Heather’s Bookshelf: Author Interview with Pemry Janes
Book Title: The Living Sword
Released: 11/13/2013
Genre: High Fantasy Fiction Novella
Interview by Heather L. Barksdale
What inspired you to write “The Living Sword”?
Janes: I had written fanfiction for years but I hadn’t actually considered the idea of writing down my original ideas until I learned just how accessible self-publishing had become.
So the story and world of “The Living Sword” I’d already come up with and expanded upon for a couple of years before I realized that this was a real story that I could tell to someone other than myself.
Is there anything that you want readers to know about you, your writing process, or your book?
Janes: Well, I’d like readers to know my book exists. That’s a real struggle for a lot of authors, and I’m no exception there. I’m not going to tell you The Living Sword is the best. This was my first attempt at telling an original story and I can think of several ways to improve it today.
So that’s what I want people to know about me. I always strive to tell a better story.
When you encounter writer’s block, what do you do to break yourself out of it?
Janes: That’s a tough question. I struggled with writer’s block for years, I just couldn’t finish the sequel to “The Living Sword”. I knew how it was going to end, but I also thought that I could come up with a better ending. Then something happened in my personal life and it became more important to finish the story than to chase some mythical perfection.
So I guess that’s my advice. Write your idea. If it turns out to be a bad idea, a bad story, you can still change it. Or move on to another story. But once you stop writing, it can be real hard to get going again.
Are there any tips that you would like to share with other aspiring authors?
Janes: Don’t think you can do it all alone. Getting feedback from other people is important, there’s always things you miss or didn’t think of. And keep reading, fiction, non-fiction, anything can spark an idea or make your next story just that little bit better.
What is your favorite book, genre, and/or author?
Janes: That shifts from month to month. At the moment, favorite author has got to be Robert Jordan. I recently finished rereading the Wheel of Time and it was even better the second time around.
I’m not sure I’d call fantasy my favorite genre though, unless we place it with science fiction under the speculative fiction umbrella.
What are you working on next?
Janes: I’m working on the third installment of the Living Sword series. First draft is done and I’m over halfway with revising so I’m looking for some beta readers. Hopefully, The Living Sword III will be ready to publish early next year.
Interested in checking out the book for yourself?
Find it for purchase here:
(paid link by Amazon Associates)
Interested in submitting your book for review? Visit my review page for guidelines and submission requirements.
review