Author2Author BC Welcomes Joesph Lallo...

Author2Author BC 2014, welcomes the first of the years Blog Chats, Author Joseph Lallo.

image provided by JL. Graphics Design by @2014 Danni (Ellie) Williams. All Rights Reserved.

Ellie

Welcome again Joseph!

It’s great for us to be continuing our chat from earlier on, (Post labelled; ‘Author Joseph Lallo’) on your mini Spotlight from us here at A2ABC.

Joseph is one of 7 Authors that is taking part in my first celebration this year, ‘Fantastical Reads Event’, that I co-present with Author, Michael Lorde, for the next few days.

The Fantastical Reads Event is hosted by ‘Clean Indies’, and offers you a list of fantastical Authors and their work.

Ellie

Hi again Joseph!

So this interview is more about you and a hell of allot about your workings.

Joseph

Yes

Ellie

Okay, so if you don’t already know, Joseph is the Author of the Rise of the Red Shadow, and other titles such as; the Battle of Verril (The Book of Deacon), The Great Convergence (The Book of Deacon), The Book of Deacon, Jade, Unstable Prototypes & Bypass Gemini.

We’ll be covering each of them, and giving you as much details as poss. Along with another lengthy interview…

~Ellie laughs~

~Joseph smirks and rolls his eyes~

Ellie

I know, I’m terrible.

~Ellie turns over her page and begins~

Ellie

Okay so first things first. Let’s get to you the real Author behind the master-piece, life, love, thoughts and I could throw in a little game or two

~Ellie laughs evilly~

~Joseph smirks~

Ellie

I’ll fire away and just shout out the answers as quick and as accurate as you can.

Are you ready?

Joseph

Yes

Ellie

Tell us your name

Joseph

Joseph R. Lallo  

Ellie

Age

Joseph

31

Ellie

Birthday

Joseph

January 27th 1983

~Ellie looks over her paper~

Ellie

Ah. Belated Happy Birthday!

~Joseph smiles~

Joseph

Thank you!

Ellie

Okay. Zodiac?

Joseph

Aquarius

Ellie

Place of Birth

Joseph

Bayonne, New Jersey

Ellie

Spouse

Joseph

Nope!

Ellie

Off-spring

~Joseph smirks~

Joseph

Also nope!

Ellie

Your family

Joseph

My parents are Susan and Vincent, and I have two older brothers, Mike and Anthony.

~Ellie put her paper down on her lap~

Ellie

Right, okay excellent! So how do you feel after that round?

Joseph

Pretty Good

~Ellie laughs~

Ellie

Right, now onto more lengthy questions, which  I’ll need your best, most accurate answers too. So we’ll take a breather and chill a little now. And I’ll just fire away okay?

Joseph

Yeah

Ellie

Okay so, what was it like Growing up?

Joseph

I can’t complain about my childhood. I did pretty good in school, which is at least partially why I ended up being a writer. I tended to get through my schoolwork quickly—except in the early years, when I had a bad tendency to ignore my work completely—and with the resulting spare time I did a great deal of daydreaming. I somewhat recently realized that we had money troubles when I was younger, something that my dad managed to keep at bay by working an insane number of hours at whatever job he could.

~Ellie smiles~

Ellie

Sounds a bit like me and my past. I appreciate you sharing that with us, Joseph.

Ellie

So how do you think your family would describe your work?

Joseph

Most of my family would describe my work as “He writes fantasy, I think, and some other stuff too” because most of my family hasn’t read my stuff. It isn’t their fault, though. I actually kept the books a secret until they were published, and since I focus on fantasy and sci-fi, my stories aren’t really their cup of tea. That said, I know my cousin Tanner got a kick out of my first book, and my mom has read them all, so she’d gush about them.

~Ellie Laughs~

Ellie

Same! My sister and my mother were the ones who read every draft of all my books. Both can never get enough and are always telling people about them. The rest of my family I think aren’t so bothered about it, they probably had their five minutes of shock but later forgot about it.

~Ellie chuckles some more~

Ellie

Okay moving on before I laugh too much about it and things start feeling awkward ~heehee~ So, how do you balance your work and family life?

Joseph

Well, without a wife and kids, my family life is more or less limited to getting along with my older brother and his wife, with whom I share a house. As far as they are concerned, as long as I take the trash out and empty the dish washer from time to time, I’m free to sit at my desk and tap away at a keyboard to my heart’s content.

~Joseph and Ellie laugh together~

Ellie

Sounds like heaven!

Joseph

Yeah sure!

~Laughs end~

Ellie

Okay so now we’ve hit the Educational background, questions. You mentioned earlier you’d done well, how far did you get?

Joseph

I actually have a master’s degree.

Ellie

Oh my god, nice one! And what did you study?

Joseph

I went to New Jersey Institute of Technology, where I studied Computer Engineering. I got a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Engineering, and then got a Master’s Degree in the same field with a focus on Wireless Communication and Embedded Systems. There’s a minor in math somewhere in there too.

