He is a mathematician by training, a programmer by trade, and a writer and martial artist by passion. He loves bringing his quirky sense of humor into character-rich stories.
Q.1 Tell us something about yourself that not many people know.
A. I'm a 4th-degree black belt taekwondo master. As my martial arts training evolved, it became more of a mental and spiritual exercise. I have been able to link many of my lessons in that to my writing journey, which helps me visualize how far I still have to go.
Q.2 Grave Mistakes is described as a dark fantasy comedy with elements of magical mishaps and dark humor. What inspired you to blend these seemingly contrasting genres?
A. I've always loved juxtaposition in my writing, blending two things that don't seem to belong together. It creates something unique and interesting. I'm the sort that when I hear hoof beats, I first think of stampeding alicorns, not horses.
Q.3 Can you share any details about your next writing project or any upcoming works?
A. I have the next novel fully planned and plotted! I have been pitching it as "a couple's dog is conscripted into the fey army, and they go rescue him." It's a fun idea; it's cute, but the subject matter was getting really heavy as it dove into the couple's frayed marriage. I'm setting that aside to return to the world of my trilogy and progress the story there.
Q.4 What techniques do you use to create tension and suspense in your writing, particularly in scenes of horror or peril?
A. It may sound weird, but sentence length and structure are key here. As the scene's tension rises, the writing gets quicker, throwing the reader through it at the same speed as the characters.
Q.5 Can you share any challenges you faced while writing Grave Mistakes, particularly in maintaining the balance between comedy and horror?
A. Gabriela, the book's main protagonist, was raised among the dead. To her, all that should be "horror" is perfectly mundane. That gave me a way to take things we would see as horrific and brush them off with a quip.
Q.6 Gabriela, the protagonist, seems to find herself in quite a predicament after accidentally causing Viscount Brynmor Highgate's demise. Can you tell us more about how you developed her character and her journey throughout the story?
A. Gabriela's main journey is developing her own agency as a young woman. Her first time out in the world, things don't end well, especially for Brynmor. She seeks help from others but ends up having to do it all herself and realizing the depth of her abilities.
Q.7 How many books have you written? Which one is your favorite?
A. Grave Mistakes is my sixth novel. I also have three collections of silly short stories, two novelettes related to my stand-alone novels (including Cracking the World, a prequel to Grave Mistakes), and two collections of short stories for a more adult audience. Grave Mistakes might be my favorite of the novels. It kept surprising myself while writing it. Gabriela was…odd…to write.
Q.8 When did you first realize you wanted to become a writer?
A. My fourth-grade teacher hammered writing techniques into us. Since then, I have always wanted to write a book, but it wasn't until more than twenty-five years later that I really sat down to do it.
Q.9 What was one of the most surprising things you learned while writing this book?
A. Gabriela has a very different type of intelligence than me! It sounds weird since she came from my brain, but so often, she'd take over the scene, forcing me to divert from my notes and take a long walk to figure out what she wanted to do. In short, writers have to let their characters take over and do what would be natural for them.
Q.10 How do you handle feedback and criticism from readers or editors during the writing process or after the publication?
A. I do my best not to look at reviews after publication. I've found that's best for my mental health, otherwise, I'd dwell on every little critique. I listen carefully to every word from readers before the publication date, though! My alpha and beta readers. I know my writing will only improve by processing this feedback.
Q.11 Do you have any quirky or interesting writing habits?
A. I do the voices when I'm writing and testing dialog. I would be terrible at doing my own audiobooks, but I work out everyone's accent and cadence.
Q.12 How do you select the names of your characters?
A. Most just pop into my head. I might look up lists of regional names, like most of the main characters in Grave Mistakes are Welsh. In my other novels, I often translated words from other languages.
Q.13 How do you know when a story is finished?
A. Ooo, hard one. I suppose it's when the story's inciting incident is resolved, as well as any character arcs. I'm a firm believer in first in, last out, meaning the story should be resolved in the opposite order it was introduced. The inciting incident should be the first thing, so once that's done, there shouldn't be anything left, right?
Q.14 Who designed your book cover? What was the selection process?
