion, Brian, I always like to ask my guest what is your favorite book
Speaker 2 00:13:56 Of all time?
Speaker 1 00:13:57 Yes. All time or
Speaker 2 00:13:59 <laugh>? No, Contest. The Hobbit.
Speaker 1 00:14:02 <laugh>. <laugh>. Okay. And are you currently reading anything you'd like to share with us?
Speaker 2 00:14:06 Uh, you know what though? The one that I'm reading right now is, uh, Stone Tunnels. Okay. Um, and it was independently produced by, uh, Felix Blackwell. And it is astounding. I mean, it, it has my attention. It's every chance I get to sit down and it, it at least squeeze in a few pages because of busy schedules or what. It's, it's fun. So I, I definitely recommend that one at this time of the year too, so.
Speaker 1 00:14:35 Okay, great.
Speaker 2 00:14:36 Yeah, it, it's, it's a fun book.
Speaker 1 00:14:38 Okay. Well hopefully you give our readers, our listeners, uh, something new to read. Thank you so much again for joining us today.
Speaker 2 00:14:44 Well, thank you for having me.
Speaker 1 00:14:50 Thanks for listening to pls J'S podcast. Visit us in person at your library branch or [email protected].