Ellie

So you have no qualifications to be a writer what-so-ever, you just went into it. I suppose it’s good. You got something to fall back on.

Joseph

To be a writer, no, I have no qualifications at all besides spending entirely too much time imagining things. Like I said, I’m technically qualified to design and build computers all the way down to the photolithography stage. Thanks to the jobs available at the time I graduated, these days I’m mostly qualified to write programs that process statistics.

Ellie

So with all of this, your personal experiences and of course your thoughts, what would be your advice to others?

Joseph

I would definitely recommend higher education in something that interests you, even if you aren’t likely to get a job in that field. It is a great experience. What I would NOT recommend is going to Grad School at the same time as working a fulltime job. That was one of the most stressful times of my life.

Ellie

And do you have any Religious Beliefs?

Joseph

I’m a catholic in the same way that I’m a Computer Engineer: It’s how I was taught, but I haven’t ended up doing very much of it.

Ellie

So do you have any opinions on the afterlife?

Joseph

I’m fairly strongly of the opinion that there is some sort of life after this one, but I’m in no hurry to find out what exactly it is. Hopefully there’s cake.

~Ellie laughs~

~Joseph smiles~

Ellie

I’m sorry but another morbid question

~Ellie chuckles~

Ellie

If you had two minutes to live, what would be your last words and to whom?

Joseph

I’d probably call my mom and tell her I love her, and time permitting I would do a follow-up call to one or both of my brothers and tell them to avenge my death (where applicable).

~Ellie laughs again~

Ellie

I like your style!

~Joseph smiles~

Ellie

So what came first, the chicken or the egg?

Joseph

The egg came first, and it was laid by a proto-chicken.

Ellie

Are you into Astrology?

Joseph

I’m not particularly astrologically inclined. I can buy the concept that the stars and the dates might have some bearing on how my life unfolds, but the idea that horoscope in the newspaper could apply to me specifically strikes me as a little silly. Am I to believe that everyone who shares my birth sign is going to have sort of day as me?

~Ellie Laughs~

Ellie

Oh I know, I love that! Most of the time it doesn’t even relate to me in the slightest, like; it’s totally the opposite!

~Ellie clears her throat~

Ellie

Do you believe in fate and destiny?

Joseph

I think I believe in both fate and destiny. My family has a long history of training for one job and getting another, for example. Likewise, I’ve led a life that has heaped a disproportionate amount of good fortune on me. Statistically speaking I probably should have had some severe misfortune to balance it out, but the good times keep rolling. At this point I’m going to have to assume fate has been smiling upon me, because the alternative is that someday soon I’m going to be hit hard by the law of averages.

Ellie

Let’s hope not. I guess I’ve been hit by it myself the last 6 months, but last year was a year of ups and major downs. Hope fate smiles upon me soon. But let’s keep on track that good things will continue to smile upon you hun.

~Ellie turns over her page to the next set of questions~

Ellie

Do you think we’ll be able to time travel?

Joseph

I think time-travel forward is exceedingly possible. Going backward is less likely, but I wouldn’t rule it out.

Ellie

When?

Joseph

I figure we won’t have the technology for that until we’re building interplanetary spaceships, so decades at the least, if not centuries.

Ellie

What advice would you give your 18 year-old self if you could go back in time for 30 seconds?

Joseph

Learn to type, because those books are going to take off. Don’t crack your back, because you’ll screw up your spine and get sciatica, and don’t forget to go back and give yourself this advice when you turn 31.

~Ellie laughs~

Ellie

Good advice! Okay now we’re come back on the 'answering as quick as you can gag!'

~Joseph smirks~

Ellie

You ready?

~Joseph agrees~

Ellie

Okay, here we go! What is your Favorite; Music?

Joseph

My tastes in music are widely varied, but chances are if it has a good horn section I’ll like it.

Ellie

Bands?

Joseph

I like Clutch, Richard Cheese, and Van Halen, among many others.

Ellie

Artists?

Joseph

M. C. Escher is a favorite of mine. I also like my cover artist Nick Deligaris and my fan artists.

Ellie

Okay and your favorite; movies?

Joseph

Back to the Future, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, and My Cousin Vinnie are the first ones that come to mind.

Ellie

TV?

Joseph

Mystery Science Theater 3000, Star Trek (anything beyond The Original Series), and currently I’m on a West Wing kick.

Ellie

Actors/Actresses?

Joseph

Too many to name. I’m usually a big fan of character actors like Christopher Lloyd.

~Ellie  laughs~

Ellie

Okay slowed down again. Let’s make a good pace.

~They both relax in their chairs~

Ellie

What inspired you to be a writer?

Joseph

Boredom inspired me to write, and my friends convinced me to publish. I like telling stories, so it is a good fit for me.

Ellie

And how dear to you is your writing or is that a silly question?

Joseph

There are times when I would say that my writing is necessary for my continued sanity.

Ellie

And how long have you been writing?

Joseph

The first seeds of what would eventually produce The Book of Deacon series were planted back in second grade, so I would have been eight years old. That works out to, what, 23 years? Wow… I’m old.

