James Quinlan Meservy
Southeast, Idaho
Good Morning, James. Welcome to Vision and Verse, the website for art and authors. Can you tell us a little about yourself?
My name is James Quinlan Meservy, and I love literature! I live in Southeast Idaho with my wife and children, and spent my childhood living moving all across northern Utah. I consider my home town to be Mendon, Utah, a small community near Logan, Utah in the Cache Valley.
While I love most breed of domesticated dogs, especially the Siberian Husky; absolutely adore red pandas; and greatly admire kestrels, my favorite animal is the wolf.
My family enjoys spending time together; playing with Legos, hiking, playing sports, watching movies, but we love reading together.
I have always had a fascination with falcons. I love the call of the Peregrine Falcon. As I said before, I greatly admire nearly everything about kestrels. But my favorite type of falcon of all-time is the Millennium Falcon. (Yes, I am a fan of Star Wars; specifically the films.)
When I'm not spending time with my family, at work, fulfilling various religious responsibilities, eating, or sleeping, I most likely am writing.
What is your favorite genre to write?
My favorite genre to read is classic literature (Charles Dickens is my favorite author), and my favorite genre to write is fantasy. Even when I attempt to write something that is not fantasy, my WIP becomes fantasy by the end of my first draft.
Favorite Food.
My favorite food is hamburgers.
Tea or coffee?
I cannot stand the flavor or scent of coffee, and have only had a couple of teas that I enjoyed. My favorite tea is karkade, I was first introduced to karkade when I was in Russia. I am told that Hibiscus is the English translation.
Pizza or ice cream?
I prefer pizza over ice cream. BBQ chicken pizza to be specific.
Wine or beer or soda?
As far as the choices between wine, beer, or soda is concerned, I would have to say soda. However, I recently cut back on my soda drinking, and have started preferring lemonade, raspberry lemonade when available.
Where would you like to visit?
I have always wanted to the Louvre, from what I hear, I can spend an entire month in the Louvre, and still have more to see and learn.
Favorite musical artist. Do you listen to music when you write? What?
When I was a child, a friend of mine introduced me to Garth Brooks’s Greatest Hits Album. By the end of the album, I had found my life long favorite musical artist. As far as what I prefer to listen to when writing, I prefer to put in earplugs and be enveloped in complete silence.
What makes you laugh?
I rarely laugh, I mean genuinely laugh. Not much makes me laugh.
Oh, I'm so sorry. I am a laugher. I find the oddest things amusing.
How old were you when you started writing?
The first time I really remember creative writing, I was in grade school. My teacher assigned us to write a Halloween story. I wrote a story about a magical wolf who could talk. That story served as the original inspiration for The United.
Do you plan out your book with outlines and notecards? Or just write?
When I write a new project, I start writing. I allow the story to take on its own life. Every time I have attempted to write out of an outline, the story takes on a new life and I end up tossing out my outline before I even get half-way through my first draft.
Describe your perfect evening.
I am not certain I have a perfect evening for all occasions. It really depends on my day. Some days I want nothing more than to be left alone so I can either write or work on the computer. Other days I would prefer nothing more than watching a movie with my family.
Where do you get your inspiration?
Every story I ever wrote started with a dream. Then as I write, the dream takes on its own life as a written story.
What do you do when you get a writer's block?
Some say writer’s block is a myth, others say it is an inevitable truth. To me, all writer’s block means is that my story is not quite ready to be committed to paper. So I read, or exercise, or spend time with my family, or otherwise do something else, allowing my mind to work on whatever problem that was blocking me.
Best book you ever read.
The best book I ever read was either ‘A Christmas Carol’ or ‘Bleak House’ both by Charles Dickens.
Last book you read.
The last I book read was The Great Siege by J.N. Tomczak. It is Book 2 of the Kingdom of the Faeries series. It is a fantastic fantasy series, which I greatly enjoyed.
What would you do for a living if you weren’t a writer?
I presently work as a forklift operator in a dehydrated potato warehouse in Southeast Idaho. However, I seriously believe that if I were not spending so much time writing, I would be a professional archaeologist.
Who is the one person who has influenced your personal life the most and why?
The individual who has influenced my personal life the most is my wife, and conversely I believe I have had more influence on her life than anyone else. Sharing your life together, it is impossible not to be influenced by one another. I take her advice and suggestions on various things very seriously, and often find myself changing my mind, no matter how begrudgingly, after hearing her opinion on any given matter.
If you could sit down and have a conversation with ONE person, living or dead, real or fictional, who would it be and why?
Carol, that is just an unfair question. How can I choose just one literary character with whom to have lunch? I have so many favorite literary characters whom I would love to meet.
Tell me about Glimpses of Time and Magic.
We know the stories from history we've heard since childhood, but what if, behind the tales, there were magical secrets desperate to be revealed?
Pompeii was a tragedy the world will never forget, but what really caused the volcanic eruption that ended it all? Why was the great sword Excalibur really destroyed? The rolling hills of Victorian England seem peaceful enough, but what secrets really lurk there?
And would it surprise you that there are darker secrets in Ancient Rome than people ever dreamed? If the Great Fog of London isn't what it seems? You think you know Harry Houdini, but do you know the man behind all the tricks?
And what if the mystery of Roanaoke runs deeper than you could ever imagine? Could Ireland's potato famine really be caused by a mage gone mad? What if a ghost ship off the coast of England was more than a phantom?
If you like fantasy and history, then you'll love this collection of nine fantastical stories. Buy Glimpses of Time and Magic now to find out what secrets really lurk behind the stories we've all been told.
All proceeds are being donated to Feed My Starving Children.
https://www.amazon.com/Glimpses-Time-Magic-Historical-Anthology-ebook/dp/B087LB2K53/
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Tell me about Excalibur.
My story in Glimpses is a retelling of Excalibur set on the Realm of the Light (same world as The United.)
What advice would you give someone who aspired to be a writer?
My advice to aspiring writers is to read, then write, then read some more.
Is there anything else you'd like us to know?
Yes. First, my friend Kollin Murphy was kind enough to sketch Lord Yrimwaque, a main character from The United, and I have decided to include that sketch as well. The pencil sketch plays an role in the story, and I am very grateful to Kollin for bringing that sketch to life.
As a final parting note, I would like to introduce your followers to my newsletter. I send out a newsletter on the first Wednesday of every month. I give an exclusive 5K word short story, ‘Jackalopes: The Real Story’ to my followers. Jackalopes features a few different mythological creatures, including the Volkrog, a horned wolf with magical abilities.
Do you have some links for us to follow you?
Find me on the web at:
You can purchase The United at:
Wait! Before you run off, tell us a little about your work in the anthology, Hidden Worlds, the Dwelling, Volume 1.
My story in Hidden Worlds is about what happened to the neighboring kingdoms of Myrr & Buz-Per-Addock after Arctyrus left to the Rhineland in Denizens Among Us.
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