Interview with J.C. Allen, author of "M.O.D."

		Today, in the Forum, I have the immense pleasure of introducing J.C. Allen, who is here to talk about his novel M.O.D., the story of a hacker from the '80s resurfacing to overthrow what he perceives to be a corrupt government.
Tim Greaton: What is the most interesting thing about you? J.C. Allen: Probably the fact that I’ve been working with a lawyer the past few years to help innocent people who have been convicted of crimes.  I am passionate about trying to right injustices in our country. Tim Greaton: How long have you been writing? J.C. Allen: I started writing roughly five years ago. Tim Greaton: Did you start with stories or some other form of writing, or did you start out writing novels? J.C. Allen: I began with a true story of what had happened to me, because I felt it needed to be told, but when everyone kept telling me how good it was, I decided to start writing fiction based on true events.  From there, I ventured into fantasy, science fiction... basically everything except romance and westerns. Tim Greaton: What are the top three writers who influenced your career, and why? J.C. Allen: Stephen King, because he has an incredible imagination (which is perfect for fiction) as well as an amazing command of the English language. Greg Iles, as he seems to be able to make you know the characters intimately.  And Dan Brown because he really knows how to take reality and interesting factual history and weave it into believable fiction. Tim Greaton: Is there a particular time of day or night that you like to write?  Why? J.C. Allen: I seem to be able to write better in the afternoon and evening, but come up with the best ideas late at night. Tim Greaton: What is the title of your latest book, and how did you come up with the idea for your protagonist?                                                     J.C. Allen: M.O.D.  For this particular story, the protagonist was based on a real person, so that part wasn't difficult.  He was an actual hacker from the '80s who has continued to elude authorities his whole life (I lost touch with him long ago, so I believe he is still at large).  In most of my books, a majority of the characters are at least partly based on real people; I tend to find them more realistic. Tim Greaton: Do any of the events in the novel come from events in your own life? J.C. Allen: Not necessarily from my life, but from someone I've known in my life. As previously mentioned, I based the main character on a real person and some of his real history is fictionalized in there. Again, I include real events in my novels because they are more believable. For example, in the one I'm publishing soon, Chronicles of Time, nearly all of the characters are based on friends and family members. Their feelings and reactions to the fictional events are exactly how they react and feel in real life. I like realism. Tim Greaton: Was there any part of your novel that required a lot of research, or were you able to rely upon your own knowledge of places and people? J.C. Allen: In M.O.D., the story wrote itself from my own experiences, but I'm no stranger to research; I spent a couple years researching ancient Rome, the Kennedy assassination, the Salem witch trials and Jesus' birth for Chronicles of Time, which made for a very interesting, sometimes controversial, story in many places (a la Dan Brown). Tim Greaton: What was your favorite scene from the book and why? J.C. Allen: When Scott finally met the man behind M.O.D. But I won't give away any details why. Tim Greaton: Do you plan to write a sequel? J.C. Allen: Yes, definitely. I intentionally left out several questions that beg for a sequel. I’ve already got a rough outline in my head. Tim Greaton: Just for fun, if you could have any pet in the world, fictional or real, what would it be? J.C. Allen: A dragon. I've always thought it would be the most amazing experience to fly on one - as some of my characters experience in the fantasy novels. Tim Greaton: It would be great if you could share your website/blogsite and links to where our audience could directly purchase your books. Website:  jcallenbooks.weebly.com Amazon Kindle Books:  http://www.amazon.com/M-O-D-ebook/dp/B004SUR5L0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&s=digital-text&qid=1305138827&sr=1-1 Amazon Paperback:  http://www.amazon.com/M-D-J-C-Allen/dp/1463541422/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1305138827&sr=1-1 Nook Books:  http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/mod-jc-allen/1100440109?ean=2940012279521&itm=1&usri=m%2bo%2bd%2bj%2bc%2ballen SmashWords:  http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/65426 Tim Greaton: J.C., it has been great having you here in the forum. I know our readers are really going to enjoy getting to know you, and I hope they will all go out and purchase your amazing novel “M.O.D.” J.C. Allen: Thanks, Tim, for this opportunity to interview with you. I appreciate your efforts on behalf of indie authors, and wish you great success in your own endeavors.