An Interview With Jamie Langdon- By Jamie Langdon

Greetings

So I have conducted an interview with myself because I couldn't think of what to write for todays post.

I: Hello Jamie and thank you for taking the time out of your busy video game schedule to attend this interview.

J: Of course. I am happy to be here.

I: When did you first realise you wanted to be a writer?

J: Well I have always loved telling stories. I did my degree in drama and decided to write a play and I fell in love with creating a narrative.

I: How long does it take you to write a book?

J: I mean for Clockwork it has taken me about 5 years on and off. However I wrote the bulk of the Clockwork during Nanowrimo so that's 30 days but the rewrites and filling in plot holes takes a long time.

I: What is your work schedule like when you're writing?

J: Well I try my best to do a little bit every day. Mostly work for like a few hours a day but I also take time to do the things that I enjoy. I think that that is one of the most important things.

I: What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?

J: Hmmmm. I like to think of my writing as comical in a dry sense like Douglas Adams and Derek Landy, while maintaining a compelling story arch for my characters.

I: How do books get published?

J: Well I'm not published yet but I am using Kindle Direct Publishing. But the other way to do it is get a literary agent and go through a publishing house.

I: Where do you get your information or ideas for your books?

J: Well the idea for Clockwork came from a song idea that my housemate gave me and then it just sort of came to me. I regards to the information I look into history and develop the history of the world and then work it to fit in the world. But things like the Tempus Lapideum came from the need to flesh out the macguffin that I created for my villain.

I: When did you write your first book and how old were you?

J: I was 22.

I: What do you like to do when you're not writing?

J: I play Dungeons and Dragons, play Video Games and read books, manga and comics. I think that allowing your imagination to grow and develop is super important especially when you are a creative. I also spend time with my wonderful partner, my housemates and my friends.

I: What does your family think of your writing?

J: Well unfortunately both of my parents have passed away but I know they would be proud of me because they Both supported me. The rest of my family are very supportive.

I: What was one of the most surprising things you learned in creating your books?

J: The marketing aspect is hard work when you are doing by yourself. But don't trust marketing teams that try and take you for a ride. Thats what I have found and with a little research you can do most of it yourself and if you have great friends they can share it around. Like this blog.

I: How many books have you written? Which is your favourite?

J: One. Clockwork and as there isn't many options so I am going to have to go with that one (Laughs)

I: Do you have any suggestions to others to become a better writer? If so, what are they?

J: Honestly. Keep working at it. Set yourself a goal, not a date and just work towards it. Also get some feedback and talk about it to anyone who will listen. Don't listen to the fraud police they will tell you that you are not worth it and that is not true and have fun telling your story.

I: Do you hear from your readers much? What kinds of things do they say?

J: One of the most important things to to have Beta Readers and the reviews I got back from them were very positive.

I: Do you like to create books for adults?

J: I like telling stories for all ages.

I: What do you think makes a good story?

J: Honestly characters. When I am writing, and this is going to sound super pompous, they are the ones tell the story,

I: As a child, what did you want to do when you grew up?

J: Honestly, when I was a little kid I wanted to be a vet. But I mostly wanted to be an actor. and I followed that career path for most of my life. Then I realised that telling stories was what I was passionate about so I became a writer.

I: Well, thank you Jamie for your time today it has been an honour.

J: Thank you for having it has been a pleasure.

I hope you have enjoyed this self interview. Don't forget to share this with everyone.