~Ellie taps Joseph on the knee~

Ellie

Noooo! If you’re old that means I’m old and I can’t have that

~Ellie smirks and begins to laugh~

Ellie

Are there any other relatives who have been bitten by the literary wand?

Joseph

My mom is an avid writer, but mostly hobby stuff. She’s sent a few things out to be considered for publication, but no one has bit yet, so it remains a hobby. My brother Mike also gets the itch from time to time, but he hasn’t got enough free time to do justice to the stories floating around in his head.

Ellie

Oh my god we’re so alike in respects, like. My mother too, and my brother! I’m writing a book with my mam now and my brother hasn’t finished anything he’s started.

~They laugh together~

Ellie

So, do you have any other talents other than writing?

Joseph

I can play the keyboard a little. I’ve also designed and built my share of gadgets, including a motion activated outdoor light and a GPS-powered positional alarm.

Ellie

Do you believe you’ll continue to write for the rest of your life?

Joseph

Yes. My daydreaming is involuntary, and writing is just daydreaming and then jotting down what happens.

Ellie

What are your thoughts?

Joseph

Is this a philosophical question?

~Ellie laughs~

Joseph

My thoughts are mostly a haphazard jumble of disjointed memories fitted together into a barely cohesive mosaic of cognition.

Ellie

I hardly ever make sense let alone anything else! Okay and do you ever run dry of ideas?

Joseph

I go into slumps sometimes, but seldom for very long. As it is, my problem isn’t so much coming up with ideas as actually getting them down on paper. I’ve got plots for the next three books lined up in my head.

Ellie

I’m like that myself, it would sometimes be nice to focus on what I’m writing than have ideas constantly flowing for other projects. But, we can’t, so this is how we work.

~Ellie chuckles~

Ellie

Okay and how would you feel if you suddenly lost your ability to write?

And how would it affect your life?

Joseph

It would be horrifying to me for a while. Ninety percent of the reason I started writing was to get the ideas and characters out of my head so I can stop thinking about them. If I couldn’t write, aside from losing my favorite leisure activity, I’d have a brain clogged with plots and dialogue that will never get out. And, I’d be much more concerned about my day job, which currently exists as a stable but horribly frustrating way to make a little extra money and have health benefits. If I couldn’t write, said job, would be my only means of support.

Ellie

Scary isn’t it. I think it would drive us insane, stress beyond belief.

~Ellie has a serious moment~

Ellie

Okay, moving on. If you could have written any book in the world, by any author, what would it be and why?

Joseph

I’d probably pick Guards! Guards! by Terry Pratchett. It’s got dragons, humor, and a really great setting. Those are three things I strive to include in most of my books. It also has phenomenal imagery and dialogue. I wouldn’t say it is my favorite book, but it is probably the best example of the sort of book I like.

Ellie

Love Terry. He’s an outstanding Author!

~Ellie turns the page again~

Ellie

Do you write anything else?

Joseph

I tried (and failed) to write a screenplay once, and I recently wrote the script for a comic book. Poetry is well beyond my literary grasp, and music and songs are just poetry with a melody.

Ellie

What are your hobbies?

Joseph

I help run a game blog called BrainLazy.com where we cover video games. I spend what little spare time I have either surfing the net, playing a video game, or writing about playing a video game. I also go through phases of tinkering with electronics, but that hobby is on hold for now.

Ellie

So writing isn’t your main career then?

Joseph

It depends on how you define “Main Career”. I make more money from writing than anything else, but I spend most of my week sitting at a desk in Newark, NJ crunching numbers and supporting a Voice Response System for a health insurance company.

Ellie

That’s cool as! You got so much going for you anyway from where I’m sitting. You have a pretty healthy way of life unlike some Author’s that I talk too, including myself that don’t get out much.

~Ellie laughs~

Ellie

So where do you see yourself in 5 years’ time?

Joseph

I’d like to think that within five years I would have quit the day job and become a fulltime writer.

Where I hope to be…? With any luck, I’ll have roughly the same level of success as I have now, and with an even more active and enthusiastic fan base. I love my fans, and when I look at the communities some of my fellow indie authors have put together, I dream of what the future might hold if I can keep the stories coming.

~Ellie smiles~

Ellie

You’re doing great, Joseph, really great. I’d hope to be somewhere in the success of you in 5 years. Not getting much just yet, but in time, when I get myself out there more, maybe I will. Thank you.

~Ellie clears throat and goes onto next question~

Ellie

Are you any good at writing on demand or under pressure?

Joseph

At first I wasn’t sure, but NaNoWriMo has illustrated that if I really buckle down, I can put out some stories even on very short notice and with very strict deadlines. Whether those stories are any good is a matter of opinion, but so far I’ve gotten a lot of praise.

Ellie

I’ve not been on that site, should probably see if I can keep up with it all, since I wrote my second book in 2 weeks

~Ellie laughs~

Ellie

They were the days huh

~Ellie remises~

Ellie

So! In another words, does that mean you’ve tried it?

