Today's guest on the blog is NineStar Press author J.C. Long. His most recently published works are the novel Tiki Torches and Treasure, a Gabe Maxfield mystery, and the short story "Hula Dancers and Hauntings" in the NineStar Press Halloween collection. Thanks for stopping by today, J.C.!

Where do your ideas come from: dreams, real life, music, literature?

My ideas come from a lot of different places. It just honestly depends on the idea. Sometimes they strike me while I’m riding a bus (this happens most frequently) just out of nowhere. Sometimes a song or a video game may inspire me. Inspiration is as varied as there are ideas. My current WIP was very much inspired by my love of Japanese history.

What genre do you tend to write in the most? What is it about the genre that continues to inspire you?

I tend to right mysteries or suspense, and that suits me well I think. I love the idea of following a trail to its conclusion, of letting the story unwind in a way that reveals itself little by little to the readers. What’s better than a read that keeps you guessing, or keeps you on the edge of your seat, turning pages?

Tell us about your most recent works and why you're proud of them.

I’m proud of all of my works. I continue to love my Hong Kong Nights series, even when it’s a pain in the butt to write. I feel like it’s a series that is so interconnected, depending so much on the people and the elements of the city that it’s set in that it’s a real task to keep things authentic while still being mine. I feel like I’ve accomplished that fairly well, and readers like the stories, so that makes me happy.

Having lived in so many different countries has to have been a wonderful resource for your writing. Do you set most of your stories in places you've traveled, or do you create your own worlds using these countries as a framework?

I’ve definitely taken knowledge from each of the places I’ve built and used it to influence my writing. I think it’s helped me to create more realistic characters, which is something an author should always strive for. I’ve not yet used the countries as a fictional framework, though I am currently writing a story that is set in one of those countries I’ve lived.

I usually ask writers what their animal mascot or avatar would be, and I've seen in your bio that you are a corgi fanatic! Would these gorgeously stubby pups be your alter ego? If not, what would you pick to represent you and your writing?

Yes. I think my animal mascot would be a corgi, without a doubt.

Thank you so much for taking the time to stop by the blog today. Where can readers interact with you on the web?

I’m always on Twitter, @j_c_long_author, and www.facebook.com/authorjclong