Swashbuckling with JM Aucoin

Tags

Adventures, Honor Among Thieves, JM Aucoin, Pirates, writing

JM Aucoin is an epically cool dude.  I mean, he writes pirate stories.  I want to write pirate stories – well, I want to be a pirate.  That said, he does the next best thing.  Adventure is JM’s strength, and he delivers it in spades in Honor Among Thieves, which is out now.   I talk to JM about that, his love affair with adventure stories, and some other things that came as we shot the breeze on a tuesday morning.

I got to admit something which puts JM into my cool books.  I was really off my game here.  The interview was fine, but a lot of things happened to me the last two weeks and the draft of the interview suffered.  JM was able to fill in more gaps, and was a true pro.  He’s good people, and hopefully the next time I interview him it will be smoother.

That said, I want to thank him very much.  Our conversation follows below.

Joshua Pantalleresco: So first off, congratulations about the book.

JM Aucoin: Thank you. How you doing today?

JP: Mostly awake. I just posted another interview and a column yesterday. I didn’t go to bed till late, so I’m a little groggy.

JMA: This ought to make an entertaining interview then.

JP: Should we talk about the Bruins now or later?

JMA: I don’t care, man. Let’s talk.

JP: Let’s then. Let’s go back to your book. Congratulations.

JMA: Thanks again. I’m hoping it’s the first of many.

JP: Have you done any other books at this point?

JMA: I’ve published a couple of pirate short stories on Amazon for Kindle and then an omnibus collection with some bonus material. But Honor Among Thieves is my first full-length novel and hopefully the start of many more in this series.

JP: Many more?

JMA: I want to do quite a few books in this world. There’s a lot of great moments in French history during the 17^th Century that I’d like to write about and add some action and adventure. I’d love this to be a long running series.

JP: Kind of like Edgar Rice Burroughs did with Tarzan?

JMA: Or Jim Butcher with the Dresden Files. I mean that’s got what now, a dozen books?

JP: I think it’s more.

JMA: Exactly. It would be cool to get there with this.

JP: But say it doesn’t do well (God forbid), do you have an ending in mind for this series?

JMA: Yes and no. I have the first four books laid out in my head, so there’s a way I can end this series in the fourth book, but I’m hoping it doesn’t come to that. I want this to keep going.

JP: I can understand that. Looking at your Amazon profile, I notice your short story stuff is Kindle only. So does that mean that your book is Kindle only as well?

JMA: No, no, Honor Among Thieves is available as a paperback as well. The Jake Hawkings pirate short-stories are also available in a paperback collection with some bonus stories and poems.

JP: …he answers when I find the paperback version for sale. Oy. Silly question. I promise I will get better as we get more awake.

JMA: No worries.

JP: So who were your influences as a writer? I see from your bio that you are a huge Zorro fan…

JMA: Definitely. I dressed up as Zorro as a kid and loved the old pulp stuff. I used to watch reruns of the Guy Williams’s Zorro every week as a kid. I’m also a huge fan of the Three Musketeers. Something about fighting with swords really enthralled me as a kid.

JP: Anything from the current era?

JMA: Arturo Perez-Reverte is someone I’m enjoying right now. He writes the Captain Alatriste series. He’s not really pulp in the traditional sense but he’s a great historical adventure author.

JP: You ever hear of All Pulp or Pro se?

JMA: I haven’t.

JP: I’ll have to hook you up. I feel at this point we should talk about the Bruins.

JMA: If we must.

JP: What do you think about what’s gone down?

JMA: I really didn’t understand the Dougie trade. I heard there were problems in Boston with him but since then, I’ve been kind of optimistic. Don Sweeney has made some decent signings since, and while I don’t think we’ll win the Cup, we might make the playoffs. The blue line is still a disaster, so it’ll be an interesting season. I’m not sure what’s really going on at the moment.

JP: I wish you luck. I’ve been a Detroit Red Wing fan since I was a kid. We’re at 25 years of making the playoffs this year if it happens. That said, I got to be honest. Detroit is a good team, but not a great team. I think we’ll make it again. Beyond that?

what got you into writing?

JMA: A friend of mine one day said “You should write pirate stories” and it was an epiphany for me. It was a life calling so obvious that I completely overlooked it. So I did this writing course in college. Everyone got a kick out of my stuff. I mean, the rest of the class was trying to write these deep, emotional stories and here I was doing pirates.

JP: That’s awesome. Much better than my college experience writing.