Joseph

I’ve written two novels as a result of NaNoWriMo, and I’ve pumped out a short story on short notice for an anthology that will be released later this year.

Ellie

Awesome! Well keep at it hun, I’m certainly going to check it out myself and see what I produce. It would be nice to get back into it better.

~Ellie reads her next question in her head and looks to Joseph with an evil grin~

~Joseph smirks~

Joseph

What?

~Ellie laughs~

Ellie

Can I put you to the test?

~Joseph grins~

Joseph

Uh… maybe?

Ellie

Come on spoil-sport!

~Joseph laughs~

Joseph

Okay

~Ellie claps like a seal~

Ellie

Excellent okay… Complete this story…

*I’d been a work all day, the last working day of the year. Never have I missed a day at work all year round. And seeing as this was a fact, I decided to take a detour on the way home and catch up with some old buddies of mine at our local bar, ‘Daggers’. “Jeez, is that the time!” I jumped from my seat. I had been here for almost three hours; Marcy would almost certainly be worried about me. I hurried to my truck but I was unable to drive, I drank way too much, and I’d be stupid too. So I walked to the bus-stop and who should I see, one of my son’s friend Jimmy’s Mom; she was waving at me. She pulled to the curb “You going my way, Stranger?” She joked, I laughed along with her. She lived in my street; of course I was going her way. I jumped in her car and we headed off onto the highway home. She looked at me from the side, taking me in, she talked away about nothing’s going on, expecting me to be all knowing when suddenly there was a light in the sky, brighter than anything I’d seen before. Tracee pulled the car over on the shoulder and we both leapt from the car to get a better view. Many had had our idea and had also stop and got out of their cars. “What the heck…?” Tracee gleamed, she didn’t seem scared one bit. We stood in silence as we watched the light turn into what looked like a shooting star across the sky, heading straight for our town. “It’s a meteor!” Some guys shouted from the way as he run off for shelter.  It couldn’t be, we’d know about it? But then again I’ve been in the pub, maybe they had announced it and I just didn’t see it. “Was there anything on the news?” I asked Tracee.

“Not that I saw” Tracee answered without taking her eyes from the sky. Everyone covered their ears like one big Mexican wave. The sound that bellowed through the airwaves, pierced their drums and caused dramatic static; deafening to all. …*

~Joseph laughs~

Joseph

Okay umm… "The sound that bellowed through the airwaves, pierced their drums and caused dramatic static; deafening to all. The first few moments after the initial blast were utterly silent. I watched as the street filled with panicked onlookers. They were probably screaming, but from my point of view they may as well have been vigorously yawning. Tracee tapped my shoulder and attempted to say something to me. I pointed to my ears and shrugged, so she moved on to exaggerated gestures to get her point across. It was at this point that I realized alcohol and charades don’t mix. It took the better part of ten minutes for her to pound it into my head that she wanted to go see where the meteor landed.

We piled into the car and fought against the traffic snarl. Exactly half of the city had decided that it wanted to get as far away from ground zero as possible, while the other half agreed with Tracee and wanted to see it with their own eyes. Traffic in this part of the city was a mess on a good day. Today it may as well have been a parking lot.

Right around the time the silence was replaced by the loud hiss of my hearing slowly returning, Tracee convinced me to abandon the car and track down the impact site on foot. Finding it turned out to be fairly simple. All we had to do was head in the direction with the most broken windows. Once my ears were willing to cooperate, the car alarms were a good indicator, too.

“It definitely looks like it hit somewhere in the business district,” Tracee said.

“About a quarter to nine,” I said, illustrating that my hearing wasn’t quite restored.

“There it is!” she said, pointing excitedly at the neat hole punched in the side of an office building.

We continued on our way, spotting the decidedly less neat hole blasted out of the other side of the building, and a series of progressively larger matching holes in the row of buildings beyond. The final resting place of the meteor was a smoking divot gouged out of the city park. It was surrounded by the flashing lights of police cars and multiple layers of “Caution” tape already, but I was more interested in the last building the meteor had perforated before hitting the ground. It was Conglomerated Statistics, an unassuming box of a building which it just so happened was where I earned my paycheck. What used to be my department was now scattered across half a block between the building and the park.

Without a word, I turned and started heading back the way we came.

“Wait! Where are you going?”

“Back to Daggers.”

“Why?”

“Because whatever that thing is, it just earned me a long weekend, and I mean to make the best of it.”

~Ellie Laughs hard~

Ellie

Oh my god you legend! That was perfect! You nailed it. Thanks Joseph that was wicked.

~Ellie continues to laugh~

Ellie

Okay now what is your favorite genre to read?

Joseph

I like fantasy in most of its various inflections, with a dash of sci-fi every now and then to cleanse the palate, but I’ll read just about anything.

Ellie

And what about your favorite genre to write?

Joseph

Fantasy, mostly sword and sorcery type stuff, but I’ve had some fun writing modern fantasy and science fiction as well. Steampunk has been fun as well.

