Maxwell F Hurley
LiT, Part I: The Dark Ignites
LiT, Part II: Falling Lite
LiT, Part III: Pure Heart
Tell
your readers a little about yourself, where you grew up, where you live now,
where you went to school etc. Let them get to know the personal you.
My mom was a single mother of three. My siblings and I all had separate fathers, which made it quite confusing and rough while growing up. She was a strong woman when it came to her determinations, but they always weren’t congruent with the norms of a small town up north. A prominent positive male influence in my life was something that I will never know. I have seen the effects of domestic violence and feeling abandoned, to be pushed to the side, even when you silently begged for someone to take you under their wing. I was never allowed to join the typical school sport activities, even though I wanted to. Since mom was very liberal, government-defiant, and extremely anti-social, her views prevented us kids from experiencing what most kids take for granted. I never knew what I was capable of or had the confidence to try, that was until the next major step in my life.
Growing up in that antigovernmental household, naturally, I joined the military
after high school. I joined the United States Air Force in the year of 1996.
During my career in the Air Force, I was an Air Force Security Forces for the
first four years of my career; then, I became a paper pusher for the rest. I
served in multiple locations across the world, and those experiences I took and
placed in my writing. The effects of alcohol on people who have issues with it,
(mainly myself). I have seen the ugliness that people hold, but the good people
have to offer regardless of their race, religion, political affiliation, sexual
orientation, or upbringing. I have been fortunate to meet some great people who
I will always cherish knowing, but others I really wish I could forget.
Regardless, all my experiences have made me who I am today and the ability to
explain it in my writing.
What
inspired you to author this book?
I’ve
always loved storylines with characters who have strong personality traits that
are different from each other but still get along; for example, the characters
of Buffy The Vampire Slayer, any superhero story. So, one day, I stepped
outside my office building to go to the post office. Across the street is a
massive Catholic church, with the rectory right next to it. Really, what
happened was a snowball effect. My thoughts first started to think of a person
who would stay at the church, who would be the most unlikely person. My brain
obviously went to a demon or gargoyle creature protecting the church, but why,
and eventually it would be seen, etc. So, then it just morphed into who would
be one of the last people who would want to live in a church. I came up with a
young, attractive girl, who was confident, dressed in Goth attire, and listened
to hard and loud music. Hence, the protagonist was born. This character and
setting just stuck in my head. On my way to work, I thought about why she would
stay there, what her life would be like, and why would the church allow it.
Then it came into different scenes she would get herself into. Then one day, I
wrote one of the scenes down, then another, and another. Then, for no
particular reason, I started writing and didn’t stop. I really wish I could
tell you that it was an emotional, life altering, epiphany, but it was just
that I wanted to produce a good story. It just started to flow, and kept on
going. My wife said it was a stress outlet for me, I guess she was right in
some ways. I can read this book series and see my influences in my life in
certain characters.
Where
did you get the inspiration for your book’s cover?
Once
I wrote the book and decided to publish it, the cover was easy for me to visualize.
The biggest problem was finding someone to do it. I tried local companies, but
they were charging an arm and a leg. Then someone told me to go to fiverr.com,
and I found a designer. She does all my work for the artwork for my Facebook
page, covers, and posters for the book. I give her a detailed explanation of
what I would like, and it goes from there.
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I wanted book covers that stood out, almost movie poster level. I was looking
for the reaction of, “What’s her story?” Then, when they read the book, I do
expect them to go, “Wow, I wasn't expecting that,” but in a good way. The cover
represents the growth of her throughout the books. In the first because, she
goes in facing the unknown. The second one shows she is confronting the Dark.
The third book has her walking confidently in her endeavors.
Who
has been the most significant influence on you personally and as a writer?
Everybody with who I come into contact has a significant influence on me. I like to mentally document certain traits, quirks, mannerisms, and especially the strengths of their personality. Someone would say something or I’ll witness a situation that I would jot down in a notebook I keep in my truck. I try to keep it real, as much as a fantasy novel allows it, and my biggest thing, I wanted to write about flawed characters that make mistakes. Some of them, quite drastic with consequences to match.
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Everybody with who I come into contact has a significant influence on me. I like to mentally document certain traits, quirks, mannerisms, and especially the strengths of their personality. Someone would say something or I’ll witness a situation that I would jot down in a notebook I keep in my truck. I try to keep it real, as much as a fantasy novel allows it, and my biggest thing, I wanted to write about flawed characters that make mistakes. Some of them, quite drastic with consequences to match.
There
is no single person that I can think of that I would want to “Look up” to
because of the fear of being let down. I can’t stand it when you look to people
who you think you know and then you are just let down. The saying “Never meet
your heroes” is so true, even if you already know who they are. I like to live
in my own little fantasy about people I respect; I don’t want to know the
truth.
As a
writer, there is not one I can think of that I try to use as a model. I think
I’m at an advantage that way because I just want to do my own thing. However,
there are people who I respect their opinion about the direction of the story.
There is a teacher in my hometown that I bounce ideas off of. He’s close to my
age, so he was never my teacher, but he’s my primary person to go to about the
direction I want to go. Initially, I had the story at a hard “R” rating, but
after discussion he explained to me why I should tone it down to the story it
is now. I am extremely proud of the product that was produced and there is room
for so much more in this universe.
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What
were your struggles or obstacles you had to overcome to get this book written?
I had
many struggles getting this book out. The main obstacle was my own self doubt.