JMA: Oh?

JP: I edited a magazine. I mean, when it was good, it was good but when it was bad…

JMA: Say no more. I had some of those experiences myself.

JP: You ever read your old stuff?

JMA: Sometimes. I cringe at most of it, but some of it is still good. Some of it has been recycled into my newer stories. Keep the good parts, trash the rest and rewrite new stuff around it.

JP: That’s cool. So what are you trying to say?

JMA: What do you mean.

JP: Well, it’s cool that you are writing about pirates and adventure. But I’ve learned that good writing usually is saying something.

JMA: Ah. Good question. Well, the story takes place in 17^th century France. My main character is seeking redemption. One of my other characters, Darion witnesses some things that question how fair and just things are. As I’ve gotten older I’ve found myself kind of accepting things as they are a little more.

JP: What do you mean?

JMA: I went to college for journalism. I found myself going through the whole system, and I kind of wish I hadn’t. I just feel like a lot of these programs and careers I ended up doing didn’t need this. I’m writing independent novels.

JP: I know what you mean. I have no idea what to tell anyone about education anymore. It’s like, most of these programs are so unnecessary.

JMA: I wouldn’t go that far. I mean, you need experts in science and medicine and engineering.

JP: I agree there. But it makes no sense to saddle the future with a giant swash of debt. I mean, if they are the future, you’d think you’d want them to be as free as possible. Not indentured to the system.

JMA: That I agree with.

JP: Yeah, so what’s next?

JMA: Book two.

JP: Been meaning to ask, since you have dressed up as Zorro in the past, have you ever performed?

JMA: I used to perform in some local renaissance faires in the New England area, playing villainous pirates and the like. And I’ve done some acting for local indie films and web-series.

JP: That would be cool to see. Good luck with your stuff.

JMA: Thanks man! You too!

Thanks JM!

Honor Among Thieves is available now in both paperback and ebook.  Click on the following link to buy it on Amazon:  http://amzn.to/1ESrs3g.   I promise you will love it.  You can also check out JM’s ebook Jake Hawking & the Bounty Hunters here:  http://amzn.to/1m8V850 .  JM Aucoin has a webpage you can find right here:  JMAucoin.com.  His twitter handle is @JMAucoin_Writer and his instagram handle is @thetavernknight.    He has a tumblr at http://thetavernknight.tumblr.com and his facebook page is at http://www.facebook.com/JustinMAucoin.  Once again, I want to thank JM for his time and his patience.  I promise not to be so bad.

I may not even bring up the Bruins.

Riding the Wave

Tags

appearances, Personal, Stormdancer

No, I’m not writing this to talk about Stormdancer just yet.  In truth, I’ve been a little behind on some  things.   Two thursdays ago, at the end of my shift of my day job, I was fired.  I’m not going to go into the details of it.   A company policy bit me in the ass, and while the circumstances were odd, it was their policy and I was terminated thursday evening.  I was kind of stunned but I was calm.  I’ve been looking for a place for the last month, and while I’ve come close on more than one occasion, things kept happening.  Losing my job, seemed to just be another part of it.

I put some thought into things friday, and after going on a date, had a talk with where I’m staying.  I made a decision there and then, to take care of the things that I needed to take care of, and in the process help the people out where I’m staying.  The moment I did that, everything changed.

Monday morning arrived and I not only had my job back, but I had another in the wings.  I wasn’t going to lose the job I had worked so hard to carve the niche I had made for myself there.  That said, I wasn’t going to say no to a week’s worth of work, so I took it.  I learned how to use a jackhammer.  To anyone that knew me eight years ago, don’t worry;  I did better with that that than I did with  a weedwhacker.

I went back to my day job two days ago like nothing happened.  It’s a strange thing.  Not once in this whole process was I mad, or angry, or despaired or begged or pleaded.  In essence, in this whole process I did nothing to fight.  Instead, I simply asked for my job back through my union.   In short, I got it.

I’m grateful for it.   I’m not going to say that I would have liked to look for another job this instant.   That said, this time off made me realize that I would have been fine even if they hadn’t given me my job back.  To me, all work is the same.  You show up, do your task and work at it.  Repeat.  People that work physical jobs see the results of their hard work the easiest.  Concrete gets destroyed, buildings get built, and mail gets delivered.  You can see the results of your diligence or lack thereof immediately.

