Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
My name is Cody J. Sherer. I am the author of The Wizard’s Council, which is book 1 of the Tales of Canai Fantasy novel series, and Pioneers of the Stars, which is a Science Fiction novel and book 1 of the Chronicles of George Jackson series. Then there are the other books that I have written that have no title or aren’t published at this time, but those aren’t too important at the moment. I was born and raised in Southern California. My life growing up wasn’t too difficult. I was home schooled and had an awesome family. My life up until college was fairly uneventful. It mostly consisted of video games and books. College rolled around and I thought I wanted to be an accountant. The biggest downside to college was the lack of time for reading. It was sometime during my second year of college that I discovered an online roleplaying community. The setting was the Star Wars universe, so I fit right in. That quickly developed into a passion for writing and I began writing my own stories. A few years went by and I realized that I enjoyed writing much more than accounting. I haven’t looked back since. Personal life has made things a bit difficult for being as productive as I would like, but I’ve been able to put out two books, one in 2012, and the other in 2013. My aim is to self-publish two to three more by the end of 2014. I am happy to say that I will be marrying the love of my life in less than fifty days. Exciting times!
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The name of my latest book is The Wizard’s Council. The initial inspiration behind the book was just to write a book that I would enjoy reading. As I continued to write, the book started to evolve into something more. It become the intro into a world that held many intriguing stories. After a few rewrites, I got to the point where I felt it was solid enough for the first book in a series. It really got me thinking about the intricacies of the book world and how they could be similar or different to the intricacies of our world. Over the process of writing the book it become this task to make something fresh and new, yet familiar in many aspects. So, we’ve got wizards, elves, dwarves, orcs, trolls, etc, but I really felt that I wanted to put a new spin on things. There are many characters whose motivations and intentions are not as black and white as is often the case in Fantasy novels. We also get to see the characters grow in ways that I felt were somewhat different than the norm. In writing the sequel, it has been rather enjoyable to go even deeper into some of the issues that I introduced in the first novel. It really has morphed from me being inspired to write something fun into wanting to write a world that people can really dive into and enjoy. A lot of that inspiration comes from reading other authors in the genre.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Aren’t all writing habits unusual? Lol. I would say that my most unusual writing habit is that I often find myself acting out certain scenes before I write them. I kind of want to get a feel for the scene before I put it into words. Other than that, I have strange hours. It seems that the spark can ignite at nearly any moment. As to more usual habits, I tend to make myself a nice cup of coffee before sitting down to write. Another quirky thing that I do is go over dialogue and ideas in my head while in bed waiting for sleep to hit me. There have been times where I’ve gone through entire plotlines in my head at night and thrown them out because I didn’t like them.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
The authors that I feel have influences me the most are J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, and Raymond E. Feist. I grew up reading a lot of the Hardy Boys books as well as the Josh Ladd books. Tolkien’s The Hobbit and Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia were the books that introduced me to the Fantasy genre. I have them to thank for that. Raymond E. Feist has had a greater influence on my writing. I’ve read nearly all his books and found them quite enjoyable. I’ve been told that my latest book is somewhat reminiscent of his books. As I continue to increase my library of books that I’ve read, I continue to gain more and more influences. Ursula K. Le Guin is one of the more recent influences, as are Robert Jordan and George R.R. Martin. Outside of authors and books, my influences also come from tv, movies, etc. One reader compared to my fight sequences as similar to Naruto in some respects. Others have compared them to video games and other such things. I would wager a guess that my influences stretch far beyond what I even am able to acknowledge.
What are you working on now?
I am currently working on multiple books at the moment. My main focus had been on the sequel for The Wizard’s Council. I’ve also been working on another book that takes place in the same universe as The Wizard’s Council. My list of books that are in the works is rather large. I’ve got a zombie novel that has been in the works for nearly five years, though it will probably take another two or three years to finish it. I still plan on writing a sequel for Pioneers of the Stars. Who knows what the future holds?
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I have a website, a facebook page, and I use Goodreads, but I don’t find that I get a lot of reader interaction through any of those. I do welcome reader interaction though!
There are, of course, many other sites that are much more of a one-shot type thing. I must say that this site is quite excellent for allowing me to submit books and this interview.
I’ve been told that having a blog is an excellent way to promote and build a reader base, but I’ve always gotten distracted before I could have a solid blog. I tend to switch to writing my novels instead of writing blog posts, lol.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
My advice for new authors is to be patient. Don’t rush to complete your book, don’t rush to edit, don’t rush to proofread, don’t rush to publish. I’ve made my fair share of mistake as an author (I’m sure I’ve got more to make in the future too!), but the biggest mistakes I’ve made deal with rushing things. If you can’t edit the book yourself (and I mean a comprehensive edit, everyone can check their own book several times for typos, but I meant the real meaty editing) then you need to get a editor. It isn’t something that can be rushed through. On top of all that, though, believe in yourself.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
The best advice that I have ever heard is read and write. When it comes to being an author, there is nothing like writing and reading to help you continue to better yourself. There are a lot of other, more specific, forms of advice that may or may not apply to some authors, but this one is universal. Read often and write often. They say that practice makes perfect and it really does make a big difference when you put in the time.
What are you reading now?
I am currently reading The Forever War by Joe Haldeman, The Once and Future King by T.H. White, and the Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan. Soon, I will be rereading The Three Musketeers, The Man in the Iron Mask, and A Princess of Mars. There are a bunch of great classics out there on Amazon for Kindle that can be picked up for free. As per the best advice I’ve ever heard, read. If you need stuff to read, look for the classics on Amazon (and other places)!
What’s next for you as a writer?
The sky is the limit! Or so I hope, lol. I’ll continue writing and self-publishing through Amazon for a time. I’m working on getting my books setup in print through their createspace program. I’ve also been looking into expanding my reach with Smashwords. I’m always on the look out for an agent or a publisher that would be willing to pick up any of my books. I want to see the difference between self-publishing and traditional publishing. There are a lot of pros and cons that go along with each and I’d like that experience. The only thing that is really set in stone is that I will continue to write. I enjoy trying my hand at new things, so you may see some new genres of books out there, who knows? My fiancee wants me to write a more fairy-tale type of Fantasy novel, so that is probably the first out of the norm thing you’ll see in the future.
What is your favorite book of all time?
I have to say that The Hobbit is my favorite book of all time. The nostalgia associated with the book trumps any superior books I’ve read since. Though, I must admit, there are not a lot of books that I find superior. I really enjoyed The Three Musketeers and Magician: Apprentice, too. It is hard to pick a single book, but the memories that go along with The Hobbit are enough to push it to the top. There are a lot of great ones out there though.
Author Websites and Profiles
Cody J. Sherer Website
Cody J. Sherer Amazon Profile
Cody J. Sherer’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
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