J.B. Knowles's Blog

When I first started writing seriously, a mentor told me that it was important to have a spot of your own in which to do so; someplace where the creative juices would flow and you felt confident and ambitious. For some people, that's their lap wherever they may find themselves. For others, a swanky little coffee shop. Yet others hit up a library, looking for inspiration among the stacks of literature.

For me, it's my desk, in my office, surrounded by all the things that make me feel creative.

What might those things be, you ask? Well, to be honest, most of them are quite nerdly in nature. But I'm cool with that. These things are nostalgic, evoking memories of my youth, when my character Katya was 'born' in 1990, as well as things that have inspired the adult JB into worlds of fantasy, sci-fi, and animation.

But what about specifics? Alright, I'm getting to that. Here is a short list:

-a replica lightsaber

-a 30th anniversary Optimus Prime

-Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow Funko pops

-2 Infinity Gauntlets, one collector and one Lego

-a large-scale Godzilla figure

-a Fallout Power Armour Funko pop

-a life-size Darth Vader helmet

-an armoured Batman from The Dark Knight Returns

-several classic video game consoles

-a Lego Razorcrest from The Mandalorian

-all the Grand Admiral Thrawn books, both Legends and Canon

-the first print copies of all my books

-pictures of my wife, kids, and pets - they're my inspiration, after all

That's by no means a complete list, but it is pretty representative of what's around me when I write. I enjoy sitting at a large, solid desk, tapping away on my laptop, in a comfy gaming chair.

My setup isn't for everyone, but no two authors are alike!

My publishing contract is with Pride Publishing. A few people have asked me 'why them?.

Well, the answer is pretty simple. Pride is a 2SLGBTQ+ publishing house, and my main character, Katya, is gay.

I never intended to write a gay character. In fact, when I created her back in high school, as an 18 year old, I envisioned her eventually hooking up with a male elf.

However, as I grew and changed, so did she. I fleshed out her world and her character and that aspect of her personality just fit the direction of where the story was going.

Being 2SLGBTQ+ doesn't define Katya. She's not a 'gay elf', she's an elven warrior and leader who happens to be gay.

It's not something she's grappling or fighting with or attempting to deny, as is a point in many stories, but it absolutely shapes her recovery and growth throughout the novel.

Now, I can't picture her in my mind when she wasn't gay. Although her character has changed immensely in the intervening years, I have too, and being able to reflect my growth in Katya's character has been a true gift as a writer.

"I created my novel’s main character in an English Writing class I took in my last year of high school. I was very into D&D and other role-playing games, including classic early computer role-playing. These interests all influenced Kat’s creation.

After coming up with Kat, I began to use her as my playable character in those games, as an elven assassin who was always cool under pressure and confident in her skills and abilities. Katya’s long red hair and leather armour stuck with me through university and law school.

As both my taste in games and gaming technology advanced, I began adapting her to a new generation of computer titles like Fallout and the Elder Scrolls series.

In 2017, I entered the annual Three-day Novel Contest held every Labour Day weekend. It's basically a marathon for writers, and I fleshed out the first long version of Kat’s story.

Through 2020 and 2021 with downtime during the pandemic, I began building out Kat’s life and the world she inhabited. I let my imagination run wild.

After finishing the novel’s first draft in February 2022, I started sending out inquiries and within a few months I forged a relationship with Pride Publishing in June.

The incredible team of readers, editors, and illustrators at Pride helped create the final version of this novel, and I could not be more thankful. I'm thrilled to announce it's coming out on February 28!"

Hi there. I’m JB, and I’m very happy to be introducing the world to Katya Greenleaf, the hero of my upcoming novel “Oathtaker – Broken”. Now in pre-order and releasing on February 28th, 2023. “Broken” is the first of the planned “Oathtaker” trilogy.

Katya is a member of the Oathtakers, an ancient order dedicated to combating evil, chaos and disorder in all its forms in the world of Nakall. While she has no problem getting her hands dirty on the battlefield, she is also an excellent tactician, thief, spy, diplomat, or, when extreme measures are in order, assassin.

Katya experiences a traumatic incident at the beginning of the book that changes her worldview overnight. “Broken” details her struggle and journey back to being the warrior she once was.

I found it very rewarding that I was able to use some of my own experiences with real-world trauma and recovery to shape Kat’s story and bring life to a character who has been part of my imagination for over 30 years!

In future posts I’ll share more about where Katya came from (in my mind, anyways) and her motivations. I’ll also get into my writing process and some of the fun and nerdy things that inspire me.

I’m glad you’ll be joining me for the journey.

Oathtakers unite!

Oathtaker-Broken is now available for pre-order on your favourite book-selling platform!

To introduce readers to the world of Nakall, where Katya lives and adventures, JB is happy to offer a FREE SHORT STORY, set early in Katya's career as an Oathtaker.

After receiving a call for help, Katya undertakes a secret (and unauthorized) mission to teach a group of brigands terrorizing a local village that to beat a thief, you have to be a thief!

https://www.pride-publishing.com/book/it-takes-a-thief-free-read