Welcome to Inside the Mind where we here at The Faerie Review interview authors and creators.
Our guest today is J W Golan, the author behind Storm’s Gate

Lily:  Thank you so much for agreeing to this interview J W I really enjoyed reading Storm’s Gate. This is book 3 in The Stormfall Chronicles series. Did you know where you wanted this book to go when you first started writing Storm’s Herald and Storm’s Clouds?

J W:  Hi Lily. Thanks for inviting me. From the time I started the first book, I had a clear sense of the key characters and their individual story arcs from beginning to end. Many of the details and side-stories would come later, but the central story arc was always there.

Lily:  That’s awesome. You’ve built such a rich world for this series, what inspired you?

J W:  I’d have to point to two key influences which inspired this series. The first element was the inspiration behind the stories and characters. Many of the leading characters and story arcs can be traced back to ideas I had been toying with since youth. Some were the product of my time as a Dungeon Master, playing out stories in D&D with friends. Others were just the product of my over-active imagination. Some of those stories and characters have undergone dramatic changes since them. The character of Eirlon, for example, has evolved considerably. Others, like the illusionist and storyteller Sharik, are little changed from their origins years ago.

The other key influence was in the form of world-building. For that, I’d have to point to Anne McCaffrey’s Dragonriders of Pern books. I loved how Anne had created such a broad and rich world with its own history and legends. With characters offering different perspectives and retellings of some of the same events. In my own writing, I very much wanted to evoke that sense that there was an entire world behind this story. That there were different peoples and societies with their own experiences, perspectives and history, all being affected by some of the same events in different ways.

Lily:  I absolutely love that some of your inspiration came from playing D&D! I love a series with its own lore and legends built into a rich history. Your characters have a lot of depth, are they based on anyone?

J W:  None of the characters were based on a specific person, although there are elements and pieces of real people behind each one of them. I believe that’s how an author has to go about creating a successful character. Their flaws and idiosyncrasies are as much about who they are as their virtues. The hero isn’t the character who’s lacking those flaws. They’re the one who overcomes them.

Lily: I couldn’t agree more. It’s hard to relate if the character is too perfect. If readers take away one thing from reading The Stormfall Chronicles series, what would you hope it would be?

J W:  The world of Stormfall is vast and complex, with different people and cultures, different societies and individuals – each with their own ambitions and dreams. In that sense, it mirrors our own world. There will be heroes and villains, battles lost and battles won. What I would want readers to take away is that what the world needs most, both the fictional world and the world we live in, is healing. It was a theme mentioned in the first book, and which I believe comes full circle in the fourth.

Lily:  It’s a great theme and I look forward to seeing how it comes around again in book four. Now we’d like to talk about you as a writer. I know your bio says you first wrote in high school, and then it was many years before you started again. Was it hard to sit down and start writing again?

J W:  I stumbled a lot, with that first draft of the first book. I don’t think I could have done it without my daughters’ input and advice. They were the beta readers behind multiple iterations of that novel. It was from reading to my daughters when they were younger, and sharing in their interests and book choices as they grew older, that I had decided to take up writing again. They were integral to that process, and we all learned a lot about writing along the way.

Lily:  I think it’s really wonderful that you had all that support and encouragement from family. Do you have a favorite place to write?

J W:  I usually write at a table or desk. I prefer to proof-read and edit, however, from someplace more relaxed, like on the couch or over coffee. It’s funny that we call the process “writing,” when most of what we do is really editing, at least in my experience.

Lily:  I’ve noticed a lot of time gets taken up by editing. (I think half the time I ask my author friends what they’re up to the answer is editing). Do you write your first drafts by hand, on a typewriter, on a computer, or by using dictation?

J W:  I usually type my first draft on the computer, but I prefer to edit by hand. A lot of the scenes which I’ll need to add as part of the editing process will be drafted by hand and retyped later.

Lily:  Sounds like a good system. Let’s finish up with some fun questions and get inside your mind. What does your ideal Saturday look like?

J W:  I don’t know about ideal, but on a typical Saturday my two daughters who ride would be at the horse barn in the morning. I would try to get some writing or editing done. Later in the day, my middle daughter, who’s also my cover artist, might want to talk about something book related. Maybe about the latest book she’s read, or maybe about the writing craft. Later in the day, I’d make the kids lunch and my wife would make dinner. If we were lucky, we’d all go to a park for a walk. If it’s summer, we might take the kids to the beach.

Lily:  That sounds like a pretty ideal day to me! What fantasy creature do you wish was real?

J W:  Dragons. Something too great for us to tame or control. A force both humbling and inspiring.

Lily:  I think they’d be a beautiful addition to our world. Ok, if you could have one superpower, what would it be?

J W:  To heal this broken world. As broad and magnificent as it is, there is much wrong that needs to be set right.

Lily:  That’s so sweet I love it. I wonder what a healed world would look like…and I’d love to see it. Would you rather never eat something baked in an oven again or never eat anything cooked on a grill again?

J W:  I know the practical answer is to give up baking, but I have too much of a sweet tooth to ever let that happen.

Lily:  I 100% understand that! I just need more people to bake for, otherwise I end up eating most of it. What’s your favorite holiday (and why)?

J W:  My favorite holiday would be Passover. In our tradition, it is a day when families gather together, and that family connection has always made it central to me.

Lily:  That’s a great reason. I’m so glad you have that strong relationship with your family is what makes it so special. What’s your best (or favorite) ‘dad joke’?

J W:  That probably changes day by day. Probably whatever pun pops into my head at the moment and makes my children groan.

Lily:  I can almost hear your daughters groaning in unison hehe. Is there anything else you would like to add that I haven’t included?

J W:  As you may know, I am currently drafting the fourth installment in the Stormfall Chronicles – which should complete the original story arc. I’m looking forward to seeing that in print, hopefully later this year. Beyond that, I have some ideas for spin-off stories which I’d like to pursue. Shorter, a little less epic maybe, but following some of the less prominent characters who make up that world.

Lily:  I can’t wait for book four and would love to see spin off stories too! How can readers discover more about you and you work?

J W:  I maintain an author’s website and blog, which I mostly devote to updates on my writing and resources for other authors. I also have accounts on Instagram and Twitter, as well as an author’s Facebook page. Thanks again for inviting me, Lily. It’s been a pleasure.

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