Monday, April 20, 2015

Get to Know Me With James Vernon

Where do you live?
I live in a small town an hour or so outside of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It’s the type of quaint town that still has a main street with little shops and a couple of parades each year. It’s also close enough to more developed areas that I don’t feel like I’m out in the country.

Can you tell me about yourself?
Just a simple guy with a teaching degree and a love for fantasy. I’ve always been a fan of fantasy and sci-fi and love getting lost in worlds. At this point in my life I’m in a comfortable enough position to have a little fun outside of work and try new things. Writing and creating worlds has become a lot of fun, and I would love it if it could become my main profession. If not, I’ll still enjoy the time I spend writing and reaching new people.

Why and when did you begin to write?
Around 5 years ago. I’ve always been a huge reader of fantasy stories and had thought about writing one for a long time. When I was moved around for my job and ended up with over an hour commute each day, I found myself with a lot of time in my car to build worlds and create characters to live in them. Eventually I started putting down what I came up with on paper and went from there.
How long each day/week do you dedicate to writing?
Unfortunately I’m not a very organized writer. Having a full time job and a three-year old running around makes planning a set time to write each day a pointless endeavour. During the week I try to write for a few hours after everyone has gone to bed (which can be difficult as there are quite a few shows on at the moment that are distractions). On the weekend I find whatever time I can. If I had to guesstimate, I would say on average I get a solid nine hours of serious writing time in each week.

If you were shipwrecked on a desert island what book and author would you take?
For book I would have to go with The Name of the Wind. For years I’ve had a dozen other favourite books, but most recently Patrick Rothfuss has made me into a huge fan. The way he tells the story, which if you pay attention is really one characters biography, keeps me hooked for hours at a time.
For author, even though he has passed, I would have to go with Robert Jordan. The world and its history that he created for the Wheel of Time series just blows me away. I would love to pick his brain while stuck on a deserted island and learn how he did it all.

When reading yourself do you prefer to read eBooks, paperbacks or hardbacks?
I have a bit of OCD when it comes to physical copies of books. I would much rather read from a good paperback or hardback, but part of my brain doesn’t want to mess up the binding or the cover. So for convenience and my own sanity, I would have to say I stick to eBooks for the majority of my reading. If I really like a story after I’m done reading, more likely than not I’ll buy a physical copy as well.

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