As part of our occasional series of author interviews, today we are pleased to present an interview with RA Jones, a children’s fantasy writer. Publishing books creates residual or passive income (work once, get paid over and over into the future), so exploring how to become a successful author is well within the theme of the blog.
Thank-you for accepting this invitation to interview on Innovative Passive Income. How many children’s fantasy books have you published RA?
I have published 2 books for the 10-14 age group over this last six months.
The first is a free ebook called The Dreables. This is the first in a series called The Merryweathers Mysteries about a boy and his grandmother. She appears to be just an ordinary Gran, but in fact she is a ‘cunning woman’. In mediaeval times, local villagers would often expect their Cunning Man or Woman to protect them from unseen dangers, and to provide them with charms and certain medicines; some might even say magick.
So you are introducing your readers to the series through a free ebook – great idea. Tell us more about Dreables.
Dreables is a story about Sam Jones discovering what exactly his Granny Merryweather actually is when she’s called upon to be a cunning woman once again:
Deep beneath the earth, something stirs.
An ancient enemy wants revenge and is hungry for ten year old Sam Jones.
A boring holiday with Gran is about to change into the adventure of a lifetime.
The Dreables…prepare to be scary-fied.
Then there is The Obsidian Pebble. This is the first in a quintet of children’s fantasy books called The Artefact series. It’s a story about Oz Chambers whose dad inherits a huge old house, which is meant to be haunted. When Oz and his friends hear footsteps one Halloween, it leads them on a hunt for the source, and they unearth some very unpleasant truths in the process. But what Oz hasn’t bargained for is that he’s not alone in his quest and that solving Penwurt’s puzzles will uncover a murky secret, and the chilling realisation that nothing is quite what it seems.
Here is a short video introducing the children’s fantasy book The Obsidian Pebble.
Though the books are aimed at readers of 10 -14, they seem to appeal to anyone who likes haunted houses and mysteries and things that are just a little bit different from boring old normality. That I find very pleasing.
Do the characters carry over from book to book or are the stories completely different?
The main characters of both series do carry over from one book to the next. But they’re not going to be 10 and eleven for ever!
What got you interested in writing children’s fantasy books?
I previously had a different incarnation as a writer of adult thrillers, but I found I could have more fun writing children’s books. Writing children’s fantasy books is something I’ve always wanted to do and did even when I wrote for adults. Besides, the books that have influenced me most and have meant the most to me have all been books that were ostensibly written for children, but which ended up being much more. Tolkien, Ray Bradbury, Alan Garner–must be something to do with never quite growing up.
Writing in this genre has allowed my imagination a free reign and children, both as protagonists and as readers, are open to all sorts of ideas and have none of the hang-ups that you’re lumbered with when writing for adults. Often, it’s the hang-ups that make adult characters interesting, but this is less so for children. Having said all that, I feel strongly that children’s writing differs only from adult writing in terms of the psychological responses of the protagonists. So I do not see it in any way as a compromise.
I can honestly say that I can’t think of anything that’s more fun than writing stories for kids—and I am convinced that we all have a bit of that open-minded willingness to let our imaginations fly in us still. It’s a question of reaching inside until you find where it’s buried.
What was your process for finding a publisher?
Like quite a few others, and especially having been published before, I have realised that writing the book is a huge and important part, but marketing comes a very close second in terms of getting that all important exposure. That happens whether you go the traditional route with a publishing house, or the Indie route with one of the great publishers that are springing up all over the place. I was lucky enough to find Lucky Bat Books to publish my work. They’re a US based publisher who have been great to work with, allowing me to have a finger in every pie, from design to final blurb.
Now all I have to do is get the word out…
Where can we buy The Obsidian Pebble and The Dreables?
At present, The Obsidian Pebble and The Dreables books are available as Ebooks via Amazon and Smashwords, and paperbacks via Amazon too.
Biography
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