{"id":4420,"date":"2017-10-11T08:31:34","date_gmt":"2017-10-11T12:31:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sfreader.com\/r\/?p=4420"},"modified":"2017-10-24T07:12:00","modified_gmt":"2017-10-24T11:12:00","slug":"interview-with-bruce-hale-by-crystalwizard","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sfreader.com\/r\/industry-news\/interviews\/interview-with-bruce-hale-by-crystalwizard\/","title":{"rendered":"Interview with Bruce Hale, by CrystalWizard"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"bruce<\/a> What inspired you to create the Monstertown Mystery series?<\/strong><\/p>\n

As kids, my best friend Billy and I were serious monster lovers. \u00a0I had the hand-painted models of Frankenstein\u2019s Monster, Wolfman, and the Mummy, and we knew every Universal monster movie by heart. \u00a0In fact, the first book I ever wrote (in second grade) was The Two Brothers At Monstertown. Once I grew up and became an author, I tried several times to turn my early Monstertown tale into a picture book or easy reader, and failed miserably. \u00a0Then, after a school visit during which I\u2019d showed the group my 2nd grade book, one boy said, why don\u2019t you make it into a mystery? \u00a0Duh. \u00a0That was the answer.<\/p>\n

They say write what you know – have you ever encountered a real monster?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Thankfully not. \u00a0I\u2019ve met a few awful people and once I saw a shark when I was swimming in the ocean. \u00a0But no monsters yet.<\/p>\n

If you had to switch places with one of your characters – which one would it be and why?<\/strong><\/p>\n

It would probably be Chet Gecko. \u00a0I’ve always thought it might be fun to be a private eye. \u00a0(Plus, the ability to crawl up walls is pretty cool.)<\/p>\n

How old were you when you first began to write?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I wrote the usual stories in grade school, like any kid. \u00a0But then I abandoned writing for drawing, and didn\u2019t come back to it until after college. \u00a0As an adult, I first began writing freelance magazine and newspaper articles in my mid-20s. \u00a0I didn\u2019t try my hand at fiction until my 30s.<\/p>\n

Who inspires you the most? Why?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I\u2019d have to say my readers. \u00a0Hearing their enthusiasm for my stories always keeps me going.<\/p>\n

You have a number of books in print – have you written any short stories or screen plays?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Sure, I\u2019ve written several short stories for collections such as Guys Read and Been There, Done That. \u00a0One time, my Chet Gecko book was optioned to be made into a movie, and I got to write the screenplay, but ultimately they couldn\u2019t raise the money to produce it. \u00a0Still, it was a fun creative stretch to write in the screenplay style and explore that type of storytelling.<\/p>\n

Who is your favorite author – besides yourself.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Too many favorites to pick just one, but here are some that I return to again and again:<\/p>\n