Hello everyone! It’s time to reveal the answers for all 12 questions answered by 12 author participants in the April Group Author Interview, in the 12 genres, 12 authors, 12 months and 12 questions series! The support from Fantasy/Sci-fi authors was amazing as we have 12 authors participating in this group author interview.

If you are an author and would like to participate in our upcoming interviews, check out this link, sign up and get your fans to ask their questions to the participating authors! The goal of this author interview is to increase the engagement between readers and authors, and to expose authors to new group of readers.

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So, the 3rd question is “How do you get your ideas?”

Some of my ideas come from thing I read or watch, and others come from interactions with people. There’s a lot in the world to inspire you if you pay attention and learn how to make it your own.

Mostly from what I would like to see. Like “It would be cool if…” Other than that, it’s usually a mix of the media I consume and my personal musings.

Whenever I have writer’s block, I go onto Pinterest and look up key words from my novel, which then beings up images related to it. I usually just scroll through those images for a while until I’m ready to get back to writing.

Most of my ideas are rooted in the worlds of others and the world around me. I live in a gorgeous part of the world. The waterfalls that play a prominent part of my first book Talismans, and in the third book, Life Giver, that is about to come out, are directly from walks behind the falls that is up the road from me. I love certain characters in David Brin’s work, Anne McCaffrey, Patricia McKillip and others. I take one aspect of that character and try to build someone new, but with that person’s character flaws or traits. Also, as I said above, I go on a journey with my character, knowing what new aspect I want them to change, and wait for the inspiration to strike once I arrive.

Oh, my. Everywhere and anything! (I think.) I’m not one who believes writing is some-sort of mystical and mysterious thing that only comes when the Muses bless you. Often times, I write stories that ask a question that I personally want to explore the answer to–if there even is an answer.

When I was first deployed, I was missing my new wife and newborn baby girl tremendously. With late night D&D sessions off duty, it led to a recurring dream about being lost on an island with my wife and daughter. As my family grew, the dream expanded, but it always happened when I was deployed. On my last deployment, I decided to write down my dream and it developed into my novel, Forever Avalon. The funny thing is, after I finished my novel, I stopped having the dream.

Sci-Fi movies, magazines and personal deep thinking

Some of my ideas come from my imagination, while others come from my dreams. Many come from me seeing the world in a way that is unusual and sort of strange. I think outside the box, and I write outside the box. I use my own style, and I am not afraid to break rules I have read that are supposed to guide writers in a particular direction. I like to make up my own rules as I go, and my characters seem to be that way, as well.

Most of my stories are character driven, so figuring out who they are and what they want was important. Developing the characters–knowing what drives them–helps determine how to get the most out of them as well as what has to happen in the story.

Most of it comes from my background in the Atlanta adult entertainment/nightclub scene.

Sometimes, it’s as simple as something that happened to me in the last week.

By listening to music, observing what’s around me and looking at fantasy photographs.

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Best regards,

Jasveena

Founder of International Book Promotion

Hello everyone! It’s time to reveal the answers for all 12 questions answered by 12 author participants in the April Group Author Interview, in the 12 genres, 12 authors, 12 months and 12 questions series! The support from Fantasy/Sci-fi authors was amazing as we have 12 authors participating in this group author interview.

If you are an author and would like to participate in our upcoming interviews, check out this link, sign up and get your fans to ask their questions to the participating authors! The goal of this author interview is to increase the engagement between readers and authors, and to expose authors to new group of readers.

We are now a registered book publisher too! Sign up for our newsletter and CLAIM your FREE book trailer today!

So, the 1st question is “How do you create such a complex, fantasy world within your story?”

Well, I’ve generally stayed away from the heavy fantasy of Tolkien and the like, mainly because I’m not quite as interested in the epic sword and sorcery type fantasy. I prefer to write about magic and fantasy happening in the ‘real’ world. It’s a lot of fun imagining how fantasy could turn the modern world upside down! But at the same time, it’s also a great base that gives you an existing world and lets you create a completely opposite world as well.

I start with the concept of the story and build the world around it. Then I mix what is ‘realistic’ in a world like that (different countries, animals, etc.) with what’s interesting and cool.

My world isn’t all that complex. The only thing that’s unusual is the people and animals.

The first time I made a fantasy world, I drew a map and then made up stories about how this place started and then became ruins, when this mountain erupted, what kind of dragons would live here. Then I shifted it to focus on the characters. I took the weakest, most pathetic, little mousy girl and wondered what would turn her into an enchantress queen. What experiences would be required to force her out of her mundane existence and launch her into those changes. That thought process led to the Heart Stones, magic judgement talismans, that activate her innate gifts, monitor her motivations and open her to new experiences in magic. Next, the need to travel on the Hero’s Journey, means she is going to encounter a variety of magical creatures, people and experiences. These pop up like dandelions as I arrive to each one. I don’t actually plan that part, other than knowing she must meet new challenges. Because of this, the fantasy world is revealed to me just as much as it is to my character.