Ellie

What are you reading now?

Joseph

I’m just about to dig back into Neil Gaiman’s Sandman comic. I got a collection of them for Christmas and I’m a big fan of Gaiman’s other stuff. Most of the people I’ve spoken to about it suggest that Sandman is his best writing.

Ellie

I’ve not read allot of comics, but I have a little collection I started up about 8 years ago. It’s nothing major, not even that big; probably about 10-20 comics.

~Ellie shrugs~

Ellie

Anway…Who are some of your favorites Authors?

Joesph

Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett are near the top. Jim Butcher and C.S. Lewis are on the list, too.

Ellie

Books?

Joseph

Good Omens leaps to mind. My Side of the Mountain is a good one, too.

Ellie

Titles?

Joseph

Well, shortly after The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo came out I saw a book with the title The Dragon with the Girl Tattoo. I thought that was pretty clever.

~Ellie laughs~

Ellie

Not the same type of book though I should imagine. Okay and what is your favorite food?

Joseph

It varies from day to day, but Pizza, and Fried Chicken are both near the top of the list.

Ellie

Avid lover myself, and what is your favorite food to cook?

Joseph

I’m not much of a cook, but I used to make a pretty good batch of popcorn in a frying pan. I also recently brined and roasted my first turkey, though that was more of a group effort.

Ellie

What is something you’d like to cook but haven’t yet?

Joseph

Eventually I’m going to have to grill a steak.

Ellie

Not a steak lover unfortunately. And when you eat out, what cuisine would you normally go for?

Joseph

Sushi is probably the one I go out for most often.

Ellie

About your work now hun…

Tell us what book we’re here today to talk about?

Joseph

Today I’m pushing The Rise of the Red Shadow. It is a fantasy story, a prequel to my most successful books, The Book of Deacon trilogy. After the trilogy started to pick up a following I decided to ask the fans what character they’d like to see a standalone book about, and they chose Lain, a creature from the trilogy with a very mysterious past. The Rise of the Red Shadow makes that pass significantly less mysterious, since it shows you most of his early life.

              ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~(*)~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

‘The Rise of the Red Shadow (The Book of Deacon)’.

Provided by JL

Every story must begin somewhere.

For the warrior who would come to be known as the fearsome ‘Red Shadow’, the story began in a forgotten glade deep in the land of Tressor. It was there that a pair of trackers, eager to retrieve a lost slave, instead found an orphaned malthrope. Had it been a human, it might have been treated with compassion, but in the eyes of human society a malthrope was a monster, a mix of fox and man believed to be a murderer and thief by its very nature. The beast was to be sold for a handful of silver, but fate intervened in the form of an old blind slave named Ben. Under the learned hand of the one human who believed in his potential, the young malthrope would instead be given the wisdom to take his first steps on the long journey to his destiny.

The Rise of the Red Shadow chronicles the early life of one of the most mysterious figures of the Book of Deacon trilogy, the creature called Lain. It tells of his years working and learning on a Tresson plantation until a dark day of vengeance and bloodshed finally set him free. From there you will follow as he finds his place in the world, learning what it is to be a malthrope, and turning to the purpose that will guide him for the rest of his days. It is a story of love, hate, and lessons hard-learned, revealing the painful choices one must make to become the hero the world needs.

               ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~(*)~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ellie

So you’re self-published?

Joseph

Yes. Despite several attempts to get the interest of a literary agent, I ended up self-publishing when none of them went so far as to even read my book. Interestingly, once I’d actually seen some success, two different literary agencies expressed interest. After one of them seemed very intrigued by my sci-fi books, the interest petered out and I decided I’d continue the way I had been. Technically I’ve been traditionally published as well, as all three books of the trilogy have been translated and published in Bulgaria through MBG Books. I’ve got audio books produced and published by Tantor Audio, also for the trilogy.

Ellie

That’s pretty awesome, with all things considered. You’ve had a pretty productive outcome so far with the publishing world. Allot of experience.

~Ellie turns the page again~

Ellie

What was it like to publish your first book?

Joseph

It was nerve racking. My book started with a homemade cover and no real copyediting. It was thus an amateurish and typo-filled travesty, yet I managed to get some legitimately good reviews. I rolled every dime I made from the books back into them until I had professional covers and professional editing, which made me feel slightly more comfortable with them, but my heart still pounds every time I read a new review. I’m fine with people judging me, but when they judge the things I create I turn into a neurotic wreck.

Ellie

I can imagine! And what was your first again?

Joseph

My first book was The Book of Deacon, the first book of the trilogy of the same name. Technically the whole trilogy was my first book, since I wrote it as one giant story and then chopped it up.

Ellie

Yes of course. And what inspired you to write your first book?

Joseph

I had a story in my head and a lot of free time, so I started jotting down ideas. Several years later I had something like two thousand hand written pages, and by then my friends were able to convince me that it would have been a horrific waste of time if I didn’t do something with it.

~Ellie laughs~

Ellie

How would you describe your books and the nature in which you’ve written them?

