Ask the Author: Jeffrey Burger

“Ask me a question.” Jeffrey Burger

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book 6? :) So, my initial question was too short. Let's see ... A more detailed question ... so ... How is book 6 coming along?

Jeffrey Burger What I have so far in Book 6, (now called Vendetta), is solid. Mystery, history, action, crime, intrigue... I'm about 1/2 way, but life is interfering with progress. The last few years: before during and after c.o.v.i.d. have been trying. Lost my mom last year, and I had a stroke this year - minor mind you, but it has it's own set of unique challenges which require frequent adjustments. Severe pain, creative thought and memory became real issues... Thankfully some of these things were identified as medicinal side effects and were addressed with changes to medications. So, progress.

I thank you for your interest and patience. I do not intend to quit or surrender.
Jeff

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Where did you get the idea for your most recent book?

Jeffrey Burger It's funny, since I don't write an outline, I have a solid start because I leave open threads on my previous work. And I have a pretty fair idea what the end will be and points or plot devices I want to use throughout, but in a definitive way, things develop as I progress. Ideas come to me as I go, and much like real life, sometimes story lines are fragmented. I mostly do this because I do not like predictable stories and those odd story lines will tie in somewhere to make sense to the reader. I want the reader to understand that while the main characters are the center of the story, they are not the center of the universe. And for the most part, individual characters may have same, or separate, central goals driving them. I want the reader to experience the story as a whole but also see the universe uniquely - and their individual story lines, through the character's eyes and not the narrative. I think this gives a broader, more character-intimate experience.

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Can you tell us a two-sentence horror story?

Jeffrey Burger Rain drummed down on the roof and the tree branches scratched against the outside of the house, tapping incessantly on her bedroom window. In the cloudless light of morning, Karen went out to trim those pesky branches, finding none close enough to touch the house... bloody smears and fingerprints marking the wall and window.

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If you could travel to any fictional book world, where would you go and what would you do there?

Jeffrey Burger Well, I seriously enjoy the universe I've created in the Wings of Steele series... It's vast but reachable, it's exciting, it's beautiful. It has it's dangers, yes, but it also has it wonders. I've always been fascinated with space travel and the life depicted in shows like; Star Trek, Babylon 5, Firefly, etc, and I think it would be amazing to captain a ship.

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Someone asked me; "Why are there two different Book 5's?"

Jeffrey Burger I got the impression that the first cover with Jack and Alite may not have properly conveyed the book as Science Fiction, leaning more toward Romance or Fantasy, so, I recreated a cover which I hoped better suit the series, the story, and the genre.

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How do you get inspired to write?

Jeffrey Burger Wine.
And Music.
Mostly wine...

In all seriousness, for an article, the inspiration can come from anything - something I heard, saw, personally experienced... For my books, it's all imagination... well, and a ton of research - especially when it comes to factual stuff on earth. A little truth or fact woven in, I think, makes the story feel more realistic, believable, grounded.

Many/most writers prepare a book by outlining before actually writing - I've tried doing that, it doesn't work for me, except for the very most basic form: start, midpoint and end. The rest I create as I write. Sometimes it takes me days to figure out a situation or a solution, but I find the plots twists and turns are much more spontaneous - sometimes they even catch me by surprise when I come up with them.

Robert Frost said: "No tears in the writer, no tears in the reader. No surprise in the writer, no surprise in the reader."

I take that to heart. It genuinely pains me when I have to lose a character - unless it's a bad guy of course. But still, sometimes, if I've known them long enough... So if I feel pain, surprise, anger, laughter, I expect I'm transferring that over to my readers - life. If I can have that effect on my readers, I've done my job. And by most accounts, I've been able to reach my readers - and that tells me I'm doing it right.

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Jeff, How soon till book 5 is published? Thanks Chris

Jeffrey Burger There is no targeted date - I am seriously behind schedule, (life gets in the way), but it is moving along, about 50% complete. I'd like to get it out late spring - early summer at the latest, but I find the farther I go into the series the more complex the plots become. This in itself slows me down as I wind the story threads through the meat of the book. If you're not on my mailing list you can drop me an email through my website: www.wingsofsteele.com - I can keep you up to date there.

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What’s your advice for aspiring writers?

Jeffrey Burger Read. A lot. Read what you want to write - see how someone else does it. Learn from their prose, their views, their machinations.

Write it. Read it aloud. Edit it. Don't get discouraged.

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How do you deal with writer’s block?

Jeffrey Burger Staring at that blinking cursor on a blank page, mocking your efforts to create is extremely frustrating. And it's discouraging. I find it easier to turn it off and walk away. The subconscious has a tendency to continue to work on things even when you're not focusing effort on it. And it never ceases to amaze me when or where the answer I'm seeking occurs to magically pop into my head. And rather than immediately run to the keyboard, I let it simmer for a bit as the details and ideas began to shape in fascinating fashion. Sometimes this process takes hours, days or even a week or more... but the end result is usually far more fruitful than if I glued my ass to the seat in front of the keyboard and attempted to hammer my way through.

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