We’re very excited to welcome author Jeff Wheeler to e-Books India. We asked Jeff a series of questions and he responded, telling us about how he got into writing, and about the genre he writes in. Continue reading to find out about Jeff and to learn about his most recent story entitled The Thief’s Daughter.
Please tell us about you. Where are you from? What is your professional background and how did you become an author?
I grew up in Silicon Valley in California. While I went to college to become a history professor, I ended up working at Intel Corp for the bulk of my career. I always wrote on the side, squeezing in time just one night a week to write my novels. After over twenty years of doing this, I finally got a break after self-publishing my Legends of Muirwood trilogy. I signed on with 47North (part of Amazon Publishing) and have been with them since.
What types of books do you write?
I write entryway fantasy, which I like to describe as a niche between Young Adult and Epic Fantasy. These are books that are targeting readers who aren’t necessarily committed fantasy readers but who are interested in magic and other worlds. Many of my readers don’t normally read fantasy but they still enjoy the fast-paced adventures I like to create.
Could you please tell us about your most recent book, its overall plot, and the main characters in it?
My most recent book is The Thief’s Daughter, which is Book 2 of my new Kingfountain Series. In these books I have re-written medieval history during the late 15th century and added a magical twist to it called the Fountain. In the first book, The Queen’s Poisoner, the main characters are children seeking to survive in a frightening political situation. In this new book, they are teenagers and are in a position of trust serving a misunderstood king. They are forced to choose between loyalty to the king and each other.
Are you working on any other books(s)? If so, can you please tell us what we can expect to see from you in the future?
I have not announced my next project yet, so I can’t answer this question. I hope to be able to share the good news in September when the final book of the Kingfountain trilogy is released.
Can you please tell us about your approach to writing? For example, do you follow structures and writing rules? Or do you write in a free flow way? Do you have any particular time of the day you like to write? Or any specific environment you prefer to sit down and write in?
I do prefer writing in the mornings now when my kids are in school. I am very focused and write at set times and try to write an entire chapter in one sitting. I don’t believe in a lot of rules or structure and will let my imagination or the characters take me in unexpected directions. My main rule is keep the tension high. I love putting my characters in situations where I don’t know what they will do and then figuring that out later. For me, writing is like making a sculpture. I can glimpse what it is going to be and have to whittle away the shapes to reveal what the story is really about.
Do you have any favourite authors? If so, who are they and what do you like about their work?
I like Charlie Holmberg, Brandon Mull, Rysa Walker, and Sharon Kay Penman. They all write different things but I enjoy their imagination and especially the tension and characters that are in the stories. Charlie’s The Paper Magician series is a favorite because she invented a unique and interesting form of magic set in our world at an earlier time. Brandon Mull’s Fablehaven series is amazing because of the twists and turns and the cleverness of his villains. He is really hard to predict! I like Rysa Walker’s Chronos Files series because it’s science fiction/time travel that weaves history into it as well. Her plots are really convoluted but I love the historical aspect of it and the time travel technology she invented. And finally, Sharon Kay Penman writes medieval historical novels which have inspired my imagination for years. The depth of her research and how she fleshes out her characters simply draws you into the books and teaches you about the past at the same time.
What other things do you like to get up to when you’re not writing?
I like to read, as most authors do, but I also enjoy hiking the various trails in California with my wife and family. I also practice several martial arts which is fun for writing fight scenes. And most recently, I resurrected my old e-zine Deep Magic: the E-zine of Clean Fantasy and Science Fiction (www.deepmagic.co) to help other writers get published. We launch our first issue this month after a ten year absence. We’re excited about publishing writers from all over the world who write fantasy and science fiction suitable for all ages.
How can people find out more about you?
I’ve kept a blog for years: www.jeff-wheeler.com and it shows my journey as a writer as well as the recommended reading order for people interested in starting with my books.
[author] [author_image timthumb=’on’]https://writingtipsoasis.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/hv1.jpg[/author_image] [author_info]Hiten Vyas is the Founder and Managing Editor of eBooks India. He is also a prolific eBook writer with over 25 titles to his name.[/author_info] [/author]