Stephen Brayton
What’s your genre?
Mystery and horror
Are you published?
Indie press
What inspired you to become a writer?
I’ve been an avid reader since I was a child. At some point, I thought that I could write what I’ve been reading. I created a police detective. Years later, I changed the man to a woman, added in my martial arts experience, and created a heroine. Currently, I have eight books in the series in various stages of completion
What authors do you admire and how have they inspired your writing?
H. P. Lovecraft—The mythos he’s created has inspired writers for decades. I became a big fan of horror writing and keep him in mind whenever I write short horror. I even mentioned him in my novel, Night Shadows.
Franklin W. Dixon—While not a “real” person, this team of writers created The Hardy Boys (and Nancy Drew). I latched onto this series and became a mystery fan as a child. The two brothers who never age throughout the series have stayed with me, and I still read them.
Name three of your favorite books and their authors
At The Mountains Of Madness by H. P. Lovecraft
Relic by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child
Killing Floor by Lee Child
What’s one thing readers should know about you?
I’m a Sixth Degree Black Belt and certified instructor in taekwondo with over 30 years experience.
What one piece of advice would you give to a budding writer?
You can do all the research and outlining and character profiling you want, but at some point, you have to turn off the distractions, put pen to paper or fingers on the keyboard and WRITE. If it’s important, you’ll make the time. If it’s not, you’ll make excuses.
Author Bio
Stephen L. Brayton is a Sixth Degree Black Belt in the American Taekwondo Association and a Marketing Associate for a software company.
He began writing as a child; his first short story concerned a true incident about his reactions to discipline. During high school, he wrote for the school newspaper and was a photographer for the yearbook. For a Mass Media class, he wrote and edited a video project.
Current publications include Alpha, the first of his Mallory Petersen action mystery series, and Night Shadows, the first in a supernatural series featuring a homicide detective and an FBI agent.
He is the editor and contributing author of The Peace Tree Mystery, a story set in the Knoxville, Iowa/Lake Red Rock area.
