A New Beginning looks like fantastic fantasy
series. How far along is book 2 and how
many do you plan for the series?
Book two is currently getting its first pass of editing.
After that, it will go to beta readers, then back to the editor for a final
pass. Book three has been plotted and I’ve started writing. Unfortunately,
marketing and nervousness for A New Beginning have taken up much of my time
this month. My circle of friends is taking social distancing very seriously, so
my nights and weekends have given me much more time to write and plot than I
have in the past.
How did you come up with the story in A New Beginning?
One
thing that I found missing in fantasy novels was a warlock protagonist. It
seems like so many fantasy novels have characters who swing big melee weapons,
use a sword and shield, or some other melee attack and if they are a magic
user, they’re a mage. The exception being those books with warlocks who summon
harems of succubi, which isn’t this book.
So, after coming up with the characters, I started crafting
an adventure for them. The first book is kind of a homage to many of those
first quests you get when starting a level one character in your favorite
fantasy RPG. Go kill some goblins, thieves, wolves, rats, etc.
What can you tell us about Vexx White?
Vexx
is a young, cocky warlock who desires fame above all else. He has a few innate
skills and abilities, but he still has much to learn. In the first book, he
thinks that fire magic will solve all his problems. For goblins, rats, and
petty thieves, that might work, but he’ll need to learn to expand on his other
skills and abilities as well for future battles. His goal is to become a
renowned dungeoneer, and Vexx definitely won’t let a few corpses get in his way.
What inspired you when writing A New Beginning?
I
don’t think there was any one specific thing that inspired me. I would say one
of my recent Dungeons & Dragons campaigns was a big inspiration. I enjoy
the character growth and comradery of D&D in general and tried to reflect
that in A New Beginning. Some of the quests and other events were inspired by
ones I’ve come across in other media.
When writing A New Beginning did anything stand
out as particularly challenging?
I
would say keeping the humorous tone. I wanted this to be less serious than a
lot of other fantasy novels out there. Something close to the feel you’d get
while having a beer and playing D&D with some friends.
Ultimately, it has gone exceptionally smoothly. In the past,
I’ve had small ideas for other books or series, but was unable to convert them
into a full series or even a novel. With A New Beginning, the ideas just kept
flowing. The only other challenge for this series has been character skill
progression. I want to give Vexx and his friends powerful abilities, but it’s a
balancing act between the characters’ strength and the difficulty of their
upcoming challenges.
What do you like to do when not writing?
I enjoy playing video games, reading other novels, cooking, and
spending too much time on Reddit. I just finished The Murderbot Diaries
by Martha Wells. I’m also currently playing World of Warcraft in preparation
for its new expansion, Shadowlands. Marketing also takes up a lot of my time
these days! Tim O’Reilly once said, “Obscurity is a far greater threat to
authors than piracy.” And I believe it. New authors need to invest either a ton
of money or their own time into getting the word of their book out.
Where can readers find out more about your work?
My
website, jetwrites.com, has the most up-to-date information. I can also be
found on twitter, @jet_writes. Readers can also reach me through e-mail if they
have any questions or feedback, Hello@jetwrites.com.
