Take Five With Paranormal-Romance Author Guy Ogan

Welcome to An Indie Adventure, Guy.  Tell us, what inspired you to write your book Immortal Relations?  
The event that inspired me to write my first Paranormal-Romance was finding a photograph of my late father taken at the end of World War Two, when he was assigned to help the Czechs form a new government, hopefully a Constitutional Government somewhat similar to that of the United States (a lofty goal considering Soviet troops were all over the area).  The photograph showed my father standing in front of an extremely old building with a large clock on it's wall. It wasn't so much the photo itself, but what was written on the back. In a very feminine hand was, "I'll always be waiting here." 

I had heard my mother saying things like, "He is over there with that woman" when I was very young, but didn't know of whom she spoke, nor would she say anything further when asked. However, at one point she did ask me what I would do if she divorced my father. So finding that statement on the back of his picture, taken in Prague, brought back all those memories of what she had said when I was so young. That night, unable to sleep, I felt compelled to go to the keyboard and that is the "back-story" to where "Immortal Relations" came from (call it "channeling," that my Muse was guiding me, or a psychotic-break and I'll agree). I've always been a fast typist, but I'd never typed THAT fast before or since. I won't say how long it took to  type the book, you wouldn't believe me anyway.  LOL

Have you been a lifelong reader of paranormal books?  What are some the first books you remember reading? 
Not just a lifelong reader but a writer as well. In my youth I ran marathons and wrote about the races and these were published in running magazines like "The Long-Distance Log". I was also "into" automobiles and wrote about events attended (races and car-shows), these were published in such magazines as "Cruisin' Style" out of Florida. 

While I wrote mostly non-fiction, I enjoyed reading both that and fiction, specifically histories of warfare (World War Two and what caused it) as well as fictional works such as the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings (I've always been a fan of stories where good triumphs over evil). I had paperback copies of the "Hobbit" and the "Lord of the Rings" Trilogy and literally wore them out reading and re-reading them over and over and over again...then I'd buy a new set and read them until THEY fell apart as well. 

Now, I'm an avid (or is that rabid) fan of the vampire genre', but not the "Horror" type stories (although I have read Bram Stoker's Dracula and can appreciate it for what it is). In my books, vampires are like humans, both good and evil. My  good vampires try to safeguard humans and animals from evil be it other vampires, human criminals or evil politicians. I'm honored to be doing some Beta reading for Michele Drier on her eighth novel in the Kandesky Vampire Chronicles, "SNAP: All That Jazz" which should be released by the time you read this. I love trying to help other authors, even if they are far better known than myself and I totally love her stories of good and very passionate vampires "living" in the human world. While her stories are different than mine, the fact that her vamps are trying to co-exist with humans is a big plus in my eyes.

What do you do to rev your creative juices? 
I have an overactive imagination, "writers block" is a concept totally foreign to me. My mind is operating at 78 rpm in a 33 1/3 rpm world (an example from the old vinyl record days...young people probably won't understand). Given the chance, I can sit down at any point in-time and write (the problem is getting the time to do so).

What would be your advice to people who are considering a writing career? 

If you want to write short articles about a specific topic (such as I did with my running and interest in "cars") just get a good grounding in that subject. It might be "making cupcakes" if so learn to make the most sinfully delicious and unique cupcakes, then write about it and send it off to "Cupcake World" magazine. In other words, start small and learn your craft but have a grounding in another type of work. As they say, "Don't quit your day-job"(even J.K. Rowling took a little while to be discovered). 

If you are planning on writing "The Great American Novel" and submitting it to "Publishing Houses" prepare for disappointment - rejection is the name of their game (they just SAY they are looking for something new and fresh). When I wrote my first novel they said I couldn't write that type of book as it violated the norms of the genre' (good vampires that protected humans from evil and owned funeral homes from which to obtain what little blood they required). I'm told I was the first to come up with that method of obtaining blood without attacking humans, having willing donors or attacking animals (my vampires are animal friendly). All of my "unique" concepts were panned by the editing staff, they even challenged the fact that my vampires had sex, evidently never having read Twilight, Vampire Diaries or dozens of other works that had sex between vampires long before my book.

You’re having a dinner party.  What character from your novel do you hope doesn’t show up?     Why? 
Lieutenant Semenov, he was a psychotic butcher when still "human" and took great pleasure in eviscerating men , women and children, as well as their animals and destroying villages in Afghanistan during the Soviet Invasion.  Now changed, he has attempted to destroy the Residency group of Guardian Vampires so he and his evil group can feast on the people of Europe and the world unhindered. If he showed up, there would be a war between vampires destroying the decorum of the dinner party to say the least! LOL

Give us a brief summary of  Immortal Relations:

"Immortal Relations" starts with a true story causing the book (and later the series to be written). It contains "explicit togetherness" (sex), not meant to be salacious but to show the good vampires don't have human hang-ups about intimacy (frankly some of what Gary gets drawn into is rather humorous). Gary's military past is of great help in protecting the coven from evil vampires seeking revenge, especially when Gary's vampire son gains his father's knowledge and helps the Czechs as well as the British Army and Royal Marines deal with “terrorist” seeking to gain access to nuclear weapons. Later, he is one who helps the Russian Federation's defend old Soviet Era stores of Biological Weapons from the same group.

Buy Links: Amazon

Bio:

Born in Washington D.C. during the early stages of WW-II, mother and child moved to Texas while father went off to war as a member of the Office of Strategic Services (which later became the C.I.A.). After the war, mother and child returned to Arlington, VA to be joined by father now working back in Washington and on "temporary duty" in spots around the world. Guy was interested and involved in long-distance running, which he continued when the family moved to Northern California in the late 50s. He graduated from Los Altos High School, obtained an Associate of Arts from Foothill Junior College and Transferred to Texas Christian University, graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree and a commission in the U.S.A.F. while in the military he obtained a Master of Arts from the European Campus of Ball State and upon his retirement from the service completed a second graduate degree, Master of Education, from Hardin-Simmons. While in this program he taught undergraduate Psychology, Sociology and Counseling at local colleges as well as writing a book on the assessment and treatment of Attention Deficit Disorder. He was then employed by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TX Prison System) to write treatment programs for inmates with addictions and later as a Psychologist, retiring early to care for his disabled mother upon the passing of his father. He and his wife have two grown children and four grandchildren as well as three Pomeranians.

Social Media Links: 
http://immortalrelations.blogspot.com/
http://www.amazon.com/author/guyogan                                  http://facebook.com/writervampire