Writing and Rambling: September 2017

Welcome back to Rambling and Writing, I am your host, Kyle Hannah.

About a month ago, I started on a little adventure to interview authors from my new publisher as a way to get to know them a little better. The results have been phenomenal, and I am pleased, this week, to welcome James Peercy from Line by Lion Publishing (linebyline.com) to Rambling and Writing.

M: James, come on in, make yourself at home!

J: Thanks, its great to be here.

M: Tell us a little about yourself.

J: James William Peercy fell through a portal into the publishing biosphere in 2012. Previously, he had been observing his own world and recording it since the age of 10. James continued writing while attaining a degree in Computer Science, getting married, raising dogs, and starting a business. Since all worlds exist simultaneously, he has added two book series, the Cliff Fulton mystery series and the Xun Ove fantasy series. With a mind constantly moving, he devotes his downtime to writing, enjoying a bit of travel, and adoring his wife, Claudette.

M: Wife, dogs, business, and portals. Sounds like the storyline for a new book! When did you start writing?

J: Oddly, I started wanting to write stories in Middle School after reading Robert A. Heinlein’s book, The Red Planet. From that point on, I wrote down everything: thoughts, dreams, adventures, and stories.

M: Do you outline, or do you fly by the seat of your pants when you write?

J: The two choices don’t fit what I do. I define my main characters, know the start and end of the adventure, and then proceed to let the characters tell me what happens. So, a combination, maybe?

M: I follow a similar pattern. A little planning, a little flying. As long as the characters take over, right?

J: Exactly!

M: So, what is your genre? What inspires you to write that genre?

J: Originally it was sci-fi. Robert A. Heinlein, Christopher Stasheff, Ursula K. Le Guin, etc. all inspired me as I read everything I could in the Middle School library. Then I was introduced to Dungeons and Dragons which took me into fantasy.

M: Anything else?

J: Poetry. My poetry was inspired by Ralph Waldo Emerson’s Concord Hymn. I love the rhythm and rhyme that helps to make a person remember the meaning.

M: That smile on your face...there's more?

J: LOL. Yes. In 2010, my father had cancer which miraculously disappeared when he went to the doctor and told him, “I don’t have cancer. Your drugs are making me sick.” During my Dad’s sickness, I did a lot of research which started me writing mystery. Since then, I have done steampunk and a psychological thriller. I also have a paranormal in the works, a direct result of a ghost hunting group I am part of!

M: Sounds like a bit of everything.

J: I write what I see...or want to see.

M: What about a writing routine?

J: Until February 18th of 2017, I wrote late into the night. I would start anywhere from 10 p.m. to 3 a.m. I find those hours least disturbing due to the zone I get in while writing. I would then get up the next morning, head off to work, work all day, go home, finish off distractions, and start again. This process would usually happen for four to five days until I crashed from lack of sleep. When I woke up, I would rinse and repeat.

M: I'm familiar with that crash. Go on...

J: After February 18^th, the day my father passed away, a lot has changed. We, my wife and I, are now 24-hour caretakers for my mother. For the first three months, I could not write anything. To get me back into the swing of writing, I started editing older manuscripts. Within the next three months, I will have a two book sci-fi series coming out. I also plan to have the fifth book in the Xun Ove fantasy series out.

M: Sorry for your loss.

J: Thank you.

M: Not to be morbid, but what kind of things are on your bucket list?

J: LOL. I love to travel and experience things in person. I don’t know that I could say any one thing is on it. Though some traveling has been done, I plan on Italy and France this next year, very important to the 3^rd, 4^th, and 5^th book in the Cliff Fulton mystery series.

M: Europe is very nice, been there a few times. Lots of inspiration in that rich history. Anywhere else you'd like to visit?

J: If I ever get the chance, I would like to fly to the Moon!

M: As a sci-fi writer, I would hope so! LOL Well, what makes you…you? Anything that you want your readers to know?

J: Never give up. Never let someone else steal your dreams, no matter how crazy they sound. Life is exactly what we choose to make it. Live every day to the fullest you can!

M: I love it! Any advice for up and coming authors?

J: Define your characters. Create your environment. Let the characters show you the story. They know what they will do next, and it will make sense to the reader with proper character development.

M: Excellent advice! I learn so much talking with my fellow authors! So, what are you writing now? Your current work in progress?

J: I tend to bounce between two: the fifth book in the Xun Ove fantasy series, and a paranormal romance story. The keys on my keyboard are going as fast I can make them!

M: Who is your favorite author?