A few years ago, this chain of events would have rattled me.  Today, I walked through it.  Not because I was special, but rather just because I felt confident that I would be fine no matter what.   I was still going to do the things I set out to do.  I had promises to keep to very important people in my life, and I was not going to let anything stop me.

I bet on me.

And like I said, today I could be writing about my unemployment just as easily.  I could have been pounding the pavement looking for something to pay the bills.  I could have filed for unemployment.  But no matter what I would have done, I would have kept going, and I would have been fine doing it.    I believe that.

That said, I am thankful.  So to my day job, and the people that worked to get my job back, thank you.

Everything is motion.  All one can do sometimes is don’t resist the tide and try to ride the wave.  That’s what I did.

Anyway, your regularly scheduled programming resumes next week.  In the meantime, check out @florenceachan work on Stormdancer.  Those images are awesome.  I will be at geekmoot yyc this weekend at the Hillhurst Community center.  Come say hello, and play smash up or magic with me and many others.  I hope to have some cool announcements up in the next few weeks.

Until then, stay inspired and bet on yourself.  You are worth it.

The Incredible Mia Zephyr

Tags

illustration, Interviews, life philosophy, Mia Zephyr, prose, vector to happiness, writing

This week, I want to talk about one of the many cool people I have met on twitter.  Her name is Mia and she is a one of a kind renaissance woman.   She’s nice and does all kinds of artistic stuff not just in the illustrating realm, but in the areas of writing as well.   I saw some of her poems on her blog right here, and thought to myself that this is an optimistic person doing great things.

We need more people like her in this world.

So on that note, I decided to see if I could interview her.  To my joy, she said yes.   At some point in the future, I’d love to do a chat with her, but this is a great glimpse into her mind and philosophy.  She even sold me me on her pitch for her upcoming novel in the middle of this interview.

Enough hoopla from me, let me introduce Mia Zephyr.

Joshua Pantalleresco: What exactly are you working on this moment when you reading this?

Mia Zephyr:  My body, mind and soul are kind of all over the place right now. I’m currently finishing a commissioned design for a tattoo while side-eyeing the (hopefully) final version of my novel called Vector To Happiness. It still needs some serious editing, but I’ll get to that as soon as this commission is done. My mind is busy thinking of new blog posts and designs for upcoming paintings and / or art prints. I guess I’m on a roll today, haha!

JP:  Can you tell me about the commission piece or is it confidential? Totally understand if it is.

MZ:  Sure! It’s a rather simple lettering in Latin, which I drew freehand. I went for a rather wavy kinda style with a dainty touch. I topped it off with a small heart at the quote’s very end. There will be a photo of it on my Instagram page (@miazephyr), it’s definitely worth taking a look once in a while. Usually my commissions for tattoo designs are a little more complex, so it was nice to have something different to do for a change.

JP:  Do you have a medium you are most comfortable in?

MZ: I think my biggest weapon would be my pencils. They helped me start my career as a full time artist. It’s still amazing to me how this little thing helped me to finally live my dream. I hope that one day, I can say the same about my writing.

JP:  What are you trying to say?

MZ:  The message I want to deliver in everything I share with the world, whether it is art or written pieces, couldn’t be simpler: It gets better. There is always hope.

Every poem I publish on my blog or Instagram, every piece of art and the main message of my upcoming novel all show that life will turn out the way you want it to if you’re brave enough and actually live your life instead of just letting it pass by.

JP:  Where did your “get better” philosophy come from?

MZ:  Life wasn’t too much fun during my teenage years. I suffered from depression for nearly nine years until I finally had the courage to reach out for help. Only a few years ago, I never thought I could be as happy and content with my life as I am right now, but it all worked out the way I dared to hope. This is what changed my perspective on life completely. Whatever happens – it will get better. Whatever happens – it’s not the end. There’s always a tomorrow. If you want it bad enough, that is.

JP:  Influences are always a thing. List me a bunch of yours.

MZ:  Well, I like to let myself ‘lead’ by humans who show the raw, honest side of life.   Charles Bukowski is very inspiring to me. Poe, Baudelaire, Kerouac… The list is endless.

There’s a young poet called Neil Hilborn… he is absolutely amazing. One of his poems actually inspired a whole chapter of my novel.  My best and oldest friends, all of them survivors of the battles life threw at them, inspired more than one painting and short story.

JP:  What is your favorite thing to draw?

