Ask the Author: A.M. Justice
Answered Questions (14)
A.M. Justice
She woke a banging echoing amidst the call of crows. When the crows saw her through the windows, wandering the empty house, they flew away, and the banging stopped.
A.M. Justice
Thanks for asking! The artist is Steven Meyer Rassow, who does incredible work. I wrote a blog a little more than a year ago about how we collaborated to design the cover: https://amjusticeauthor.wordpress.com...
A.M. Justice
This is a difficult question because there are so many memorable relationships to choose from: Austen's perfect matches (Emma and Mr. Knightley, Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy), to the dysfunctional relationships crafted by the Bronte sisters (Jane and Rochester; Cathy and Heathcliff), to the patient sufferers like Sonya and Raskolnikov in Crime and Punishment. However, the one couple that leaps to my mind as an ideal of love and devotion is Ursula LeGuin's Ged and Tennar, from the Earthsea Cycle. Ged and Tennar meet when she's a teenager and he's an adult in his late twenties/early thirties, and although there are hints of a mutual attraction while they escape from an oppressive religious cult (in The Tombs of Atuan), they do not begin a romance until two or three decades later, when they're both mature adults and social equals (in Tehanu). I love the slow, careful way they broach their romantic relationship, which is founded on friendship and trust but which is no less passionate than the Regency era romances.
A.M. Justice
A Wizard's Sacrifice will be released in 2018. I know that sounds like a long way off but it'll be here before you know it. Keep checking back in here or on my website and blog for news, updates, related stories, and more. :)
http://www.amjusticeauthor.com
http://www.amjusticeauthor.com
A.M. Justice
Writing for me is cathartic, and it's also fun. It's cathartic because it's a safe place to sink my darker thoughts and emotions and explore the "what-ifs" that haunt me without real harm. There's magic in that process, which I think helps me keep a pretty level head and positive outlook in real life.
Writing is fun for me because when it's going well, it feels like watching a really good movie unspool in my head, one that I know will become a favorite that I'll gladly watch whenever I stumble upon it. The love of rereading is at the core of the last favorite part of writing: honing the craft and working the piece until it's as good as I can possibly make it. I want my work to be engaging and exciting for readers, but I also want it to be thought-provoking.
Writing is fun for me because when it's going well, it feels like watching a really good movie unspool in my head, one that I know will become a favorite that I'll gladly watch whenever I stumble upon it. The love of rereading is at the core of the last favorite part of writing: honing the craft and working the piece until it's as good as I can possibly make it. I want my work to be engaging and exciting for readers, but I also want it to be thought-provoking.
A.M. Justice
I don't know what those are, so no. ;-)
A.M. Justice
I did indeed reboot the series (you can read why here https://amjusticeauthor.wordpress.com...). Like most reboots, the story is essentially the same but some details are different. I streamlined the narrative, tightened the pacing, closed some plot holes, and also added some scenes that occurred off-stage in the original. It's akin to how the Song of Ice and Fire Characters travel some different paths in HBO's Game of Thrones, but everyone ends up in more or less the same place at crucial plot points.
Rebooting the series has also allowed me to lay a stronger foundation for the third book. I originally intended Vic's story to end with the second book, but a few years ago the plot of the third book came to me--it will center around the consequences of the massacre that occurs near the end of A Wizard's Forge. Please consider joining my mailing list from my website (amjusticeauthor.com) so you can stay up to date on the series! :-)
Rebooting the series has also allowed me to lay a stronger foundation for the third book. I originally intended Vic's story to end with the second book, but a few years ago the plot of the third book came to me--it will center around the consequences of the massacre that occurs near the end of A Wizard's Forge. Please consider joining my mailing list from my website (amjusticeauthor.com) so you can stay up to date on the series! :-)
A.M. Justice
Hi Dave. Thanks for the question! Around the time I was taking a college course on Old English literature and read the original poem, I had a dream about a wolf finding somebody in a forest and sitting with him. The story emerged from that conjunction. I also wanted to explore what might have happened to poor Godric. He made such a colossal mistake, and I wondered how he lived with himself afterward.
As for a listing here, my understanding has been that Goodreads lists only full-length books, not short stories. However, I've asked the librarians if Coward can be added. Stay tuned! In the meantime, you could always add a review on the Amazon UK site. :)
As for a listing here, my understanding has been that Goodreads lists only full-length books, not short stories. However, I've asked the librarians if Coward can be added. Stay tuned! In the meantime, you could always add a review on the Amazon UK site. :)
A.M. Justice
The only real way to deal with writer's block is to sit down in front of the keyboard and start writing. It can be painful, and I've had severe bouts brought on by crises of confidence, but you will not get over the block if you sit around waiting for the muse to drop by and inspire you. You must sit and write.
That said, when it's a temporary block due to a problem moving from point A to B in the narrative, I find taking a walk and thinking it through can be a big help.
That said, when it's a temporary block due to a problem moving from point A to B in the narrative, I find taking a walk and thinking it through can be a big help.
A.M. Justice
Creating characters and worlds is FUN. It's cathartic too (all of my work is pretty dark, so catharsis is a big part of it), but for me, the main attraction is that I have fun when I'm writing and it's going well. I love the challenge of fixing my mistakes too, which is why I don't mind rewriting. (A writer MUST be willing to rewrite/revise/edit as many times as it takes to get it right.)
A.M. Justice
Write daily and study your craft by finding someone to mentor you as well as by reading writers who write well. There's nothing wrong with reading summer blockbusters for fun, but if you want to learn how to WRITE, read the classics. Read the award winners. Also, study the craft with people who know what they're doing. Online writers' forums can be useful but they shouldn't replace live workshops and critique groups. It's especially important to find writers who are BETTER than you, so you can learn from them and sharpen your skills.
A.M. Justice
I'm revising Scion of Sovereigns, the third book in The Woern Chronicles, which features Vic and her family roughly two decades after the end of A Wizard's Lot. Three people close to Vic fall into trouble and have to redeem themselves, tearing her family apart in the process. At the same time, an old friend turns into an enemy and stirs the pot.
On the back burner sits a literary historical novel inspired by a biography of Galileo's daughter. I plan to finish that book once Scion is published.
On the back burner sits a literary historical novel inspired by a biography of Galileo's daughter. I plan to finish that book once Scion is published.
A.M. Justice
Inspiration can come from anywhere but most of my story ideas come from reading or watching television. (I watch a lot of TV.) Sometimes, however, a question can prompt a whole story. Recently a I wrote a piece of flash fiction about the end of the world in response to the question "what does fear feel like?" which was posted in a writers' forum.
A.M. Justice
The Woern Chronicles began a long time ago as a science fiction adventure story about a teenage girl kidnapped by Aliens. Several dozen rewrites later it's a story of female empowerment and the devastating effects of single-minded ambition, which incorporates a lot of fantasy tropes such as destiny and the quest.
I'm currently working on book #3 in the series, which continues to follow the protagonist, Vic, and her family as they struggle with the conflicting duties to family and nation.
I'm currently working on book #3 in the series, which continues to follow the protagonist, Vic, and her family as they struggle with the conflicting duties to family and nation.
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