J: I have read some really great authors over the years: Edmond Hamilton’s Star Wolf comes to mind from High School, Piers Anthony’s Xanth series, Christopher Stasheff’s Warlock series, and John Myers Myers’s Silverlock. I still defer back to Robert A. Heinlein. If it were not for him, I would not have started into writing.

M: Heinlein is one of my favorites too, so I know where you are coming from. Do you attend conventions/meetings for your genre? Where can fans come to meet you in person?

J: We have our own group, Authors Round Table Society, which meets the 3^rd Wednesday of every month in Denison, Texas. We started over a year ago. The group focuses on marketing aspects after a book is ready, the prep to get it there, and offers help to up and coming writers of all ages.

M: A great forum for authors! What about conventions?

J: We also attend quite a few book signings a year which vary from one day to three days. They include comic cons, renaissance festivals, and library events.

M: Anything else you want the readers to know? Any last words of wisdom?

J:Have fun with what you write. If you don’t like it, no one else will.

M: There you go, the truth about writing! James, thanks for dropping by Writing and Rambling. I appreciate you taking the time to talk to us!

J: My pleasure, thanks for having me.

You can find out more about James (or stalk him) at:

www.JamesWilliamPeercy.com

www.WithinTheHeartOfSilence.com

www.StoriesToTell.com

Thats a wrap this week. Thanks to everyone for dropping by Writing and Rambling. Until next time,

Write on!

Kyle

This week, all the way from Budapest, we are happy to get a few minutes with Line by Lion author (linebylion.com) Dani J. Caile!

Stunning view of Budapest from Gellért Hill

M: Welcome to Rambling and Writing.

D: Thanks, its great to be here.

M: All the way from Budapest? What do you do there?

D: I mainly teach English as a 2^nd language to primary school children. I also edit and proofread.

M: That is awesome. Thanks for taking a few minutes to talk with us. So, besides teach and edit, what else do you do?

D: Like I said, I live just outside Budapest in Hungary with my family. In my spare time I write, run, do DIY, tai chi, and try not to piss off my neighbors too much.

M: How's that going?

D: Mmmm...there’s a Hungarian joke. A guy walks into a baker’s five minutes before closing time and there’s only one loaf of bread left. He asks for half a loaf. The baker cuts the loaf, but shouts bad things about the customer who wants half a loaf. The guy asks the baker if he’s talking about him. The baker replies, “No, it’s the other guy.”

M: LOL, so, don't be that other guy! Got it. Let's change the subject. When did you start writing?

D: When I started a degree course back in 2011, I needed a rest from writing serious essays, so I started writing stories. And I’m still doing it.

M: Do you outline, or do you fly by the seat of your pants when you write?

D: I pick up on an idea, good or bad, then expand on it, see where it goes, and if it’s plausible, I outline. Then comes the real work of finishing it and editing.

M: Finishing is the hard part. I actually enjoy the editing. I like the process of refining. So what is your genre? What inspires you to write that genre?

D: I try to stick to Fantasy Humor, Paranormal, Urban fantasy or something a little darker like a Thriller, whatever I feel I can write as best as I can. I would never try to write Erotica, for example. Whether I can do a good job of it is what counts for me.

M: What is your writing routine?

D: Unfortunately, as with life, I have no writing routine. I write when I can and when my muse hits me over the head with a big stick.

M: The muse is fickle. Good luck. So, what makes you…you? Something that you want your readers to know?

D: I’m determined. If I start, I finish it. Then I move onto the next task.

M: What kind of things are on your bucket list?

D: Parachuting, hiking in China, learning to dance and draw, and breaking 20 minutes in a 5km run-I’m nowhere near that time but if it was on my bucket list, I’d work on it.

M: As a former paratrooper and skydiver, I highly recommend the parachuting! The running...I'll leave that all to you.

D: I'll definitely look into the parachuting...

M: Between family, teaching, and writing, do you have time to read?

D: Would you believe it? Yes. I'm reading Harry Potter and Milton.

M: A power duo. Who is your favorite author?

D: Aldous Huxley. For myself, Crome Yellow is sublime.

M: So, we know what inspires you. What are you writing now? Your current work in progress?

D: At the moment I’m mainly editing books for other writers, but the occasional idea pops out from time to time. Right now I’m collecting material for the third book in my fantasy “How to” series, which will probably be some underwater adventure about a lost civilization, including monsters, an evil dictator… the usual stuff. The second book is coming out in the next month or two from Line By Lion, “How to Sink a Ship (in eight long, excruciatingly terrifying, stinkingly evil nights)”

M: Anything else you want the readers to know?

D: I write a lot of things. You WILL find something I have written that you like, maybe even LOVE. Others have.