A. The Grave Mistakes cover art was drawn by Martin Grasso, who also did the cover for another of my novels, Necromancer of Urbus. This book was the first one where I used AI to generate concept art, and I asked Martin to put his spin on it. It is a completely original work, though, with nothing AI about the end product. Previously, I gave him stick figures, and he generated magic.
Q.15 It is vital to get exposure and target the right readers for your book. Tell us about your marketing campaign.
A. I haven't figured out marketing yet. I have my mailing list, which I message twice a month (and where you can get lots of free stuff!). I have my social media accounts, where I post regularly. I have been on podcasts and do interviews such as this one. Book marketing is all a lottery.
Q.16 Do you have a favorite scene or moment from Grave Mistakes, and what inspired it?
A. Around a third of the way through the book, when Gabriela's team first intersects with those chasing them, there's a scene of Lord Sebastian, the book's comic relief, speaking as Brynmor, who is currently a ghost. This didn't play out AT ALL like I had in my notes. It was a perfect encapsulation of how a story can run away from the author.
Q.17 As a writer of dark fantasy horror, what do you think draws readers to this genre, and what do you hope they'll take away from this book?
A. Dark fantasy is often about the setting, with the story involving a bleak world. By adding comedy and levity, I hope readers will see that beauty can be found in even the most unexpected places.
Q.18 How do your friends or family feel about your book or writing venture in general?
A. My friends and family are very supportive. My husband is the first to read everything, my mother owns every edition, and friends visit whenever I do a show. I couldn't do this without them.
Q.19 Are there any particular authors or books that have influenced your writing style or the creation of your books?
A. I read James Clemen's Banded and Banished series around 2000 when I was in college and absolutely loved them. I wrote him a fan letter, and he replied by email. We went back and forth for years. He showed me that authors are just people, not existing only as names on covers.
Q.20 Share the experience of your writing journey so far.
A. In short, it's a LOT of work, but often worth it. I keep being told it's a marathon, not a sprint, so don't expect anything instantly. Even so, it feels like I'm often getting tripped into the mud. The writing is fun and creative, but the marketing really stresses my mental health.
Q.1 Tell us something about yourself that not many people know.
A. I'm a 4th-degree black belt taekwondo master. As my martial arts training evolved, it became more of a mental and spiritual exercise. I have been able to link many of my lessons in that to my writing journey, which helps me visualize how far I still have to go.
Q.2 Grave Mistakes is described as a dark fantasy comedy with elements of magical mishaps and dark humor. What inspired you to blend these seemingly contrasting genres?
A. I've always loved juxtaposition in my writing, blending two things that don't seem to belong together. It creates something unique and interesting. I'm the sort that when I hear hoof beats, I first think of stampeding alicorns, not horses.
Q.3 Can you share any details about your next writing project or any upcoming works?
A. I have the next novel fully planned and plotted! I have been pitching it as "a couple's dog is conscripted into the fey army, and they go rescue him." It's a fun idea; it's cute, but the subject matter was getting really heavy as it dove into the couple's frayed marriage. I'm setting that aside to return to the world of my trilogy and progress the story there.
Q.4 What techniques do you use to create tension and suspense in your writing, particularly in scenes of horror or peril?
A. It may sound weird, but sentence length and structure are key here. As the scene's tension rises, the writing gets quicker, throwing the reader through it at the same speed as the characters.
Q.5 Can you share any challenges you faced while writing Grave Mistakes, particularly in maintaining the balance between comedy and horror?
A. Gabriela, the book's main protagonist, was raised among the dead. To her, all that should be "horror" is perfectly mundane. That gave me a way to take things we would see as horrific and brush them off with a quip.
Q.6 Gabriela, the protagonist, seems to find herself in quite a predicament after accidentally causing Viscount Brynmor Highgate's demise. Can you tell us more about how you developed her character and her journey throughout the story?
A. Gabriela's main journey is developing her own agency as a young woman. Her first time out in the world, things don't end well, especially for Brynmor. She seeks help from others but ends up having to do it all herself and realizing the depth of her abilities.
Q.7 How many books have you written? Which one is your favorite?