MZ:  Tough questions. I like illustrations the most. If I had to choose one thing, then I would say I feel the most comfortable while drawing portraits. People who show certain emotions with their eyes rather than shouting and yelling it into the world are extremely interesting to me. I like to get those emotions on paper as detailed as I can.

JP:  Tell me about your novel, Vector to Happiness. Pretend we are in an elevator and I’m this uber rich publisher. Make me want to buy it.

MZ:  Are you tired of reading the same cliché-ridden good-girl-falls-in-love-with-bad-guy story over and over again? Vector to Happiness might be exactly what you’re looking for. Claire Saint is on her way to find herself and meets someone she begins to love along the way. And exactly that man offers her something she learns to love even more. Something that brings her happiness; the happiness she had always dreamed of. But to what price? This is what you’ll have to find out as soon as my novel is published.

JP:  Do you prefer prose or poetry? Or another style you haven’t shown the world?

MZ:  I actually prefer prose. Mainly because I can write more freely and detailed than in poetry. I guess I just don’t know how to properly do that in poems yet.

JP:  Considering your gifts, would you ever do a graphic novel someday?

MZ:  Absolutely! Nothing’s planned yet, but if I ever come up with a suitable story, it’s definitely something I would like to try.

JP:  Is there a particular written piece of yours that you like more than others?

MZ:  Woah, now that’s a tough question. First of all, I’m glad you asked me about my written pieces instead of art. I could have never answer that since there’s a love-hate relationship going on. Well, I like the short story I posted on my blog called ‘Forgotten Life | Forgotten Love’. I wanted my readers to think. It has an interesting twist so… yeah, I’m proud of that one, mainly because it’s something different.

JP:  Tell me a little bit about your blog.

MZ:  The main reason I opened my blog is to have an outlet for my writing. I didn’t want it to gather dust in the depths of my hard drive and I also wanted to know what people think of the gibberish I call ‘my writing’. People started to ask me questions about how I write this and that, so I decided to offer some advice for fellow writers as well. I talk about writer’s block, how to get better at writing dialogues and so much more. To top it off, I talk about some things I am interested in as well. Fitness, healthy living, movies, video games, … I think it’s definitely not a waste of time to check it out. Wink wink.

JP:  A common theme in your influences are people and some of the rougher things in life. Why is that so fascinating to you?

MZ:  Oh, how do I put that into words… It’s fascinating to me because I find it interesting to know that at least 99% of our population fights their own personal battles on top of having a career, ‘handling’ family and friends etc. I also think that most people are just way too afraid to be open – and most importantly open-minded – about certain things. I personally have no problem to talk about the things that others would only talk about behind closed doors. My novel, for example, will show the pretty & wonderful as well as the awkward, uncomfortable and ugly things about life. And why shouldn’t it? Everyone experienced them, so there’s no need to not be open about it. People, all of them individuals, and their stories fascinate me because it shows that there’s so much more in this world than that little bubble we all seem to have built around us.

JP:  Anything else you’d like to add?

MZ:  There’s a light that never goes out.

Thanks Mia!

All of these works are some of the things Mia currently is working on.  You can check her current works out on her Instagram at @miazephyr (which also happens to be her twitter handle as well) or you can check out her writing stuff on her own blog at http://miazephyr.wordpress.com.  She also happens to have a facebook page you can visit at http://www.facebook.com/TheMiaZephyr.   Finally, she does like chatting and giving advice as much as she can.  After hearing her elevator pitch, I’m really looking forward to Vector to Happiness.  I hope it’s up soon.  My money is burning a hole in the pocket for it.

I want to thank Mia for her time and hopefully this will not be the last time you see her on the blog.   It was a pleasure.

A Lost Interview with Justine Alley Dowsett

Tags

branding, Interviews, Mirror World Publishing, mirror's hope, publishing, Unintended, writing

So I got a confession to make before the interview is thrown down;  i lost this interview.  Justine and I started chatting about this stuff months ago.   Justine has been doing a magnificent job building  up Mirror World Publishing’s selection of books.   Her latest launch occurred just yesterday with The Coffee Monster by Nate Friedman.  Justine and her partner in crime Murandy Damodred have been assembling an amazing ensemble of authors including Shannon Ledwith, Matthew Freake, and um, well, this guy here.  (What a loser).

So we talked about a few things and disappeared.  Somehow in the process of moving and a zillion other things, this interview disappeared, leaving only a remnant of it behind.

