Q&A with James A. West:
I’d like to introduce you to an amazing new author! James A.
West has written two novels in his Heirs of the Fallen series. I have begun
reading the first book of the series, The God King, and am seriously impressed.
Don’t miss out on reading West’s books! Read the following Q&A for a
glimpse of his writing style and general amazingness. Seriously, you won’t
regret it.
First,
can you tell us a little about yourself?
My family moved around a lot when I was growing up.
I spent time in Northern California and all over Oregon. I lived in southeast
Alaska for several years, as well as North and South Carolina, and also
Florida. After marrying my high school sweetheart, I joined the Army and was
stationed in Hawaii, which allowed me to spend some time in Australia and Haiti.
After I left the military, my wife and I decided to
earn some extra college money by driving eighteen-wheelers. Logging close to
1,000 miles a day as a team, we drove over nearly every mile of interstate
America has to offer, before settling in Montana to go back to school. After
graduation, we spent a year in New Mexico, before finally coming back to
Montana.
As far as hobbies I enjoy woodworking, fly-fishing,
and Halo! My wife and I have what we call battle weekends, where we play Halo
together on the Xbox. And, of course, I love reading. I started reading what
most would consider adult fiction by the time I was 8 or 9 years old. I’d pick
up Louis L’Amour, Tom Clancy, any number of romance books, and whatever else
was around the house. When I was 13, my aunt introduced me to The Talisman, by
Stephen King and Peter Straub, and that book changed my life. I always liked
fantastical movies, but had never read any fantasy. In a very real sense, The
Talisman, and other works by Stephen King, opened a door for me to explore not
just the real world, but completely different worlds born from dreams, desires,
and fears.
When
writing a novel, how do you approach it? Do you plan it out first or do you
just sit down and write it?
I usually do a rough outline, with
bullet points serving as guideposts. Having said that, the story always ends up
taking over. Experience has taught me to keep a light but steady hand on the
reins. If I give the story its head it will gallop off, turning an otherwise
tight story into a rambling series of events that fail to drive the plot. If I
am too firm my writing loses vitality, color, becomes formulaic. The cool thing
is that if I end up somewhere really interesting that does not fit with the
story, I can cut it, then explore that idea/place/person in depth in another
story. In that way, I do a lot of recycling :)
What
kind of research do you do for your novels, if any?
Reading, pure and simple, though it’s rare that I perform
research specific to a given novel. If I find something even remotely
interesting, be it fiction, nonfiction, and anything between, I read it, absorb
it, then let all those ideas blend together until they become a kind of mutated
stew sloshing around inside my skull. After that, I add a dash of imagination
(that glorious What if? question) and
see what happens.
What
is your greatest challenge as a writer?
At the risk of sounding off my
rocker, when I am writing, my fictional worlds become real to me. When I’m
really steaming along, what I see outside the window becomes the false reality.
I’ve gotten used to that, but when I first began writing, I found it unnerving
to go to places like the grocery store after a long stretch at the keyboard. I’d
get the strong impression the people picking over fruit and vegetables were not
people at all, but holograms. As a writer, the challenge for me is pulling back
long enough to live my real life. So far, I’ve always managed to get back to
our world, safe and sound ;)
When
you finished your first novel, how did you feel?
Awesome! To be sure, there’s
always worry that I did not adequately translate into words the vision I had of
the story in my mind, but in finishing a novel, despite any reservations I might
have about the project, it means I get to begin again.
What,
in your opinion, makes a great story?
I like stories that take me away, show me things in ways I
had never looked at them. I also like strong characters. Whether they are a
character I really hate, or really love, I need to feel that to get into the
story. If I don’t care about the characters, I find I lose interest in the
story.
What
inspires you to write?
Life. There is no way around it. I see and hear
things every day that make me wonder What
if? Within that simple question awaits worlds ripe for exploration
Do
you have a specific thing you do when you write? Anything you just NEED to help
you write better?
Music.
Heavy Metal drives me through the first draft of all my novels. First off, I
write early, starting around 4:30 a.m. and I don’t have time to wait around for
the coffee to kick in. A hard driving song throws me into a writing frenzy. After
that first draft, the volume comes down and I’ll seek out mood music for
various chapters. On my last draft, absolute solitude and quiet become my best
friends—at this point, the story is there, and it needs my full, undivided
attention.
What
is your favorite genre of reading and who is your favorite author?
I tend to read just about any genre, though I always
come back to the weird and fantastical. Some people call this escapism. I call
it exploration.
As far as a favorite author, Stephen King will
always hold a special place in my heart. For me, he’s one of those rare authors
who could write a compelling story about anything, be it a bowl of apples or a
kid delivering newspapers. I dare say he could entertain me with a tale about
drying paint.
Do
you have any last thoughts or comments you would like to add for the readers?
Any advice for writers?
Readers, I thank you! It’s humbling and absolutely
amazing to be able to share my visions with you all. I truly hope you enjoy
them as much as I enjoyed creating them.
Writers have all heard they need to read in order to
write. I agree. However, I think writing is more crucial to the craft. Reading allows
a writer to pick up some dandy tips and tricks, but writing is pure invention
and creativity. Long before I could read, I created satisfying worlds and games
to amuse myself. Most of us did. By the process of writing, even if it turns out
to be drivel, you begin to flex a muscle that started atrophying during
adolescence. Keep writing and working that muscle, force it to grow. By all
means nourish it by reading, but write and write, and never stop!
Smashwords Bio:
Author page of anti-fantasy
epic fantasy writer James A. West! If you like leaner, fast-paced anti-fantasy,
you've come to the right place. What is anti-fantasy you ask? It's the new
fantasy! Shorter stand-alone books that go somewhere, no elves, dwarves, or
dragons, and definitely no heroes or orphaned farm boys that save the day at
the last minute.
When James was thirteen years old he read The
Talisman, by Stephen King and Peter Straub, and a seed of an idea was planted
that someday he, too, would create different worlds and realities.
After a stint in the US Army, a year as a
long-haul truck driver, and a couple as a log home builder, he enrolled at the
University of Montana. There, he majored in Psychology and, by chance, took a
creative writing course that allowed him to revisit that old seed of an idea of
creating worlds. Words started to flow, and worlds were born.
After college, he started a small woodworking
business with the express purpose of using it to fund his writing journey.
James lives in Montana with his wife and his
bodyguard, a Mini-Schnauzer named Jonesy.
Impressed
yet??
Check
out James A. West’s blog or follow him on Twitter.
Want
to read his work??