A. Grave Mistakes is my sixth novel. I also have three collections of silly short stories, two novelettes related to my stand-alone novels (including Cracking the World, a prequel to Grave Mistakes), and two collections of short stories for a more adult audience. Grave Mistakes might be my favorite of the novels. It kept surprising myself while writing it. Gabriela was…odd…to write.
Q.8 When did you first realize you wanted to become a writer?
A. My fourth-grade teacher hammered writing techniques into us. Since then, I have always wanted to write a book, but it wasn't until more than twenty-five years later that I really sat down to do it.
Q.9 What was one of the most surprising things you learned while writing this book?
A. Gabriela has a very different type of intelligence than me! It sounds weird since she came from my brain, but so often, she'd take over the scene, forcing me to divert from my notes and take a long walk to figure out what she wanted to do. In short, writers have to let their characters take over and do what would be natural for them.
Q.10 How do you handle feedback and criticism from readers or editors during the writing process or after the publication?
A. I do my best not to look at reviews after publication. I've found that's best for my mental health, otherwise, I'd dwell on every little critique. I listen carefully to every word from readers before the publication date, though! My alpha and beta readers. I know my writing will only improve by processing this feedback.
Q.11 Do you have any quirky or interesting writing habits?
A. I do the voices when I'm writing and testing dialog. I would be terrible at doing my own audiobooks, but I work out everyone's accent and cadence.
Q.12 How do you select the names of your characters?
A. Most just pop into my head. I might look up lists of regional names, like most of the main characters in Grave Mistakes are Welsh. In my other novels, I often translated words from other languages.
Q.13 How do you know when a story is finished?
A. Ooo, hard one. I suppose it's when the story's inciting incident is resolved, as well as any character arcs. I'm a firm believer in first in, last out, meaning the story should be resolved in the opposite order it was introduced. The inciting incident should be the first thing, so once that's done, there shouldn't be anything left, right?
Q.14 Who designed your book cover? What was the selection process?
A. The Grave Mistakes cover art was drawn by Martin Grasso, who also did the cover for another of my novels, Necromancer of Urbus. This book was the first one where I used AI to generate concept art, and I asked Martin to put his spin on it. It is a completely original work, though, with nothing AI about the end product. Previously, I gave him stick figures, and he generated magic.
Q.15 It is vital to get exposure and target the right readers for your book. Tell us about your marketing campaign.
A. I haven't figured out marketing yet. I have my mailing list, which I message twice a month (and where you can get lots of free stuff!). I have my social media accounts, where I post regularly. I have been on podcasts and do interviews such as this one. Book marketing is all a lottery.
Q.16 Do you have a favorite scene or moment from Grave Mistakes, and what inspired it?
A. Around a third of the way through the book, when Gabriela's team first intersects with those chasing them, there's a scene of Lord Sebastian, the book's comic relief, speaking as Brynmor, who is currently a ghost. This didn't play out AT ALL like I had in my notes. It was a perfect encapsulation of how a story can run away from the author.
Q.17 As a writer of dark fantasy horror, what do you think draws readers to this genre, and what do you hope they'll take away from this book?
A. Dark fantasy is often about the setting, with the story involving a bleak world. By adding comedy and levity, I hope readers will see that beauty can be found in even the most unexpected places.
Q.18 How do your friends or family feel about your book or writing venture in general?
A. My friends and family are very supportive. My husband is the first to read everything, my mother owns every edition, and friends visit whenever I do a show. I couldn't do this without them.
Q.19 Are there any particular authors or books that have influenced your writing style or the creation of your books?
A. I read James Clemen's Banded and Banished series around 2000 when I was in college and absolutely loved them. I wrote him a fan letter, and he replied by email. We went back and forth for years. He showed me that authors are just people, not existing only as names on covers.
Q.20 Share the experience of your writing journey so far.
A. In short, it's a LOT of work, but often worth it. I keep being told it's a marathon, not a sprint, so don't expect anything instantly. Even so, it feels like I'm often getting tripped into the mud. The writing is fun and creative, but the marketing really stresses my mental health.
I keep at it, though. Very few people test for their first belt in martial arts, and far fewer for their black belt. Most drop off then, but I have successfully tested three more times since. It's the same with writing. Few start their book, fewer finish, publish, and write another. I'm just stubborn.
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Website - http://jmsamland.com/
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