Ask the Author: J.H. Fleming
Answered Questions (10)
J.H. Fleming
It's a no-brainer for me. Middle Earth, before the end of the third age, definitely. Perhaps before the fall of Beleriand. Then I could see Middle Earth before all the great kingdoms of the second and third age were established. I would be a traveling storyteller/minstrel, and would go about the land with strong warriors and record the stories of the people I met. I would definitely venture into the forest of Taur-im-Duinath, a large forest in the south of Beleriand that everyone avoided, except for a few dark elves.
J.H. Fleming
Because I'm an obsessive compulsive book buyer, I currently have over 400 unread books at home, and the reading order can change abruptly depending on my mood. But as of this moment, here are the books I'm currently reading:
It Takes a Witch-Heather Blake
Sabriel-Garth Nix
The Merchant Emperor-Elizabeth Haydon
Autumn Princess, Dragon Child-Lian Hearn
And the next-to-read books on my shelves:
The Hollow Queen-Elizabeth Haydon
The Weaver's Lament-Elizabeth Haydon
A Witch Before Dying-Heather Blake
Lirael-Garth Nix
Abhorsen-Garth Nix
Clariel-Garth Nix
Goldenhand-Garth Nix
The Bear and the Nightingale-Katherine Arden
Uprooted-Naomi Novik
Lord of the Dark Wood-Lian Hearn
The Tengu's Game of Go-Lian Hearn
I'll probably get the rest of the Wishcraft Mystery series by Heather Blake as well. And because that's many more books than I'll probably finish in a single summer, I'll leave it at that.
It Takes a Witch-Heather Blake
Sabriel-Garth Nix
The Merchant Emperor-Elizabeth Haydon
Autumn Princess, Dragon Child-Lian Hearn
And the next-to-read books on my shelves:
The Hollow Queen-Elizabeth Haydon
The Weaver's Lament-Elizabeth Haydon
A Witch Before Dying-Heather Blake
Lirael-Garth Nix
Abhorsen-Garth Nix
Clariel-Garth Nix
Goldenhand-Garth Nix
The Bear and the Nightingale-Katherine Arden
Uprooted-Naomi Novik
Lord of the Dark Wood-Lian Hearn
The Tengu's Game of Go-Lian Hearn
I'll probably get the rest of the Wishcraft Mystery series by Heather Blake as well. And because that's many more books than I'll probably finish in a single summer, I'll leave it at that.
J.H. Fleming
When I was a kid, I saw a little girl standing in my bathroom. I can still see her in my mind. She wore a white dress and had short brown hair, straight but curled under at the ends just below her ears. She was looking in the mirror, and when I approached she turned and looked at me. I ran back into our living room and got my younger sister, but by the time we returned she was gone. I never saw her again, and I don't know if she was some lingering spirit, or some sort of being that was never human to begin with.
J.H. Fleming
I only get to choose one??? That's tough. It'd have to be between Peter and Beverly from Winter's Tale by Mark Helprin, Daemon and Jaenelle from The Black Jewels series by Anne Bishop, Henry and Clare from The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger, Tommy and Izzy from The Fountain by Darren Aronofsky, Chris and Annie from What Dreams May Come by Richard Matheson, or Joel and Clementine from Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. They each face different situations, but they stay strong and always fight to be together and to support each other. Of the ones I've listed, all but Joel and Clementine face death, and you get to see how they react and how it affects their relationship. For Peter and Beverly and Tommy and Izzy, death is always hovering close by, and in Tommy's case you get to see just how far he's willing to go for the woman he loves.
J.H. Fleming
My ideas come from everywhere: music, books, conversations, art, movies. The idea for Jack of Crows evolved from one of these instances. I usually try to write them down as they come, even if it may be a while before I get to them. Because of that I don't remember the exact trigger for this idea, but I remember it started with a desire for something set in the fall, with characters associated with the season (scarecrow, fox, crow, owl, raven).
J.H. Fleming
Just keep writing, but taking walks also helps. Reading a good book, or watching a good movie, listening to music, all of it can serve as inspiration.
J.H. Fleming
Creating stories is tough, but fun. I love creating new worlds and meeting new characters, and then sharing them with other people. It's also a sort of therapy. When you write about characters facing impossible situations, it makes your own problems seem not so daunting, or at least more manageable. Plus, I love meeting other writers and sharing our worlds with each other in conversation.
J.H. Fleming
Listening to Loreena McKennitt helps to set the mood. Coffee also helps. Being in a place that makes me feel creative is usually the most productive. I used to get very distracted at home, and still do at times, so for a long while I went to coffee shops or libraries when I wrote. I'm finally learning to write at home, but it's still a struggle at times. That's why I think it's important to create a writing space that's uniquely your own, where you can sit down and have your brain switch to work mode, ready to write.
J.H. Fleming
Writing a book tentatively titled The Forest Guardian. Also editing a short book I wrote last fall, with two more queued up to go when I finish that one. I also have numerous short stories in various draft stages.
J.H. Fleming
To copy Stephen King, write a lot and read a lot. That was and still is the best advice. You won't get better unless you do both.
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