Author: JONATHAN FESMIRE

Author's website address: http://www.jonathanfesmire.com/

Books in Print: Children of Rhatlan, Tamshi’s Imp, Seeds of Vision, and Amber in the Over World

Books in Process: Women of Moreri

Welcome Jonathan,

1. When and why did you begin writing?
I started making up fantastic stories when I was in preschool, before I could write at all. I’d illustrate them and have one of my parents or a teacher write in what I dictated. In grammar school, I began reading voraciously, and began writing my own stories in middle school. Even then, I loved fantasy and had the urge to create stories myself.

2. What inspired you to write your first book?
That depends on what you call my first book! I wrote a novelette and a novella my senior year of high school, for my creative writing class. I then wrote a novel during my first couple years of college. Those books aren’t in print for a reason! They were excellent practice, but my first novel that I really feel belongs in print is Children of Rhatlan.

What inspired me to write it was that I had already written a couple of stories about duals. I came up with the concept back in 1995. I loved the idea and felt that it had a lot of potential that I wanted to explore. Plus, I loved, and still love, the main characters.

3. How did you approach writing your first book?
I wrote the first draft in about a month and a half. Believe me, it was definitely what you’d call a rough draft. After some excellent comments and criticism, I let the story mature in my mind for a few months. When I got back to it, I decided to write the book from scratch. It’s the same basic story, just much better. Also, some of the ideas I came up with in the first draft didn’t find their way into the final draft, but will appear in the sequel, Women of Moreri.

4. Who or what influenced your writing?
Many people, books, and so on have influenced my writing over the years. I learned a lot of the basics from my high school creative writing teacher, Jim Weir, and gained an increased appreciation for literature from my English teacher that same year, Steve Wong. Since then I’ve been influenced by writers I enjoy, some excellent books on writing, and many of my writer friends, including Kevin Andrew Murphy, Elizabeth Barrette, Steve Savile, and Steve Lazarowitz. I must give special mention to Lee Killough, who I was lucky enough to have as a writing teacher through correspondence. She has a lasting influence on my style.

5. Why do you continue to write?
I think a lot of writers would give you the same answer I’m about to: I’m driven to write. I can’t not write. Even when I’m taking a break from fiction, I fill my personal journal and my blogs with my thoughts. I also correspond with friends via e-mail and write book reviews. I find fiction the most rewarding, though.

6. What do you hope to accomplish through your writing?
Through my writing, I hope to have fun, entertain as many people as possible, share my perspective on the world with others, make good supplemental income for my family, and leave something behind for future generations.

7. What has been your experience as a published writer?
That’s a big question! It’s had high and low points, for certain. Some high points: getting a story accepted for Marion Zimmer Bradley’s Fantasy Magazine, being asked to create ten background characters for a comic and being paid $200 to do it (sadly, that comic never saw print though), and receiving many glowing reviews of my books. Some of the low points: difficulties with my first two publishers, and big agents signing me on because they liked my work but the publishing houses virtually ignoring my work. That’s why I finally decided to take hold of my career and self publish.

8. How do you promote your book(s)?
I mostly promote through MySpace. That’s been a fairly successful avenue. I keep a blog about my creative work. Now and then, I post bulletins when I’ve been reviewed, interviewed, or am going to make an appearance. Plus, I’ve made some good friends there, which is a wonderful bonus.

I also have postcards for Children of Rhatlan, which I had printed up several years ago. I still have a few thousand of them! I also ordered cheap business cards through Vista Print, but formatted them as bookmarks, for Tamshi’s Imp and Amber in the Over World. They have a bit of cover art and basic information about each book on the front, and calendars on the back.

I seek out reviewers and interviewers, which also helps to get the word out about my books.

9. What advice would you like to share with other writers?
Mostly, the basic advice: write and read often. Learn correct grammar and, if you’re submitting to magazines or publishers, read and follow their guidelines.

As far as publishing goes, consider many options. Getting published through a major house is one way to go, but it’s not the only way. If you choose to self publish, make sure your book is as good or better than books by the major publishers. Take the craft seriously, and people will take you seriously.

10. Any other comments you would like to add?
I want to thank you for the interview opportunity! The reviews, I knew were coming! This was a great, unexpected surprise!

Thank you for your time!

Interviewer: Kaye Trout - July 11, 2006 - Copyright