Ask the Author: J.C. Cauthon
Answered Questions (7)
J.C. Cauthon
My summer reading list is a bit extensive, as I am trying to research a new audience (children and tweens). This summer, I am planning to read:
The Magic Treehouse series by Mary Pope Osbourne
5,000 Words Per Hour by Chris Fox
Write to Market by Chris Fox
Six Figure Author by Chris Fox
Lifelong Writing Habit by Chris Fox
Fat Girl Hiking by Juniper Shaw
The Emperor's Edge series by Lindsay Buroker
Fallen Empire series by Lindsay Buroker
The Candy Apple series by various authors
The Poison Apple series by various authors
And there are probably more in my To-Read stack that I have forgotten at the moment and have not added to my Goodreads list yet, and there are many I will stumble across over the summer and add to my list. Those are just what I have for now.
The Magic Treehouse series by Mary Pope Osbourne
5,000 Words Per Hour by Chris Fox
Write to Market by Chris Fox
Six Figure Author by Chris Fox
Lifelong Writing Habit by Chris Fox
Fat Girl Hiking by Juniper Shaw
The Emperor's Edge series by Lindsay Buroker
Fallen Empire series by Lindsay Buroker
The Candy Apple series by various authors
The Poison Apple series by various authors
And there are probably more in my To-Read stack that I have forgotten at the moment and have not added to my Goodreads list yet, and there are many I will stumble across over the summer and add to my list. Those are just what I have for now.
J.C. Cauthon
When I was a teenager, all I did in my out-of-school hours was write stories or read. If it had words, I read it. Family and friends would gift or lend me books, and every year, my Dad and I would raid the tables at our local library book sale and return home with bags and bags of pre-owned books. Most of my books were science fiction and fantasy novels—more specifically, Dragonlance and Forgotten Realms.
One Dragonlance novel stayed with me after I read it—The Legend of Huma. In this novel, the dragons had a dragon form and a human form. That image lingered in my mind for a long time, and it reformed itself into my Dragonstone series.
In my series, dragons (known as the Ancients by later generations) were hunted almost to extinction during the First and Second Ages because their souls held the pure, primal magic of the Gods. But the race of Men did not understand that without dragons, magic in the mortal world would cease to exist. A Golden dragon (a form of dragon that is only born when the need is dire) sacrificed her freedom and the power of her soul to cast a spell to protect the line of dragonborn. She created the Soulwell on the Isle of Mists to house the souls of slain dragons before they could be harvested, and she remained behind to protect it.
And to the four humans who protected her on her quest, she gave each of them a cleansed dragon soul to protect by attaching it to their internal soul. By doing this, she gave them the ability to draw upon the dragon's magic to protect themselves in their human form, the potential to shift into the form of the dragon, and any children they were blessed with would be dragonborn as well. Once the spell was cast and the souls were bonded, the Golden dragon beseeched them to blend among the humans as witches and wizards as she guarded the Soulwell while it cleansed and prepared the rest of the dragon souls she was able to save for rebirth.
My series begins three generations after the souls were bonded—when the first soul of a fire dragon is reborn from the Soulwell, and she becomes the most sought-after person in the world of Ithmere because her primal soul is the missing piece of power that has kept those hungry for magic from being unstoppable.
One Dragonlance novel stayed with me after I read it—The Legend of Huma. In this novel, the dragons had a dragon form and a human form. That image lingered in my mind for a long time, and it reformed itself into my Dragonstone series.
In my series, dragons (known as the Ancients by later generations) were hunted almost to extinction during the First and Second Ages because their souls held the pure, primal magic of the Gods. But the race of Men did not understand that without dragons, magic in the mortal world would cease to exist. A Golden dragon (a form of dragon that is only born when the need is dire) sacrificed her freedom and the power of her soul to cast a spell to protect the line of dragonborn. She created the Soulwell on the Isle of Mists to house the souls of slain dragons before they could be harvested, and she remained behind to protect it.
And to the four humans who protected her on her quest, she gave each of them a cleansed dragon soul to protect by attaching it to their internal soul. By doing this, she gave them the ability to draw upon the dragon's magic to protect themselves in their human form, the potential to shift into the form of the dragon, and any children they were blessed with would be dragonborn as well. Once the spell was cast and the souls were bonded, the Golden dragon beseeched them to blend among the humans as witches and wizards as she guarded the Soulwell while it cleansed and prepared the rest of the dragon souls she was able to save for rebirth.
My series begins three generations after the souls were bonded—when the first soul of a fire dragon is reborn from the Soulwell, and she becomes the most sought-after person in the world of Ithmere because her primal soul is the missing piece of power that has kept those hungry for magic from being unstoppable.
J.C. Cauthon
For me, it's about being able to travel without leaving my own home, getting lost in a world that I created, and best yet, (if the story is appropriate) letting my children become lost in the world with me. The warm feeling you get when you see your own child lost in wonder as you tell them a story is unforgettable. That's the absolute best thing about being a writer.
Other good things include working from home, working in my pajamas, and the only person who berates me for goofing off when I should be writing is myself.
Other good things include working from home, working in my pajamas, and the only person who berates me for goofing off when I should be writing is myself.
J.C. Cauthon
I have to write to music. When I hear music in the background, I am able to tune out any words that may be sung, and I just focus on the instrumental. For me, every song tells a story, and I write that story down. That's where I get most of my inspiration.
J.C. Cauthon
Turn off the computer. If you really want to write but you haven't disciplined yourself to focus only on your writing, turn the computer off. Take a notebook and a good pen, go sit in the park or in a library (anywhere you will be left alone), and just write.
J.C. Cauthon
I am currently working on several projects.
Two short stories ("Truth or Dare" and "A Penny for a Dream") will be ready for publication by the end of March.
For larger projects, I am in the revision process on the first novel if The Fire Child series from the Dragonstone Saga. The other two books of that series are in various forms of initial drafts and edits. The first of these novels is scheduled for release in January 2016.
Two short stories ("Truth or Dare" and "A Penny for a Dream") will be ready for publication by the end of March.
For larger projects, I am in the revision process on the first novel if The Fire Child series from the Dragonstone Saga. The other two books of that series are in various forms of initial drafts and edits. The first of these novels is scheduled for release in January 2016.
J.C. Cauthon
I'm a firm believer in the 45/15 rule when working. I work (write, graphic design, plan promotions, etc) for 45 minutes, then I close my laptop and go do something else for 15 minutes that has absolutely nothing to do with writing.
I'll be honest. It's usually housework, but it helps me unfocus just enough that I come back to what I'm working on with a refreshed mind. If I do become completely blocked, I take an hour off (or more), and I play with my children, take them outside to play, or I go for a walk by myself.
Usually, just stepping away from the screen keeps the writer's block at bay.
I'll be honest. It's usually housework, but it helps me unfocus just enough that I come back to what I'm working on with a refreshed mind. If I do become completely blocked, I take an hour off (or more), and I play with my children, take them outside to play, or I go for a walk by myself.
Usually, just stepping away from the screen keeps the writer's block at bay.
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