Carol Ann Kauffman's VISION and VERSE : INTERVIEW: Fantasy Author Jay S. Willis

Fantasy. My goal as an author is to create an engaging and fun body of work to sustain a generation through their life as readers of Fantasy: from intelligent chapter books to sprawling epics.

Favorite food.

My wife’s lasagna.

Tea or coffee?

Tea

Pizza or ice cream?

Pizza

Wine or beer or soda or what?

Eiswein or Honey Mead

Where would you like to visit?

Europe, specifically London, Paris, and Berlin.

Favorite musical artist.

Rush

Do you listen to music when you write?

What?

I listen to music less than I used to when writing. If I do listen to anything it’s usually instrumental such as movie scores.

What makes you laugh?

Absurdity. Monty Python, Kids in the Hall, Classic Saturday Night Live.

Favorite work of art or sculpture.

My favorite piece of art is the metal sculpture of Atlas holding the world on his shoulders which sits on the corner of my desk at my day job. My mother gave it to me for Christmas several years ago.

How old were you when you started writing?

First or second grade, so around 7 or 8. My mother stapled typing paper packets together as booklets for me and I drew my own pictures and wrote stories alongside them like crude comic books or graphic novels.

Do you plan out your book with outlines and notecards?

Or just write?

I outline on a panoramic widescreen level plotting out major events spanning where I want the story to begin to the ending. I tend to do more discovery writing in between plot points and adjust my outline accordingly as the story develops.

Describe your perfect evening.

Sharing Thanksgiving leftovers with my wife and kids followed by a long evening of boardgames.

Where do you get your inspiration?

My own experiences always serve as a framework in the stories I create. I don’t think it’s possible to divorce my writing from my own perception of the world and my own experience. I was a history and political science major in undergrad. That combined with a law degree and over 25 years as an attorney offer a lot of perspective on a host of different things.

My mythology growing up was and still remains Star Wars. Joseph Campbell’s Power of Myth and The Hero with a Thousand Faces served as George Lucas’s framework for building a mythology for my generation.

I also grew up on comic books (Marvel Comics For the Win). The Avengers has always been my absolute favorite comic, way before the MCU and Marvel movies were a thing.

What do you do when you get a writer's block?

Walk away and watch well-written TV or film.

Who is your favorite author?

Robert Jordan

Best book you ever read.

Eye of the World by Robert Jordan. The first book in the Wheel of Time series evolved Fantasy to a new level and set the bar for what constitutes Epic Fantasy for me.

Last book you read.

Jade City by Fonda Lee

What would you do for a living if you weren’t a writer?

I’ve worked as an attorney for over 25 years. I’m a former Magistrate and Judge and currently work full-time as an Assistant Prosecutor.

Who is the one person who has influenced your personal life the most and why?

My mother. She devoted her life to raising me as a single parent at a time before that had become the norm. The core of all my values grew from her love. I wouldn’t have a wonderful wife and two great children I’m proud to have raised if she hadn’t instilled in me an importance of family, loyalty, and a sense of personal responsibility.

If you could sit down and have a conversation with ONE person, living or dead, real or fictional, who would it be and why?

Neil Peart, the drummer an lyricist for the progressive Canadian rock band Rush. He passed away in January 2020 and left behind a legacy of diverse music with intelligent thought-provoking lyrics.

I fell in love with Rush when I first saw them perform live in the summer of 1990 and it changed my life. As I devoured their music and delved into the masterful use of language in Neil’s lyrics I always dreamed of someday having the chance to thank Neil Peart and get to know him.

Neil didn’t complete high school because he followed his dream and passion in music. Throughout his life he never stopped educating himself and was relentless and uncompromising in living his life on his own terms fulfilling the dreams of both his heart and mind.

I would treasure the opportunity to share a drink with the man, express my gratitude for sharing his talent with the world, and simply have an intelligent conversation with him.

What advice would you give someone who aspired to be a writer?

Don’t be afraid, just write. Spend more time reading and allow yourself to make time to write. Most importantly, recognize how important writing is to you and focus on it.

Do you have some links for us to follow you?

https://www.jayswillis.net

https://www.facebook.com/atlaslawauthor

www.twitter.com/atlaslaw

https://www.instagram.com/atlaslaw/

https://www.tiktok.com/@jayswillis?lang=en

https://pinterest.com/atlaslaw

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/20807951.Jay_S_Willis

https://www.amazon.com/author/jswillis