I got the chance to have another conversation with Justine here, and we talk about a few things here and there.  We talk about her publishing schedule, her own writing, and a few other things here and there.  The interview is below.

Joshua Pantalleresco: I feel so bad doing this.

Justine Alley Dowsett: About what?

JP: I lost the whole first interview. I feel bad.

JD: It happens.

JP: So how you holding up?

JD: I’m doing pretty good. I’m releasing twelve books this year.

JP: I see that. Health wise how you holding up?

JD: It’s stressful…

JP: I totally see that.

JD: But it’s a good kind of stress you know? This is exactly what I want to do and it’s happening.

JP: You got a lot to be proud of. But I have to wonder, are you going to be able to keep up the pace next year?

JD: We are not planning to. This year is about getting a bunch of books out there. Next year is about only releasing a handful of books and focus on building our brand.

JP: How are the books doing?

JD: Very well. We have a bunch of authors in a bunch of cities and everyone is chipping in on the plugging of books. It has added to sales across the board.

JP: You finally got into chapters from what I see.

JD: Yes we did!

JP: Congratulations!

JD: Thank you. You can get Mirror’s Hope, Forbidden, Disenchanted and The Last Timekeepers Time Travel Series will be going in there soon. We’re still cracking new stores in the Windsor area. The bookstore you told me about PB Books has your book there. It’s doing really well there.

JP: Awesome.

JD: She was a little skeptical, but apparently the first book sold in minutes once she said yes.

JP: I’ll take that. So, what’s next writing wise for you?

JD: We’re still a little undecided on that one. I have this project I really want to do. Unintended opened up some doors and there’s something else I want to try. Murandy (Damodred, co publisher, writer extraordinaire, the devil is scared of her.) wants to do the third book in the Mirror World sequel.

JP: So what’s this secret project about?

JD: Can’t tell you. I’ll talk about it when it’s finished.

JP: Fair enough. So you guys going to settle this in Mortal Kombat style?

JD: No. Laughs I can handle it if it came to that. I used to swordfight back in my theatre days.

JP: Oh cool. What did you use?

JD: A long sword, and a short one. I’m pretty confident I can handle Murandy if it came to that, but in all seriousness, we’re going back and forth.

JP: Unintended is your next book?

JD: Yes, and it’s all your fault.

JP: My fault?

JD: Yes. During your autograph signing down here, you mentioned how well Murandy and I just worked together back and forth and that we should try and write a comedy. We wrote Unintended like that and it worked out really well.

JP: I guess I corrupted you guys. Awesome. Can’t wait to read it.

JD: It’s good. I’m really happy with it.

JP: How’s your husband?

JD: He’s good.

JP: I know I amuse the heck out of him online.

JD: You do.

JP: He really enjoyed the beef bowl challenge.

JD: He did. He was kind of sad he wasn’t a part of it.

JP: Next time. Truthfully one guy finished it.

JD: Really?

JP: Yeah. He disappeared into a food coma afterwards. The rest of us tried. The beef wasn’t the hard part. The rice dimension just was a killer.

JD: It would be. I have a friend who did something similar out here. It was close to the same thing.

JP: I’m going to have to make that challenge when I come back in town for Stormdancer. Hmm. We’re near the end of this interview. So I got to ask, what’s the focus?

JD: This year is all about getting a bunch of books out there. We have a ton of nice books coming out. Others like Forbidden are already out there. For me personally, Mirror’s Heart came out earlier this year and Unintended is coming out soon. We’re going and I’m doing the things I want to do.

JP: Put it that way, its sounds awesome.

JD: It is, and the best is yet to come.

JP: One last question before I disappear. What kind of branding are you aiming for with Mirror World Publishing?

JD: Mirror World Publishing books are books that allow readers to escape reality and journey into imaginative new worlds.

JP: Sounds cool. Thanks Justine!

JD: Thank you.

Thanks Justine!

To take a look at Mirror World’s Schedule check out Mirror World’s Website at http://www.mirrorworldpublishing.com.  There you can find not just the books, but news and upcoming events.  Currently, The Coffee Monster is being launched by Nate Friedman and you can check it out wherever books are sold.  Mirror World had a twitter account at @mirrorworldpub.   If you want to read Justine’s work, I recommend currently Mirror World by herself and Murandy Damodred.   I cannot wait for Unintended by these two.

Once again, thank you for Justine for her patience and understanding as I recovered this lost interview.   I can’t wait to see what Mirror World has coming up the rest of the year.   Check it out.