Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Hello, I am newly published author E.J. Norris. I love to express myself through words. I’ve written a lot over quite a few years. I wrote two novellas and two novels and a few shorter stories all inspired by this or that. But my third novel, the only one to be published so far, is very, very, different.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My first published novel is entitled The Mirror and The Sword. Its an exciting and suspenseful fantasy novel that I hope will be enjoyed by one and all.
Its inspiration goes back to the summer of 2011, which was the summer before my junior year of high school. Not only was I concentrating on my education and the looming question of what I was going to do with myself, I was also dealing with a strange medical condition that I’d been coping with since I was ten.
Summer was always filled with lots of fun and I always wrote a lot. However that summer I was seeking new inspiration. I was craving a new and more meaningful story to tell. Now, anyone who knows me well, knows that I am a Christian and as such I believe that the good Lord puts each of us on earth for a unique purpose and we can find it if we just let him into our lives. I hadn’t let God in on my writing, as if I were trying to hide the interest from him. Yes, I was trying to hide from almighty God, creator of the universe who knows me better than I know myself. He knew it all and was just waiting for the day when I prayed saying, “Lord, the pen is yours. What do you want me to do?” Within a week or so an idea began forming, the basic skeleton of a plot and after several try’s at a beginning if took off and the story has been going ever since.
I paired it quite harmoniously with my school work and when the time for more surgeries came it was among the greatest of comforts. When going through a long term condition it can seem so endless; every sensation is remembered and amplified. But as I sat in that waiting room dreading the what was to be done, I could take out my journal and, for a time, find relief in another world where characters overcame challenges bigger than themselves and strove for a better life beyond the lies they were made to believe. Then, after the surgery, I really had something special to look forward to when I was well. As I waited for the anesthesia cloud to clear (this always a few days) and the pain to go away I’d find myself waking up each morning and asking, “Will I be able to write today?”
Now that it is published, I’m doing all that I can to share it with those around me and it is my deepest hope that the story will bring others hope and happiness where they feel there can be none.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Unusual habits. Hmmm. I don’t think I have anything really bizarre like wearing pink, fluffy bunny slippers on the wrong feet and spinning around exactly three and a quarter times before writing. I just have a pretty firm method that I stick to, but these days maybe not a whole lot of people hand write the whole novel then type it.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
I’ve gotten great influence from the following authors: Brian Jacques, C.S. Lewis, Christopher Paolini, and Kathryn Lasky. This list could definitely grow because I don’t read just for entertainment. I read to learn knew techniques and further shape my own style.
What are you working on now?
The Mirror and The Sword was never meant to stand alone. Therefore I am working on the two novels that follow it. The second is a typed draft at its revision point and the third is at its rough draft stage. I’m really enjoying working on them.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Since this is my very first novel I’m still exploring the world of promotion. But I certainly have no intention of underestimating the power of the internet and I’m always looking for places to share my story. This site look very, very good and I intend to submit The Mirror and The Sword when its ebook version becomes more available, just to give people more options.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Well, if anyone asked me for advice on writing I would recommend these few things.
1. Read, a lot
2. Create your own method for writing. Ask yourself, what really makes the words come for me?
3. Practice. Much like everything else, nobody is perfect on the first try.
4. Always look for ways to better yourself and don’t be afraid to stretch your mind with new challenges.
5. And finally, be confident, but don’t go nuts with it. Pride can most assuredly come before a fall.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
The best advice on writing I ever heard is this short and beautifully simple statement by the author I learned the most from.
“Learn to paint pictures with words.” Brian Jacques.
What are you reading now?
Since I get into books so deeply I am actually quite a picky reader. My mother always taught me to be careful what I let into my mind. I also don’t care for one sided novels, novels without a satisfying balance of elements. So if a book doesn’t resonate just right with me or I find something offensive I don’t read it. But these days I find the Ranger’s Apprentice and Brotherband series by John Flanagan very, very enjoyable. I’d highly recommend them because they’re clean and just plain fun.
What’s next for you as a writer?
Stories, lots and lots of stories. I am also planning on the pursuit of journalism.
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
Oh I can’t pick! One of them would certainly be a Bible though.
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