Book: Ales, Agents And Alchemy
Q1. Hello Sir, can you please introduce yourself? Readers would love to know more about you.
I’m a writer of heart-and-snark-filled fantasy and science fiction! Stories are the best way I know to help others, and books got me through the toughest times in my life. That’s one big reason I started writing. To give back. I earned my BA in English Literature from the University of Wisconsin – Madison, and I earned a 1st degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do.
Q2. What were the key challenges you faced while writing ‘Ales, Agents And Alchemy?’
The two biggest challenges were representing LGBTQ characters with respect, and researching beer brewing to weave in with the alchemy. There are three LGBTQ characters in the novel. Kelly, Madison, and Ryne. I worked closely with several beta readers and critique group partners to make sure these characters were sincere and genuine. Research for the beer alchemy was fun, and required a lot of double-checking to make sure the right step of beer brewing was involved with the right piece of alchemy.
Q3. What books or authors have most influenced your own writing?
I can think of three authors who influenced my writings. Kevin Hearne because his writing has the action-packed pacing and snark I like. Victoria Schwab because she tells beautiful stories about characters of many gender identities (and her super-villains rock). John Scalzi because he is a master of dialogue and of writing stories that get you seeing the setting vividly with only a few descriptions.
Q4. What’s your favorite spot to visit in your own country? And what makes it so special to you?
My favorite spot to visit is State Street in Madison, Wisconsin. There are used book stores on that street downtown, as well as fantastic and eccentric restaurants. There’s a breakfast restaurant open 24hrs, and a smokeshop with silly action figures and college humor types of products. Always entertaining to walk in there and see how many products with puns are for sale. Plus – Wisconsin ice cream down on State Street is #1 for a reason.
Q5. Is there lots to do before you dive in and start writing a book?
Of course there is! I outline each chapter beforehand using one paragraph to represent a chapter. That way I can keep the story on track AND allow the characters to solve the problems I lay out in the outline in their own ways. It’s half-organized, half-improvisational.
Q6. How long did it take you to write ‘Ales, Agents And Alchemy’ book?
The novel took two years to write and edit. I wrote it between other projects like writing short stories and converting a screenplay into a fantasy novel. That’s actually short for me. Usually it takes two-and-a-half or three years to write AND edit one novel.
Q7. On what platforms can readers find ‘Ales, Agents And Alchemy’ book to buy?
Ales, Agents And Alchemy is available on Amazon. Search the title and you’ll find it. The book is also available on Kyanite Publishing’s website under new releases. You can download the book there using code FAREWELL and get 40% off! The book’s available in e-book, paperback, and hardcover!
Q8. Tell us about the process of coming up with the book cover and the title, ‘Ales, Agents And Alchemy’?
This was such a fun process! I showed my publisher examples of other book covers that did attractive things with the text and the images of characters, then we designed our own together using things like angled text, a smoky background, and characters with whiskey and slinky dresses. The book’s original title was ‘The Magician’s Ales’ but the publisher and I talked and felt the word ‘Magician’ is too common in book titles. So we mulled over about ten other titles and came up with the alliterative ‘Ales, Agents And Alchemy’ because it tells exactly what the book is.
Q9. When writing a book, how do you keep things fresh for both your readers and also yourself?
It’s tough to do that, but there many ways to keep the pace and tension mounting. Each chapter starts with the character’s goal for that chapter on the first page or so. Then by the end of the chapter, I make sure the character has either failed, OR has succeeded and caused another problem or two because of that success. For example, the villain Lawrence Grant burns down a library in his first scene. He succeeds, but that gets Kelly the ATF agent involved because explosives are part of the ATF’s responsibility to investigate. Each chapter ends with something worse going wrong, and only SOME things get fixed before things go wrong even worse. You don’t have a story at all if everything goes right for the characters!
Q10. Are there any secrets from the book (that aren’t in the blurb) you can share with your readers?
I can share two! First, the main characters’s sexuality is Asexual. (Ace) He notices when people are behaving in a flirty or sexual way, but he’s never interested. He doesn’t enjoy that kind of relationship. He would rather have connections that aren’t sexual in nature. He can still experience love, care, romance, etc. That kind of casual representation is important in story telling because people are people and their feelings and sexualities are relevant. The other secret is I’m writing a sequel with Kelly as the protagonist!
Thanks so much for interviewing me! I’m active on social media like Twitter (@OculusWriter), Instagram (OculusWriter) and Facebook (Jabe Stafford, Writer). You can find free downloadable stories and a monthly newsletter at my author webpage http://www.jabestafford.com
Book Is Available On Amazon
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