Interview Jim Stein Author of Strange Omens
Give a warm welcome to Jim Stein author of Strange Omens.
1. What secret do you use to blast through writer’s block?
Sprints and dog walks. Aside from simple procrastination, writer’s block tends to hit me in two forms, not knowing how to write and not knowing what to write. Sprints work wonders when I fundamentally know where the story needs to go, but can’t quite commit to putting something on “paper.” It’s a strange feeling to stare at that blank screen, have a vision, but find that no opening phrase or scene feels right. When I don’t know how to jump into the writing, I set a stopwatch for 15-30 minutes and force myself to commit. The pressure of time disables my inner critic and lets the words flow without censure. A successful 15-20 minute sprint hits 300 words, but can yield up to six or seven hundred if I’m really in the flow for a half hour.
My other form of block comes when I’ve lost the thread of the story, drifted too far from my planned outline, or simply run into an interesting dead end. When I or my characters have these issues, I’d rather regroup than write through a complex problem off the top of my head. So when I don’t know what to write, I put my legs in gear, grab my voice recorder, and head to the trail with Marley our great dane. Dictating ideas and possibilities helps me work out the path forward and generally brings surprising clarity. I do a lot of verbal brainstorming, then circle back to flush out the promising ideas. I’m honestly surprised every time at how productive and energized that hour makes me when I get back to the keys. I’ve come up with everything from the rules of my magic system to scene outlines while walking the old railroad trail and talking it out. Marley’s a great listener, though I do ask her entirely too many questions when she’d rather just enjoy the cows or interesting smells along the river.
2. Who is your favorite character of all of the books you’ve written and Why?
Oddly enough, Pina, a three-foot tall forest sprite has been the most fun. I think it’s because she’s such a departure from my own persona that I get to sort of let loose. Pina’s a fun-loving little creature who everyone adores. She has a kind of wide-eyed innocence despite being powerful and centuries old. She’s not a slave to fashion or human concepts, but does love exploring and learning. I just wrote a 12k word short called “Pina’s Holiday Adventure” as a bit of a reader gift. I find I just like writing about her, especially when she’s playing with Max, the half-mastiff, half-rhinoceros mutt that Ed rescues in book 1. Max of course was inspired by Marley my muse. It’s hard to have a bad day when you’re in Pina’s head.
3. How long have you been writing?
I started writing full-time in 2015 after retiring from the Navy. I’ve always been fascinated with Science Fiction and Fantasy novels, read voraciously, and tried my hand at a few high-school and college classes that taught fiction and poetry. I also drafted my first novel and wrote a dozen short stories between 2003 and 2014. The shorts are very Twilight Zone-ish and the novel is a fantasy/Scifi cross-over that I’ve revised a dozen times. I’m not certain it will ever see the light of day, but it proved I could string 100k words together and work with an outline. Since 2015, I’ve completed the first two books in my legends Walk series, am about five months from publishing the final book, and have drafted a light Science Fiction novel, which will be next in the hopper to revise and edit after Strange Medicine (Legends Walk book 3) goes out.
4. Do you see yourself in your characters?
I do, which can be a challenge. As a new author, cultivating a unique voice while getting each of your characters to have their own voice is a bit of a conundrum. I consider myself fairly level-headed. Decades of running professional projects taught me the value of striving to see things from different viewpoints and taking everyone’s recommendations into consideration. I often find myself shying away from having characters take what might be considered stupid (or at least uninformed) actions because it isn’t something I’d do. If that tendency gets out of control, the story can quickly turn vanilla, with all characters acting the same and “being reasonable,” which leads to dullness. I’m not a fan of conflict for conflict’s sake, stereo-types, or tropes, but sometimes have to segment my characters’ view-points so they don’t all turn into animal-loving, video-game-playing, open-minded people who have a deep interest in geeky science and engineering.
A sneak peek between the pages of Strange Omens!
“What now, Ed?” Trinity asked from my left.
We crouched behind a rotting car covered in vines and watched the Grims. Bald Jim looked to be in charge. Shawn sat on the ground at Dan’s feet, head hung low. The bruise around his eye and dried blood on his lip testified to the fact he had gone down fighting. Dan probably wore the Hawaiian shirt and posed as a victim.
