Ask the Author: James Osborne
Answered Questions (11)
James Osborne
Hi Karen
Thank you for your question. My inspiration/motivation comes from life experiences coupled with world events. I was raised on a wilderness farm and my working life has included investigative journalist, college teacher, army officer, vice president of a Fortune 500 company, business owner, and writer. Stories I shared with my grandchildren prompted one to say one day, "Grandpa, you should write those down." So I did. I've written about 120 short stories. A few have morphed into novels and others have been included in short story collections (I'm finishing Vol. 2) and in a few dozen anthologies and literary journals.
Thank you for your question. My inspiration/motivation comes from life experiences coupled with world events. I was raised on a wilderness farm and my working life has included investigative journalist, college teacher, army officer, vice president of a Fortune 500 company, business owner, and writer. Stories I shared with my grandchildren prompted one to say one day, "Grandpa, you should write those down." So I did. I've written about 120 short stories. A few have morphed into novels and others have been included in short story collections (I'm finishing Vol. 2) and in a few dozen anthologies and literary journals.
James Osborne
Baby shoes for sale. Never used. (Ernest Hemingway)
James Osborne
Ancient Athens. This is where Socrates, Plato and Aristotle lived, learned and taught. I would become a student of each, in turn, to observe the brilliance of each, and perhaps one day to write again with the reflected benefits of their knowledge. (I appreciate it but am not a sci-fi aficionado)
James Osborne
1. "Echoes Beneath" by JA Owenby (second in her three part "Truth" series),
2. "Avalanche" by Kristine Stanley, book 3 in her series
3. To reread: "The Old Man and The Sea," by Ernest Hemingway -- which I reread often to regenerate my creative spirit and commitment to writing, and learn more about our calling as writers. It was much maligned on release but won him the Pulitzer Prize! Go figure!
2. "Avalanche" by Kristine Stanley, book 3 in her series
3. To reread: "The Old Man and The Sea," by Ernest Hemingway -- which I reread often to regenerate my creative spirit and commitment to writing, and learn more about our calling as writers. It was much maligned on release but won him the Pulitzer Prize! Go figure!
James Osborne
Brennan and Booth in the TV series Bones
James Osborne
Seeing an idea that has been charging around in my mind take form and substance as a short story or as a segment in a novel.
James Osborne
I was working on "The Maidstone Conspiracy" and had asked a friend to be a Beta Reader for me. He came back with lots of good ideas about that plot, but he also encouraged me to 'do something' to draw people's attention to the dangers we face from terrorism, both domestic and overseas. That was five years ago; my novel "The Ultimate Threat" is the result.
James Osborne
It just comes. I began writing at an early age, was encouraged in high school and became an investigative journalist for a decade, then went into corporate writing (marketing, ads, speeches, public relations). I retired early and went back to non-fiction and creative writing.
James Osborne
1. I've just released SECRET SHEPHERD, the sequel to my second novel, "The Maidstone Conspiracy". My first novel "The Ultimate Threat" was published in 2015; a sequel to it is in progress.. 2. I just finished ghost writing/editing a non-fiction book. The 'author' hasn't decided yet about trying to get it published.
James Osborne
Read voraciously, and write voraciously. Stephen King tells us that writing skills increase in direct proportion to the amount we read. Good advice. Best to stick with the genres in which you wish to write, at least at first. That is, someone aspiring to write science fiction should set aside for now, at least, their collection of torrid romance novels.
James Osborne
I'm not sure I've ever experienced what some consider 'writers block'. It will be different for everyone. For me, that 'pause' is simply because I do not have anything to say at a particular moment. Once the thoughts gell, then the words begin to flow again. I suspect that tensing up is the worst thing you can do when there is a 'pause' in your writing: go for a walk, set it aside for a few days, do someting entirely different, have a couple of stiff drinks... whatever it takes to relax.
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