Ask the Author: J.B. Caine
Answered Questions (7)
J.B. Caine
I've always wanted to be a professional writer...I'm constantly making up stories in my mind, and the act of bringing them to fruition is incredibly satisfying. There's just nothing better than someone telling me they love something I wrote.
J.B. Caine
Oh, gosh...is it too cliche to say I want to be a student at Hogwarts? or maybe a camper at Camp Half-blood? Because despite all the danger and drama, I'd love to be part of either of those universes.
J.B. Caine
Summer is really the best time for me to get reading done, and so my list for this summer is substantial. I just finished "Black Hat, White Witch" by Hailey Edwards, and really enjoyed it. Right now I'm midway through "Splintered" by Kelly Miller. Up and coming, I have "Wandering Star" by Romina Russell on my TBR stack, as well as "The Jode: Part 1: General Ygl & the Genie" by PJ Selarom and "Serafina and the Twisted Staff" by Robert Beatty.
J.B. Caine
FINISH THE BOOK. Someone said to me a couple of years ago, "lots of people have good ideas. A writer is someone who finishes the book." That sounds harsh, but it was a real wake-up call for me.
READ READ READ, especially in the genre in which you'd like to write. You have to know what's out there in order to do it well. Learn the right voice, conventions, and tropes so you can create a story that will appeal to your audience.
I'd also say that it's really important to find yourself a grammar-crazy friend if grammar and conventions aren't your strong suit. Again, not the most exciting advice, but there's no substitute for this basic writing tool.
READ READ READ, especially in the genre in which you'd like to write. You have to know what's out there in order to do it well. Learn the right voice, conventions, and tropes so you can create a story that will appeal to your audience.
I'd also say that it's really important to find yourself a grammar-crazy friend if grammar and conventions aren't your strong suit. Again, not the most exciting advice, but there's no substitute for this basic writing tool.
J.B. Caine
RISE OF THE MOON actually started out as a slightly different story, but it took on its own life and evolved into the first book of what I expect will be a 4-book series. Originally, the idea was that a high school junior would accidentally "activate" a magical tarot card while using it as a prop in a school play. While this does still happen in the book, the world and conflict around this event grew into a much larger story involving a cabal of magical families who each own one of these cards and pass them down through the generations.
J.B. Caine
This is an incredibly exciting time for me! I'm in the process of working with a graphic artist to re-design the cover of my first book (ARCANA BOOK ONE: RISE OF THE MOON), and I plan to re-launch it at the end of the summer. My second book (ARCANA BOOK TWO: RUSH TO JUDGEMENT) is currently in the hands of my amazing editing team, and I'm hoping to launch it this fall. While that's going on, I need to outline ARCANA BOOK THREE: STRENGTH OF WILL so I can get the bulk of it written during National Novel Writing Month this November.
SO. MUCH. HAPPENING! But I love it.
SO. MUCH. HAPPENING! But I love it.
J.B. Caine
To be honest, I'm not really sure writer's block is anything but FEAR. Fear of doing a bad job, most likely. So if you look at it that way, you can change your self-talk and remind yourself that it doesn't matter if the first draft is awful. That's what editing is for. My solution is to set a word goal and force myself to stick to it, no matter what. If I hate what I wrote, I can always cut it later.
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