Joseph

My books are mostly Epic Fantasy. The word I usually use to describe them is “standard”. I make liberal use of the typical fantasy clichés, doing my best to put my own spin on them. My stories tend to have at least a dash of humor to them, and have a heavy focus on character for the most part. I’m told most of my writing fits comfortably under the umbrella of Young Adult. As for the nature in which I’ve written them, that has varied from book to book. The trilogy was handwritten and was practically stream of consciousness. Since then I’ve written stories chapter by chapter with a very rigid outline in mind. I’ve also written them by writing all of the “good parts” first and then stitching them together. Now a days I’ll write a three or four page outline of what I want, then write the story from beginning to end, adding or subtracting scenes as I go. Regardless of how I write it, when I’m done I hand it over to a pair of friends and a small circle of beta readers to get feedback and corrections, then (if I have the money) off to the editor for a final polish.

Ellie

What Genre have you mainly ventured in?

Joseph

So far I’m focused on fantasy. Epic fantasy, to be specific. Long journeys, prophesies, big battles, that sort of thing.

Ellie

Do you tend to stay in the same vein or are you hoping to explore new ventures?

Joseph

Like I said before about my palate, that I’ve written two sci-fi books, and I usually take NaNoWriMo as a chance to try something I’ve never tried before, like superhero stories or Steampunk.

Ellie

And have you ever or do you ever find yourself a struggling writer?

Joseph

I struggle, on occasion. Financially I’ve never had to rely on my writing, so money has never been tight, but finding the time and the talent to get a book finished and polished up is getting increasingly difficult.

Ellie

Lucky then! And is it hard to come up with ideas and plots?

Joseph

Not for me. Not usually, at least. The seed is the easiest part for me. Usually I’ll be able to come up with the basis of a story in just a day or two, and brainstorming new stuff is my favorite part of the process.

Ellie

How about characters? Are they easily born and developed in your world of creativity?

Joseph

My characters tend to develop themselves, often in ways I didn’t intend or expect. Characters start off as the answer to the question “Who would get him or herself into this situation?” and once that question is answered, the dialogue isn’t so much a result of me deciding what I want them to say as much as it is me figuring out what that person would say. The situation sculpts the character, and when characters meet they bounce off each other and relationships form. I’ve ended up with rivalries I didn’t expect, and even had one-time gags turn into full-fledged protagonists. In my sci-fi book I wanted a scientist to have a low-quality voice control system, essentially a talking doorbell, which people would assume is automated but is actually an artificial intelligence. I wanted this specifically so that it could make some passive aggressive jabs after someone passes a comment about the low quality of the system. That system is now known as Ma, and is easily the most popular character from the series.

Ellie

We work in similar ways that I’m almost certain I know the answers to most of my questions.

~Ellie chuckles~

Ellie

Do you ever get random moments when you suddenly get ideas flying at you in all directions?

Joseph

Absolutely. I’ll see a scene in a movie, or hear a song, or even just stare out the window of a bus and suddenly I’ve got a whole plot brewing.

Ellie

If yes, how do you hang onto them?

Joseph

I always have a pad with me, and lately I’ve been keeping a document in the cloud, accessible on my smart phone.

Ellie

Who was/is the easiest character to write?

Joseph

Karter, the mad scientist from the sci-fi books. He’s a certified lunatic, and downright sociopathic. He’s me if I was 20% more anti-social, 1000% smarter, and 10% more chemically unbalanced.

Ellie

Who was/is the hardest character to write?

Joseph

That would probably be Lain, the main character of The Rise of the Red Shadow. He’s stoic and reserved, and has a storm of emotions brewing under the surface. Getting the right balance of emotion and lack thereof is a challenge.

Ellie

Are any of your characters based on real people?

Joseph

Well, there’s a little bit of me in every character I write, but I’ve got a few based on friends. The most notable are Desmeres Lumineblade from The Book of Deacon, who is largely based on my friend Cary, and Oriech (also from The Book of Deacon) who is based on  my friend Sean. Sean also influenced a lesser character named Flynn as well.

Ellie

Do you have a favorite character?

Joseph

Once again, Karter is a good one. He and Ma have a really fun dynamic. It is particularly fun when Ma starts to illustrate that she is a more decent and well-adjusted human being than Karter is, and she’s just a voice over a set of speakers.

Ellie

Without giving away too much, what is your favorite scene in one of your books?

Joseph

That’s easy. My friends and I call it “The Farmhouse Scene”. In Book 3 of the trilogy, The Battle of Verril, a few of the heroes stop near a farmhouse. A hero who at first glance would seem to be a monster sneaks inside the house, attracted by the smell of food. The result is scene where our heroes get to interact with a member of the general public and slowly earn her trust and respect.

Ellie

Do you have anyone who beta reads your work before you publish?

Editor?

Joseph

I always have an editor, now that I’ve got the money.

Ellie

And proof reader?

Joseph

Yep!

Myself, and my mom, two friends, and a few fans each get a look at the finished book before I send it to be edited.

