Q&A with J. Gabriel Gates discussion

Hey guys! I'm going to kick off this Q & A by inviting some questions from you all. What would you like to know? It can be about writing process, the business of publishing, or any of my books. Fire away!

Who or what was your inspiration behind this book?

I have two questions! I was wondering who your favorite character is in The Sleepwalkers? I just adored Bean! A couple of times he had me laughing so hard out loud! Also, in regard to the martial arts aspect in Dark Territory, have you studied any forms of martial arts? Is that why you included that in your story? :)

Was it difficult to write the creepy parts in Sleepwalkers? Also, did you get creeped out while writing it? Just wondering :-)

Wendy Lovetiggi wrote: "Who or what was your inspiration behind this book?"

It was originally an idea for a TV show. It came to me when my ex girlfriend and her buddies were watching Degrassi and the OC and I was taking kung fu. I thought: "wouldn't it be awesome if there was a teen drama with kung fu? That would be truly epic." They thought the idea was kind of weird at the time, but it ended up being the inspiration for "The Tracks."

Branwen wrote: "I have two questions! I was wondering who your favorite character is in The Sleepwalkers? I just adored Bean! A couple of times he had me laughing so hard out loud! Also, in regard to the martial a..."

First, The Sleepwalkers: I like Bean, too. Everyone loves Bean. What's not to love? He's a lovable guy! I like Ron Bent too, though. He's so human, it's beautiful. Sometimes I wonder how he came out of my head...

As for the martial arts in Dark Territory, I take Wing Chun Kung Ku at the Battle Creek Traditional Wing Chun Club with sifu Robert Vahovic. I also took it for a while years ago with I was living in LA. It's an amazing art and it's been a lot of fun to learn. I might add that being an author has to be the coolest job in the world - I mean, I get to learn kung fu as part of my professional research. Who does that? What a life!

Jackie wrote: "Was it difficult to write the creepy parts in Sleepwalkers? Also, did you get creeped out while writing it? Just wondering :-)"

Hi Jackie. There were some parts of The Sleepwalkers that were pretty creepy to write - particularly the part where they're in the catacombs under the Dream Center. The Sleepwalkers was one of the easiest writing processes I've ever gone through, because there were several spots where I had to keep writing. How could I leave characters in such frightening scenarios? I had to get them out, and fast. That sense of urgency made the book fun - and easy - to write.