I had the story completely written and sat on it for just under a year before I
even told anyone I wrote it. The way my wife found out was when the copyright
approval letter came into the mail. Then, I asked my sister to read it but she
was building a house and didn’t have time….I know right, excuses. But then she
suggested that I give it to her brother-in-law. I debated on it because even
though it was a draft, it was still my baby. I didn’t want anyone to tell me
that I was a fool to try doing something like this. I got a phone call saying
that he really enjoyed it. He suggested cleaning it up a bit with the vulgarity
and other stuff. Then with multiple and multiple rejections from publishers, a
small publishing company out of the UK, Fiction4All, picked it up. Once I got
over that obstacle, the big one is the marketing portion out there. The market
is so flooded with many books and different authors, which in a way, is good.
Authors really have to step up their game to give the consumer a genuine and
fantastic story to dive into, but on the other hand, it’s hard to get readers
to give you a chance.
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Tell
your readers about your book.
The
story is about the constant battle between the Lite and Dark. They must have
equal balance, and the Lite knows this. The Dark don’t care, they want to rule
over humans in this life and after. Too much Lite will cause humans to lose
their freewill, causing them to not gain access to Heaven, so the Lite sends
the Conduit of the Lite to distribute the correct amount of Lite. But, the Dark
has other plans, they send out Infiltrators, a mist that forms into a bear-like
creature of evil. They have two purposes, kill for no reason or inhabit willing
humans to become Demons. These Demons walk among us, both human and Dark, to
try to enslave humanity.
To battle such a force, God asks a select few throughout the world to battle
such creatures, these selfless warriors of the Lite are called “Lite Sentries.”
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In a small town, Alexandria Johnson (Alex) is a popular, small, petite, girl
who dresses in dark clothing with a hint of Goth to her. She is spunky,
confident, mouthy, and quick to swing a fist but equally as fast as to forgive.
She is approached by a strange man with a very large German Shepherd who acts
as a messenger of what is asked of her. She has the choice to either deny it
and go about her life, or accept the duty as a Lite Sentry.
She accepts the responsibility with open arms and then gets thrusted into a
world of angels, demons, and others who are knowledgeable in this war. The Council
of the Religions is a secret group of select clergy among all the religions of
the world who monitor this fight. They support the Lite Sentries in their fight
and help out where possible, but the majority of blood spilled is from those
who choose to hunt the Infiltrators and Demons.
Now, Alex faces consistent dangers from pure and raw evil while trying to
protect the ones she loves from harm; Some balances are easier to maintain than
others.
Who
is your target audience, and why?
I wanted to write a story that targeted a wide range for an audience. I still struggle to this day when I drop the book off at bookstores to place it on the shelves. Some bookstores have it in the Young Adult section while others have it the Fiction or Local Author section. I didn’t have the intent of a target audience, I just had an idea for a story that I wanted to put down. Not even getting it out in the public, like I said earlier, I finally took a shot. Now, I know I’m not JK Rowling, and no Stephan King. (I use those examples because their writing genres are a mixture of what this story is). Anyways, I know I’m not known, and I have realistic expectations. But I will say this, I carry a $100.00 bill in my wallet for the first person I see (in person) that I don’t know who has any of my books with them. I’ve had it with me for a while now, LOL.
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| BUY NOW ON AMAZON |
I wanted to write a story that targeted a wide range for an audience. I still struggle to this day when I drop the book off at bookstores to place it on the shelves. Some bookstores have it in the Young Adult section while others have it the Fiction or Local Author section. I didn’t have the intent of a target audience, I just had an idea for a story that I wanted to put down. Not even getting it out in the public, like I said earlier, I finally took a shot. Now, I know I’m not JK Rowling, and no Stephan King. (I use those examples because their writing genres are a mixture of what this story is). Anyways, I know I’m not known, and I have realistic expectations. But I will say this, I carry a $100.00 bill in my wallet for the first person I see (in person) that I don’t know who has any of my books with them. I’ve had it with me for a while now, LOL.
What
do you consider your greatest success in life?
Obviously,
my own personal greatest success that I hold personally is being the best
husband and father to my family. I thank God everyday for that, in a way, this
book pays tribute to Him for that. Now, don’t get me wrong, it doesn't have the
preaching tone of the Left Behind series, far from it. I get a bit nervous of
openly saying what I’m proud of in fear that it will be taken. I don’t know if
it is to teach me humility because I needed to be taken down a few pegs. I
don’t like to keep in company with people who brag about themselves. I have a
very bad habit of comparing myself to others. I constantly worry about how
others view me and to this day, it can keep me up at night. Again, that is the
main reason I used a pen name. I felt guilty because I kind of snapped at my
brother last month because he told me he told a classmate of mine (who was very
judgmental back then, but I’m sure he’s changed) that I wrote this series. That
fear of failure and the judging of others (in my mind anyways) keeps me from
stating any success I may think I have.
What
one unique thing sets you apart from other writers in your genre?
I would say the one thing that separates me from other authors in this genre is what my readers tell me about the story. The character development is fast, relatable, and the ability to fall into them. One reader told me it was nice because I didn’t spend three pages talking about the leaves on a tree. I tend to write fast-paced, with a touch of humor, and dealing with themes that young adults might encounter in life and that adults have witnessed. My goal was to make people as realistic as possible. The story is all about keeping the balance between the Lite and the Dark, but there are other balances that are in need of attention as well.
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| BUY NOW ON AMAZON |
I would say the one thing that separates me from other authors in this genre is what my readers tell me about the story. The character development is fast, relatable, and the ability to fall into them. One reader told me it was nice because I didn’t spend three pages talking about the leaves on a tree. I tend to write fast-paced, with a touch of humor, and dealing with themes that young adults might encounter in life and that adults have witnessed. My goal was to make people as realistic as possible. The story is all about keeping the balance between the Lite and the Dark, but there are other balances that are in need of attention as well.
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| BUY NOW ON AMAZON |
