Heather’s Bookshelf: Author Interview with JD Grubb
Book Title: Three Shades
Released: 04/02/23
Genre: Adult Fantasy
Interview by Heather L. Barksdale
What inspired you to write “Three Shades”?
Grubb: It began during the Covid-19 pandemic with a conversation between me and Angus, a client across the world who wanted me to edit a Fantasy novel he had contracted to be ghost written as a gift for his partner. Ultimately, that book was scraped due to how much work would be needed to make it satisfactory, and, after reading my first novel, There was Music, Angus asked if I would be interested in authoring the book instead. His basic idea was to have three characters, each a different race, with a distinct point of view on the same circumstances. He wanted their characterization to be rooted in three Enneagram types and draw a trace of inspiration from the Greek myth of Hephaestes, Aphrodite, and Ares. Everything else was open to interpretation.
Having developed my own Fantasy world with all its textures, I was quite free to craft a narrative that inspired me. In short, Angus was like a patron of the arts. While he was part of the creative dialogue, providing feedback and final approval, he ultimately trusted and empowered me to make something true to the spirit of my own storytelling interests. In short, what inspired the narrative was exploring the idea of how incomplete and thereby sometimes even misleading one perspective can be.
Is there anything that you want readers to know about you, your writing process, or your book?
Grubb: I mainly want readers to experience my novel through their own framework of the world, to consider what the narrative stirs within their imaginations and why. I do not want myself, the author, getting in the way of that kind of discovery, but would love to be part of the subsequent conversation. For example, with Three Shades, one question I like to ask a reader is, “Which protagonist’s perspective/story did you engage with most and why?”
As to my writing process, I do not have a particularly rigid one. For Three Shades, having already done a lot of the world building with prior projects, I began by developing the history and personalities of the three main characters, including the socio-cultural structure of a new race, the Erog. From there, I outlined the plot, which was more complicated than usual since the basic plot is told fully from three distinct perspectives, each meant to unveil new dimensions and new insights. The first perspective of the novel is arguably the most conventional in terms of a Fantasy narrative; though the heroine is complex, writing and editing her story took the least amount of work compared to the other two. The most deliberation and editorial work pertained to the third perspective of the novel—how to not make it feel redundant to the previous two parts, while also imbuing it with fresh narrative layers and a distinct character voice.
How did you come up with the names of your main characters?
Grubb: There are a myriad of influences and approaches, but various names new to this novel were inspired by elements found in the Greek myths of Hephaestes, Aphrodite, and Ares. For example, Raez, some of whose characteristics are influenced by Ares, has a vulture companion named Ornithez; the name of the bird is derived from Ornithes, one of the birds
of Ares.
When you encounter writer’s block, what do you do to break yourself out of it?
Grubb: Thankfully, this almost never happens if I dedicate consistent time to writing. But in general, going out and living life, learning wherever and whenever I can, engaging with real people and events, fills me with more inspiration than I could contain in any one narrative.
Are there any tips that you would like to share with other aspiring authors?
Grubb: Persistent and diverse reading and writing are essential to nourish one’s arsenal of creative thought, language, and narrative perspective. Studying the craft of writing and literary criticism can also be valuable, opening one’s mind to new possibilities. For those interested in publishing, I suggest taking the time to research the publishing industry to understand what is available. The industry is ever changing, which can be both exciting and exhausting.
If "Three Shades" were adapted into a movie, who would you like to see cast to play your lead characters?
Grubb: Such a fun question. Janelle Monáe could be great as Ashe. Brian Cranston and Liam Neeson could be a compelling Züd or the Ezren, with Andy Serkis as Raez. Christian Bale’s acting range could be fascinating if directed well to embody Thian, perhaps with Jodie Comer or Rooney Mara as Phedra.
What is your favorite book, genre, and/or author?
Grubb: I am open to most genres, but predominantly read literary fiction. Some of my favorite novelists are J.R.R. Tolkien, Chaim Potok, Fyodor Dostoevksy, Yann Martel, and Khaled Hosseini. Some novels I re-read are The Lord of the Rings, My Name is Asher Lev, The Idiot, Life of Pi, and The Kite Runner. Some powerful stories by other authors have been Cormac McCarthy’s The Road and Bharati Mukherjee’s Jasmine. There are so many great titles yet to read and discover. I always welcome recommendations.
What are you working on next?
Grubb: Three Shades builds upon the introduction to the world of Illirium and hints of a larger narrative that began with my debut novel, There was Music. In a way, both novels are independent companion pieces to a series—like entries to my own “cinematic universe”. I am excited to more specifically show readers the large-scale events that precede these two published novels as well as the primary movers therein. I have two manuscripts waiting to be edited. The next one will be the first in that “main” series. If you wish to follow along the journey, please consider subscribing to my newsletter at mailchi.mp/4aa505527f08/jdgrubb-newsletter
Learn More About the Author and Three Shades Here:
Website: jdgrubb.com
Instagram: instagram.com/jd_grubb/
Facebook: facebook.com/JDGrubb
Goodreads: goodreads.com/author/show/20776412.J_D_Grubb
Interested in checking out the book for yourself?
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