This is a tough question, so much planning goes into creating a fantasy world. I think it depends on the story, as far as how much detail I include. I think a mistake writers often make is including unnecessary details about the world that have nothing to do with the plot or have no effect on the character(s). Sometimes, the cliche phrase, “Less is more,” rings true. When something affects the plot or a character in the story, then I make sure to expand upon it. I often start with the little things, then build my way up to more complex topics–or the other way around! World-building is an ongoing process and I don’t have all the details until, usually, after the first, or even the second, draft. When I’m stuck, I ask myself, “What’s necessary for the reader to understand the plot or this character(s)?”

I played a lot of Dungeons and Dragons in my youth and early in my Navy career. Being able to create elaborate worlds, characters, and dungeons helped me in the creative process of world-building. I get my inspiration from books, movies, and anime. it feeds the creative juices in me and helps me develop my stories.

The power of esoteric assertions

I create my fantasy worlds within our actual earth world. I use flawed characters who do very stupid and unpredictable things with and to other extremely flawed characters. I like fantasy mixed with horror. My first novel, Twelve Steps Past Hell, is a good example. It is a great mix of horror and scifi. With a few plot twists to keep the reader interested it comes to an unforgettable ending that is surprising and pleasing to the reader.

I wrote about what I loved and what interested me. I like culture and languages, so it was fun to develop people groups inspired by these interests. I also wanted to develop a world that ‘felt real’–relatable and familiar–but that had elements of fantasy and the supernatural in it.

My storyline in Whiskey, Blood, and Magic centers around clubs, strip bars, and the gothic sex fantasy mansion in the mountains. It’s what the book called for.

Sometimes, I take elements from everything I see and hear, whether in the news or real life or other stories, I’ve read.

I don’t have a strict process. The story comes to me in pieces or glimmers and I write them down. I do try to keep outlines and detailed notes on the characters and places within the world. This can get challenging sometimes.

Stay tuned for the next post. Be sure to follow this website via email to get notified when new posts are being made.

Be sure to Sign up for our newsletter and CLAIM your FREE book trailer today!

Best regards,

Jasveena

Founder of International Book Promotion

Hello everyone! It’s time to reveal the answers for all 12 questions answered by 12 author participants in the April Group Author Interview, in the 12 genres, 12 authors, 12 months and 12 questions series! The support from Fantasy/Sci-fi authors was amazing as we have 12 authors participating in this group author interview.

If you are an author and would like to participate in our upcoming interviews, check out this link, sign up and get your fans to ask their questions to the participating authors! The goal of this author interview is to increase the engagement between readers and authors, and to expose authors to new group of readers.

We are now a registered book publisher too! Sign up for our newsletter and CLAIM your FREE book trailer today!

So, the 1st question is “What made you become a writer?”

I was always a heavy reader growing up; I’ve read everything from fantasy to sci-fi to horror, and beyond. It all made me want to create stories and worlds of my own.

I began writing as a hobby, just to have fun/be creative. It went from small to large and so on and just kept growing to the point that I basically had a book written. From then on, I looked into it seriously and realized I love creating worlds and characters.

Ever since I was little, I was always in love with the idea of reading and storytelling and since kindergarten, I’ve known that I’ve wanted to write a story of my own.

I grew up in a family of artists, and writing just seemed to go right along with the drawing, painting, carving, sculpting and photography that everyone else did. It had the added advantage of not being in direct competition with siblings. It also featured the wonderful aspect of being ‘not observable’. People couldn’t just walk by and say, “I like it”, or “that’s dreadful”. They actually have to engage the story before they can make a judgement. Plus, grandma had this absolutely delightful manual typwriter that made fun clicking sounds.

I’ve always been entranced with stories from a young age and couldn’t resist writing my own. It started with poetry, then branched out to short stories, novellas, then novels. It wasn’t until I went to university that I seriously considered pursuing writing, and I had many wonderful people who encouraged me to do so, too, which was helpful, since writing can often be such a solitary endeavor.

I joined the U.S. Navy right out of high school as a Navy Journalist. In that role, I had the opportunity to write a variety of things from news articles to feature stories about the people ad places I experienced in my Navy career. That led me to writing on my own and developing my writing style as an author.

The need to create impact in the lives of people

I enjoy the creative process, as well as the rewards of being appreciated as a writer.

I just always loved reading and writing. I liked the idea of making up my own worlds and characters and sharing them with readers. Writing also allowed me to think more deeply about things and explore complex ideas.

I start trying to create comic books in the sixth grade and realized the writing is what I really enjoyed.

I still felt like writing after completing my Ph.D. dissertation but wanted to do something completely different.

Since I was a small child, I’ve enjoyed telling stories. I also love playing around with words and word combinations. Putting the two together is challenging and fun.

Stay tuned for the next post. Be sure to follow this website via email to get notified when new posts are being made.

Be sure to Sign up for our newsletter and CLAIM your FREE book trailer today!

Best regards,

Jasveena

Founder of International Book Promotion