Ellie

Have you ever trashed a piece or complete piece of work before someone read it?

Joseph

Nope. While I usually feel as though my writing isn’t nearly good enough, I never trash it, and I always show it at least to my two closest friends.

Ellie

After someone’s read it?

Joseph

There is a book which I wrote to completion, showed some friends, and subsequently never published because I’m not satisfied with it. It hasn’t been trashed though, just shelved.

Ellie

Do you have a ritual before writing?

Joseph

Not really.

Ellie

During?

Joseph

I like to keep a pad and pen around. If I get stuck, I’ll pick them up and start writing longhand. For some reason, it gets the juices flowing almost immediately. Sometimes I don’t even have to finish the sentence.

Ellie

How about after?

Joseph

When I finish writing a book, I take a few days and typically read something in a different genre or play a game in a different genre, to cleanse the palate. Mental sorbet.

Ellie

Same. And do you have a special place or time to write?

Joseph

I work a day job, so I work writing in whenever I can manage. Mostly that means during the commute (I use mass transit) or late at night. My most successful writing sessions are right before bed.

Ellie

Writers often spend their time researching.

Do you visit specific locations on the web or places?

Joseph

Just Wikipedia.

Ellie

And do you ever get writer’s block?

Joseph

Rarely, but on occasion.

Ellie

What’s your trick to overcome it?

Joseph

The aforementioned “writing longhand” is often all it takes, but if it is particularly stubborn, I leave a note for myself and start writing another scene, one that is more action (if I’m stuck on dialogue) or more dialogue (if I’m stuck on action.) If things are REALLY bad, I’ll watch a movie. Usually my subconscious will spit something out before long.

Ellie

I never thought about longhand to break it, I should give that a go sometime.

Okay and share a quote with us?

Joseph

“A little nonsense now and then is cherished by the wisest men.” And “We are the music makers. We are the dreamers of the dreams.” They are both famous quotes who I will forever associate not with their actual originators, but with Willy Wonka.

~Ellie Smiles~

Ellie

Love that book.

Ellie

Okay and how long does it take you to complete a book?

Joseph

As little as 30 days (during NaNoWriMo) or as much as 10 years (in the case of my first book). On average it takes me between 8 and 16 months.

Ellie

Not bad. So how much downtime do you have in between projects?

Joseph

Seldom more than a few weeks, often only a few days.

Ellie

Who or what has been your biggest literary influence?

Joseph

I sat and read over thirty Discworld novels after publishing my first book, so I probably soaked up more Pratchett than anything else.

Ellie

If your books had a soundtrack:

Who would create your soundtrack?

Joseph

I’m a sucker for JohnWilliams, Hans Zimmer, and Danny Elfman. One of those.

Ellie

Oh my god me too!! They’d all totally nail it. And what would it be; Motion Picture or Score?

Joseph

It would be very cinematic.

Ellie

What music and/or artist would you like to have featured in it?

Joseph

I’ve toyed with the idea of having the vocals of a prophet character be provided by the band Clutch, as their lyrics and vocal style partially inspired the character.

Ellie

Cool cool, and if your book was turned into a movie…

What actors/actresses would you have to play your characters?

Joseph

I mostly imagine my books as animated movies, so it would be primarily voicework. I find I have a very hard time coming up with performers, but Ellen Page came to mind for Myranda from The Book of Deacon.

Ellie

Which Book would you like that to happen to and why?

Joseph

The Book of Deacon Trilogy if possible. There are a lot of things in that series that I feel would be magical if we could get some animators to put them on the big screen.

Ellie

It would be awesome, and so exciting. Okay Joseph, we’re coming up to the end of our spotlight now and I hope you’ve enjoyed your day with me today, I bet you can’t wait to see the back of me

~Joseph laughs~

Ellie

The last questions I have are…What’s up next for you, any other projects in the Pipeline?

Joseph

I’m working on a third science fiction book right now. I’ve also got a steampunk novel and a superhero novel almost ready to release.

Ellie

Of all the books you’ve written, which is your favorite?

Joseph

The Rise of the Red Shadow is pretty good. It is probably my most dramatic work, and it has got the most time and experience poured into it.

Ellie

And the last thing I would like you to do if that is okay is...

Please could you give us a few works to your readers and potential readers about your books and/or work.

Joseph

All I can say is that I love being a storyteller. I do my best to create a living, breathing world and characters that the readers care about. I try to let the story and the characters grow naturally, and I do my best to make the mystic and science fiction elements as consistent and believable as possible without stripping them of their wonder. I’m happy to say that the people who have taken a chance and given my books a try have more often than not enjoyed them, and I hope you will too.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~(*)~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Images provided by JL. Graphics Design by @2014 Danni (Ellie) Williams. All Rights Reserved.

