Interview with Christian Sebastian, Author of The Last Hunt

What’s the story behind the story? What inspired you to write The Last Hunt?

A man at the end of his Octobers. A boy who shows up anyway. A mountain that keeps score in bones and weather. It’s about debt, mercy, and choosing to leave the world larger than you found it.

If you had to pick theme songs for the main characters of The Last Hunt, what would they be?

Silas: “Hurt” — Johnny Cash. Old pain. Last season.
Eli: “Learning to Fly” — Tom Petty. First steps that count.
The Stag / The Clearing: “Spiegel im Spiegel“ — Arvo Pärt. Holy, patient, inevitable.

What’s your favorite genre to read? Is it the same as your favorite genre to write?

Lean literary fiction with weather in it—work, wilderness, injury, grace. Yes. That’s the lane.

What books are on your TBR pile right now?

The River (Peter Heller), Returning to Earth (Jim Harrison), Arctic Dreams (Barry Lopez), The Meadow (James Galvin), and Winter in the Blood (James Welch)

What scene in your book was your favorite to write?

The clearing. Rifles ready. The look. The lowered muzzle. A quiet choice that echoes louder than a shot.

Do you have any quirky writing habits? (lucky mugs, cats on laps, etc.)

Pre-dawn. Black coffee in a dented cup. One page longhand before I touch a keyboard. Read it out loud. Cut anything that feels like showing off.

Do you have a motto, quote, or philosophy you live by?

Leave the world larger.

If you could choose one thing for readers to remember after reading your book, what would it be?

Not every victory requires the trigger. Keep something impossible alive.

Christian Sebastian is the author of the new book The Last Hunt

Buy The Book