#TuesdayswithTaryn Dustin Stevens

Tuesdays with Taryn

Dustin Stevens

What book(s) most influenced you as a writer?

I tend to go more by author than individual book, so I'll find someone I like and plow through everything they've ever written.  These include Lee Child, John Sandford, Clive Cussler, Kathy Reichs, James Lee Burke and am currently working through the CJ Box novels.

What book do you read over and over again?

I'm not sure that I've ever re-read a book.  I like going into the library and grabbing something new and random.  If I were to revisit something though, it would probably be one of the Dirk Pitt novels by Cussler or Billy Bob Holland novels by Burke.

Tuesday Trio-

I'll preface this by saying I don't really have favorites of any of these things, just whatever seems to grab me at the moment.  That being said, catching my interests this week are…

1)      Movie-  Leatherheads.  Vaudeville style football comedy set in the Roaring 20's starring John Krasinksi and George Clooney.  Can't beat it.

2)      Music- Somethin Bout a Truck - Kip Moore.  I recently completed a 1,500 mile road trip through the Rockies and must have heard this song a hundred times.  Never got old.

3)      Decadent Dessert- Living in Hawaii, we have some interesting desserts that just aren't found on the mainland.  The coco puffs from Liliha Bakery and Malasadas from Leonard's are both fantastic, but at the moment I'm big on the Hula Pie from the Duke's in Waikiki.  Google it, you won't be sorry.

What’s the most interesting or bizarre bit of trivia you’ve learned from researching for a novel?

A lot of the time I will try to include new or exotic angles into my stories just so I have the excuse to research them.  Recently I've come across two interesting bits of random trivia.  First, chimpanzees have photographic memories.  I haven't yet had any call to use that one, but rest assured I will try.  Second, apparently when the boogeyman goes to bed at night, he checks under his bed for Chuck Norris.  Makes sense when you stop to think about it really.

Novel on your Nightstand:

Who/what are you currently reading?

Right now there are a trio of books waiting to be read.  First is CJ Box's Free Fire, a wilderness/legal thriller set in Yellowstone Park.  Second is Rusty Nail, an offering from JA Konrath, resident hero to ebook authors everywhere.  Third is No Angel, a non-fiction piece from the only ATF agent to every infiltrate the Hell's Angels.

Whom would you cast as your Hero & Heroine if your book became a movie?

The main characters in this one are high school students, so the actors would have to be around that age.  For the male lead, probably Alexander Ludwig, who played Cato in The Hunger Games. As for the female, maybe Hayden Panettiere?

Blurb:

Huntsville, Ohio is the kind of place young boys dream of growing up.  A small town where football players are the top of the social hierarchy and heroes are held in high esteem long after their final game is played.

For the past three years, Clay Hendricks has realized that dream unlike few others.  As the starting quarterback for the Hornets, he has dated the head cheerleader, been greeted by name everywhere he went and served as the visible leader of the community as a whole.

Now, faced with his final game, Clay is forced to actually make peace with the impending conclusion of it all.  In doing so, he slowly starts to realize that what he was doing all those years was far greater than just playing quarterback and that the impact football has had on himself, his family, and his community is far greater than being just a game.

You can find out more about Dustin on his 

WEBSITE
(if link takes you to a temporary landing page, rest assured, Dustin will have his site up soon)

Just a Game is scheduled for release from Turquoise Morning Press July 2012

 I will update and add buy links when they become available.