Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I joined the army at 17 (Had to have Daddy’s permission since I was under 18) and I am now a deputy sheriff working in a county jail. I’ve completed 7 books and working on an 8th.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The War Queen. I conceived the idea in 2008. I’d gone for a midnight walk to the pillars above ISU campus in Pocatello, ID. I’m fairly imaginative and always creating stories and scenarios in my head, so while sitting beneath the pillars by myself, I imagined that some god had fallen on the pillars and that’s why they were broken. And thus Fangbor came to be.
One thing to understand about me as a writer; I am a pantster 100% (which means I write by the seat of my pants instead of having a clear outline before I begin the story.) For me, as long as I have a shady beginning, questionable middle, and blurry ending, I dive in and begin writing. For the War Queen, I had a beginning and a middle, but no ending. This usually isn’t a problem for me, since I’ve never had trouble creating the story as I write it. But so far in the story, I had ideas right up to where Altarn and Kaelin revealed themselves for who they really were, but after that I had no idea, and continuing to write wasn’t producing any more ideas for me, so I stopped writing.
I sat on The War Queen for 7 years. I mused about it sometimes, but it stayed in a notebook shoved in my bookcase and I really can’t say how it survived 4 moves. I wasn’t writing it and really didn’t care to finish.
I was on writing.com one day, browsing through their contest listings so I could enter one, and I found a short story contest. “Well,” I thought, “I’ve only written 20 pages in The War Queen and have no idea how to continue, so I could turn it into a short story, I guess.”
I started to work it together in my mind how I wanted this short story to go. In the process of thinking about it, this thought punched me in the throat: “Kaelin kidnaps Altarn.” An explosion went off in my head, and idea after idea tumbled into my hands and within 3 hours I had step-by-step process on how my story would end, to include all my side characters, their names, and word-for-word dialogue. I’ve never had a story come so clear and easy to me before.
I never did enter that short story contest.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
No. But then, they could be unusual but I think them normal.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
Susan D. Kalior
Margret Weis and Tracy Hickman
Amie Kaufman and Megan Spooner
What are you working on now?
The sequal to a completed, historical fantasy romance novel. The 1st book is called The Last Wizard (https://jmrobison.wixsite.com/jmrobison/the-last-wizard-2)
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Be as visible as possible everywhere and communicate with potential readers.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Never give up. I was rejected 47 times before I was offered a publishing contract.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Edit the words “was, had, were, that” that out of your writing. It takes it from passive (bad) to active (good)
What are you reading now?
An Import of Intrigue – Marshall Maresca
What’s next for you as a writer?
Currently pitching The Last Wizard to agents for publication.
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?
The Book of Morman, Dragon’s of Autumn Twilight, How to Survive on an Island.
Author Websites and Profiles
JM Robison Website
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