Trinity had enough sense to tail them without trying a rescue. We caught up to her just before the Grims stopped at a massive bronze doorway totally at odds with the architecture of the ruined city. The thing was better suited for a medieval castle, though I had to admit it was effective. Jim and Dan argued over how best to get inside.
“Five of them and four of us,” I said.
“They’re bruisers,” Quinn whispered. “No offense, but we couldn’t take any of them, except maybe scraggly Dan.”
“Where’s it lead?” Trinity asked.
Good question. The out of place obstruction melded into the stone archway across a low entrance to what might be a basement level. The arguing continued as Jim tried an incantation. The door rebuffed his attempt. Oily bits of the magic passphrase dripped to the ground. Though a simple spell, the darkness of it differed from the elements Quinn and I used.
“You’re doing it wrong,” Dan complained to the men gathered at the door.
“He’s such a little shit.” Trinity’s lip curled.
“For once that’s working in our favor,” Quinn said.
Dan stalked over to the others, grabbed something small and metallic out of Jim’s hands, and examined the door. Magic formed around another incantation. Shawn sat unguarded at the entrance to the alcove. We scurried out from behind the car, circled the intersection, and crept along crumbling brickwork. The line of the alley kept us out of sight until I peeked around the corner. The Grims argued on, ignoring their dejected captive. Shawn stared at the pavement.
“Shawn.” No response. “Shawn! Time to go.”
Bleary eyes ringed with bruises met mine. He must have taken a good shot to the nose for double shiners to be rising so quickly. Recognition slowly dawned, followed by half a smile that dropped away. Shawn held up his hands. I’d missed the thin cord that bound wrists to ankles. It was silvery gray, looking more like yarn than rope.
“For crying out…” Quinn whipped out a knife and crept forward.
The moment her blade touched the cord, there was a flash. Quinn yelped and dropped her knife.
“Hey!” Dan looked up from the brass key in his hand.
“Just grab him!” I shouted.
Quinn hauled Shawn up by his armpits and pushed him forward. The cord forced him into an awkward half-crouch. I grabbed his arm to haul him down the street, but he stopped short and fell to the ground. Quinn and I pulled but couldn’t budge him. No one weighed that much. The cord flashed and flared, its strange power anchoring Shawn to the spot. More than that, a tether of power slowly dragged him back toward the doorway as the Grims advanced.
“Leave him. In fact, leave the girl. Two for the price of one!” Dan grinned his stupid parody of a Bright’s smile.
Each man carried a small club, undoubtedly weighted for maximum punch. Quinn worked at the bindings. Her strange watery power flowed along the cord looking for a way to loosen the knots. The Grims strode forward, in no hurry and—I like to think—wary. I could have taken Dan and the freak sporting a Mohawk. But I’d spent all year practicing my spells for a reason.
I reached for Earth to throw up a barrier and buy us time. Just as I was about to cast, flames leapt up between us and the men, effectively sealing them in the alcove. Trinity stood rigid, locked in concentration as she poured on more Fire and drove them back amid squawks of protest.
“Let me try.” I hunkered down to examine the cord.
Earth was ready at my fingertips, but when I tried to manipulate Shawn’s binding—as I would stone or metals—there was no purchase. The men tried end runs around Trinity’s flames, holding the woman’s concentration and forcing her to expend too much power. Another minute and we’d have to carry her out. Quinn saw it too.
“Help her!”
I dredged up a bit of old-school metal, Metallica’s “Seek and Destroy,” forging Fire to bolster Trinity’s spell. I split off a portion to attack the ropes. Fire was an enigma, representing the most restorative and destructive of the elements. I honed the lyrics down to a laser focus, emphasis on the destroy part of the tune to cut and burn. The cord swelled, resisting the heat, but frayed edges soon curled away from the core.
Shawn’s invisible bond contracted, yanking him toward the wall of fire. Quinn grabbed him around the waist but was dragged along. Even if Trinity and I cancelled our spells, they would be pulled across searing concrete into the midst of the waiting Grims.
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Posted in Authors' Secrets Blog and tagged Jim Stein, Legends Walk - Book Two, Strange Omens, Urban Fantasy by Tena Stetler with 2 comments.
