Ask the Author: Jared K. Chapman
Answered Questions (8)
Jared K. Chapman
I thought I was Jerry Rice sprinting down the football field, looking over my shoulder at the ball hurtling in my direction, and not noticing the impending doom before me. Leaping backward to catch the ball, I twisted around to find myself falling into a grinding, open-top lawnmower... KARUNCH GRUNK KRING SHPLOOP.
Jared K. Chapman
Hi John, thank you for your question. My first one! I should give you a reward somehow. :)
I love King. When I was 10, my step-mother was a huge fan and had an amazing library from which I borrowed many a book for a late-night shuttering in my sheets. I totally agree with you on the Stand. I need to re-read it given our current time.
Now to answer your question. Vonnegut's Slapstick is my all-time favorite book of his. It has definitely influenced how I approach post-apocalyptic worlds I create. Church of Jesus Christ, the Kidnapped directly influenced an idea I pay homage to in 2HVØRHVNØT that will become more prominent in my prequel trilogy: Foundations of Fellowship City (Book 2 and 3). There is just something real and intimate with how Vonnegut writes that makes me feel what he wants me to feel and see what he wants me to see. I strive to make readers feel the way he made me feel.
I love King. When I was 10, my step-mother was a huge fan and had an amazing library from which I borrowed many a book for a late-night shuttering in my sheets. I totally agree with you on the Stand. I need to re-read it given our current time.
Now to answer your question. Vonnegut's Slapstick is my all-time favorite book of his. It has definitely influenced how I approach post-apocalyptic worlds I create. Church of Jesus Christ, the Kidnapped directly influenced an idea I pay homage to in 2HVØRHVNØT that will become more prominent in my prequel trilogy: Foundations of Fellowship City (Book 2 and 3). There is just something real and intimate with how Vonnegut writes that makes me feel what he wants me to feel and see what he wants me to see. I strive to make readers feel the way he made me feel.
Jared K. Chapman
I've learned that I get some of my best ideas while taking a shower. So, if I'm having difficulty writing, I take a shower and think about my story. Usually, I'll have some kind of epiphany or breakthrough that guides me to my next roadblock.
Jared K. Chapman
My mind is constantly full of ideas. When I write, I exhaust my mind. Nights I completely exhaust my mind, I sleep very well.
I'll need to update this at some point as I've only been a professional writer for a week, but things are looking good so far.
I'll need to update this at some point as I've only been a professional writer for a week, but things are looking good so far.
Jared K. Chapman
I waited too long to publish because I didn't have confidence in my work. Don't do that. You are the only person who can tell your story the way you want it to be told. So, write it and don't be afraid to show it to people. Also, don't have a big head about it. Be open to others' critiques, challenges, and changes they may introduce. Those ideas may help you more than you know. It's never too late to start. I'm 43 and this is my debut novel. I wish I had begun 20 years ago, but here I am now, and wishing only gets you so far. If you need help, there are people and companies out there who can help. I needed my confidence boosted and help on how to get published, so I found a program. Message me if you want to know about it. Otherise, keep writing. Write everyday. Only stop to send pages to the editor. Publish!
Jared K. Chapman
After I finished 2HVØRHVNØT, I had a lot of background for how Fellowship City came to be. I created this whole huge history, which is presented fully in the story. I thought it would be cool to write a prequel trilogy (yes, I'm a Star Wars fan). So, I outlined what I thought the trilogy would look like. As I was editing 2HVØRHVNØT and getting it ready for publication, I wrote the first book in the Foundations of Fellowship City called The Warrior. I'm currently editing that book and writing the second book in the series called The Wanderer. The third book is outlined and waiting on deck. It's called The Wise. I'm also outling the sequel to 2HVØRHVNØT, which I will begin writing went the prequel trilogy is completed.
Jared K. Chapman
I've been writing as far as I can remember. I made a little book in 3rd or 4th grade as a class project that was printed by a publisher for my class. It was the coolest thing ever to see my writing in a book. I wrote a novel in 5th grade, but I doubt it was any good. It was some cross between Star Wars and Star Trek mixed with the optimism of youth. In 5th grade, I was introduced to the works of Stephen King, and I read several of his books in a short time. I think he was the first author I remember reading multiple books by... well, he and Anne McCaffrey. I loved the dragonriders. I was caught in this world of sci-fi, fantasy, and horror all through my formative years, which truly influenced what I wanted to write about. In high school, I wrote several short stories, a couple plays, and poems. I actually won an award for one of my poems--Best Paradoxical Love Poem. After high school, I struggled to determine what I wanted to be when I grow up, changing majors several times until finally landing on psychology and religious studies. Even so, a novel I began after graduating high school I continued to write...I continue to write that novel to this day. I'm not sure it will ever be finished. It's an epic vampire story where vampire's do not sparkle. I was really into vampires in high school. I took a film class in college that inspired me to write screenplays, so I did that for awhile, and I made some short films. Played in some festivals. I really never stopped writing, but what inspired me the most was always the amazing books I read. I wanted to be like the authors of those books. I wanted to inspire others as they had inspired me.
Jared K. Chapman
My educational background in psychology and religious studies informs a lot of my writing. I've always been attracted to the research of Asch, Sherif, Milgram, and Zimbardo's prison experiment, which spoke to how people could harm others through group conformity and obedience. A lot of this research grew out of trying to understand the Nazis (not the leadership, but those who followed orders blindly). I also thought about this research in context of how to overcome intergroup conflict. Sherif's "Lord of the Flies" study found two opposing groups came together when faced with a superordinate goal. This idea always made me think about Independence Day and War of the Worlds, or any other movie where Aliens attacking Earth forces us to work together and become one. I wondered if this would work in a society where one group oppressed another group and then was forced to rely on the group they oppressed for their own survival. Could the oppressed put aside their hatred of their oppressors to help? How would the oppressors respond? These are questions I explore or will continue to explore in my To Have or Have Not Universe.
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