Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m a scifi and fantasy author who also works in international affairs. I’ve previously been an airborne infantryman, military intelligence linguist, NGO worker, history adjunct, and also spent two years as a circus unicyclist. I’ve got an amazing wife and six great kiddos.
I’ve written two novels. The first was a military scifi novel traditionally published through Enclave. The latest, Heir to the Raven, is an indie-published epic fantasy. I’ve also written about half of a one-shot fantasy novel set in the same ‘verse as Heir to the Raven.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Heir to the Raven. My family and I were on safari when we lived in Kenya, and started discussing how different East African history would have been were it not for the tsetse fly, which is fatal to horses. It would have revolutionized their transportation, warfighting, and communications.
We then built a fantasy kingdom that blended Turkish horse-lord culture with that of East Africa, and then placed it next to a more traditional Europea-inflected continent.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I process verbally, so my four older sons (ages 17-22) are hugely helpful with worldbuilding and plotting. We have spent countless hours dissecting individual scenes, or working out the details of various characters. It’s been great not only from a writing perspective, but a parenting one as well.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
Lloyd Alexander was my gateway drug to Fantasy. GRRM and Robert Jordan gave me a love for epic fantasy series. Hemingway taught me to mistrust adverbs. PG Wodehouse showed me playfulness with language. Elizabeth Moon taught me a lot about writing strong, female characters. Elmore Leonard was a great example of pursuing a writing career while having a day job and family.
What are you working on now?
Heir to the Raven, my new epic fantasy novel, recently released ( November 15, 2018) so I’m focused on helping it reach as many people as possible. My latest writing project is The Magpie Queen, a one-shot novel set in the same world as Heir to the Raven. It focuses on a young noblewoman turned thief, who gets swept into a reckless marriage and a brutal civil war. Good times!
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’ve been blogging since 2003, so the contacts I’ve made over the years have been invaluable. Facebook is also useful, both for networking with other authors and coordinating a launch team.
Fiverr and Upwork are awesome for finding freelancers to produce graphics and other promo materials for a reasonable cost.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write from the fullness. Be constantly learning, reading, and growing, so that your subconscious has plenty of fodder for inspiration.
Also, much as only a fool represents himself in court, only a fool of a writer acts as his own proofreader. Go on Fiverr and hire one. Indie authors need all the credibility they can get, and basic typos in your manuscript scream amateur.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Anne Lamott’s advice about s***** first drafts. Get the first draft down, and don’t worry if it isn’t perfect. You can’t edit something you haven’t written.
What are you reading now?
L.E. Modesitt’s Arms-Commander and Edmund Burke’s Reflections on the Revolution in France.
What’s next for you as a writer?
The Magpie Queen. I’ve had plenty of female viewpoint characters, but this is my first novel with a female protagonist. I’m also working with a voice talent to do an audio book for Heir to the Raven, which will also be a new endeavor.
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?
1. The Army Survival Manual
2. The Bible
3. The Wheel of Time series, because it goes on forever.
4. Proust’s In Search of Lost Time, because it seems to go on forever.
Author Websites and Profiles
J. Wesley Bush Website
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