The Battle of Verril (The Book of Deacon)

Kindle - £1.93/$3.16

Expand Paperback - £7.44/$11.69

Expand Audio, CD, Audiobook, MP3 - £24.71/$31.49

Audio Download, Unabridged or Free with Audible.co.uk 30-day free trial - £23.70/$34.44

Kindle: ASIN: B004QTOIJA

Paperback: ISBN-10: 1477684751/ISBN-13: 978-1477684757

Audio, CD, Audiobook, MP3: ISBN-10: 1452662975/ ISBN-13: 978-1452662978

Audio Download Unabridged: ASIN: B00DCKXH46

Book:

In this, the finale of the Book of Deacon Trilogy, Myranda and the Chosen face their greatest challenges yet. Time is running out, and the Generals are growing desperate. Through victory and defeat, reunion and betrayal, neither the heroes nor their foes will rest until they have seen their task through to the end. The only question is, will it be the end of a war, or the end of times?

The Great Convergence (The Book of Deacon)

Kindle - £1.92/$3.16

Paperback - £7.53/$11.69

Audio, CD, Audiobook, MP3 Audio, Unbridged- £23.72/$31.49

Audio Download, Unabridged - £23.70/$34.44 or Free with Audible.co.uk 30-day free trial

Kindle: ASIN: B004I437ZO

Paperback: ISBN-10: 1477684425/ISBN-13: 978-1477684429

Audio, CD, Audiobook, MP3: ISBN-10: 1452662967/ISBN-13: 978-1452662961

Audio Download Unabridged: ASIN: B00DCKXH46

Book:

The Great Convergence continues the tale of young Myranda Celeste. With fresh knowledge of magic and steadfast resolve to see the end of the war that plagues her land, Myranda sets out to find and unite the five fated heroes, the Chosen. Each new warrior brings her world a step closer to peace, but does she have the strength to survive the trials ahead?

The Book of Deacon

Kindle - £0.77/$1.27

Paperback - £6.78/$11.69

Audio, CD, Audiobook, MP3 Audio, Unbridged- £25.35/$31.49

Audio Download, Unabridged - £23.70/$34.44 or Free with Audible.co.uk 30-day free trial

Kindle: ASIN: B0036FTF4S

Paperback: ISBN-10: 1470008955/ISBN-13: 978-1470008956

Audio, CD, Audiobook, MP3: ISBN-10: 1452662959/ISBN-13: 978-1452662954

Audio Download Unabridged: ASIN: B00CH3TQ2G

Book:

Myranda is a young woman more interested in staying alive than being a hero. Orphaned by a continent-spanning war that has gone on for decades too long and shunned for failing to support it, she has been on the move since she was only a child. One can hardly blame her when she thinks that the chance discovery of a fallen soldier's priceless cargo is the moment that will change her life. No one could predict just how great that change would be. It will lead her through an adventure of rebels and generals, of wizards and warriors, and of beasts both noble and monstrous. Each step of the way will take her closer to the truth of her potential, of the war, and of the fate of her world.

Jade

Kindle: £0.63/$1.04

Audio Download, Unbridged: £13.10/$20.64

Kindle: ASIN: B004I438LM

Audio Download, Unbridged: ASIN: B00B8W9E38

Book:

This short novel, set after the events of The Book of Deacon, follows the blessed and cursed life of Jade Rinton. Stripped of her family and kept in a tall tower by a fierce dragon due to the scheming of a mysterious stranger, Jade seems to be living in a twisted fairy tale. She soon learns, though, that fate has its own ideas of who should play each part, and that family is where you find it.

Unstable Prototypes

Kindle: £1.95

ASIN: B007DXM6YU

Book:

Following his last adventure, Trevor "Lex" Alexander's life has managed to return to normal. He's back to splitting his time between delivering packages and transporting passengers, along with the occasional foray into testing highly experimental equipment. He's even gotten back together with his girlfriend Michella Modane, who has been launched to stardom by her coverage of the Bypass Gemini incident. Yes, things are going quite well for Lex. But in his life, luck like this never lasts long.

Sure enough, while he is preparing for a rare visit from Michella, he receives word that the reclusive inventor Karter Dee has been kidnapped. The eccentric and slightly deranged inventor's checkered past has made getting the authorities involved out of the question. That has left "Ma", the AI in charge of cooking his meals and reining in his insanity, with few options. She has reached out to Lex as one of the few people she can trust, and needs him to help assemble a team of Karter's former allies to take him back before his latest contraptions can be put to work terrorizing the populace at the hands of his captors.

Bypass Gemini

Kindle: £Free!

ASIN: B004Z99U3K

Book:

In a distant future, Trevor "Lex" Alexander was shaping up to be the next great race pilot until a fixed race got him banned from the sport. Reduced to making freelance deliveries, he thinks his life can't get any worse. That's when a package manages to get him mixed up with mobsters, a megacorp, and a mad scientist. Now his life depends on learning what their plans are, and how he can stop them.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~(*)~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ellie

Whoa! Well, Joe! We’re done!!

Thanks so much again for coming on the show, I would love to catch up with you again sometime down the year and see what other marvellous things you’ve accomplished. You really are an inspiration and truly you deserve all the success in the world.

All the best

xXx