My turn to give away a copy of Farworld!

I’ve been reading the other interviews on the other blogs and been very impressed by everyone’s creativity. Alas, I am not so creative at the middle of the summer with four kids at home who are driving me slowly insane . . . but that’s another blog. The good news, is that I have a couple kids who love to read, and thanks to be involved in this blog tour—I have a book for them! (and for me) So, without further ado, here is my interview with the amazingly talented J. Scott Savage, otherwise known as Jeffy. By leaving a comment on this blog you will be entered into a drawing where you too can win a copy of Jeffy’s new book, Farworld. If you leave no comment, you get no such chance.

1--Assuming that you liked to read as child, is there a particular book or series that really inspired you, specifically in regard to Farworld?

I was probably the readingest kid you ever met. I used to cut school to go to the library. (Not that I'm recommending that or anything!) I would have said that there was no book that specifically inspired me with Farworld, but when I first read the question, the first image that popped into my head was sitting on the outdoor balcony of a friend's cabin in the Sierra Nevada
Mtns, eating apples and reading Aesop's Fables. So may that is my subconscious coming into play. I loved that book, and as I think about, you have talking animals, unusual settings, strong messages. So, who knows? Maybe.


2--Who is your favorite Farworld character to write? Why?

Chet. Okay, maybe not. But it's actually really funny that you ask that right at the same time that Crystal is having me do an interview with Chet, how he was misunderstood, miscast, etc. It's been a hoot.

Honestly, it is whichever one I am writing at the same. I don't know if you feel the same way when you're writing, Josi, but when I begin writing a character it feels like I am taking them on like a role in a play. I feel myself slipping into their skin. I think it helps make them more real to me.

3--I read an article once by Dave Wolverton. He said that Mormons might be the best qualified people to write fantasy because we have a true belief in other worlds and therefore can create new ones in our imagination easier than most people. What are your thoughts on that?

Nah. I think we're all just looking for a way to make a buck. (Kidding--mostly)

I think that's true, but I think it even goes beyond that. We believe that this Earth is a temporary way station in the grand scheme of things. It makes this life seem no less important, but perhaps more less substantial. In order to be a good fantasy writer, there has to be a part of you that firmly believes that if you pulled away the curtain of what we think of as
reality, there would be whole universes of knowledge we can't even comprehend. I wouldn't limit it just to Mormons though. I think a lot of people of many faiths look at this world and this life the same way.

4--If you could have one magical gift attributed to any of the characters in Farworld, what would it be?

I want Kyja's magic. I want to be able to look at someone else's hard situation and know how to make it better. Kyja's magic makes me happy.

5--What are your plans for the future, be it with Farworld or any other projects?

Well, the one thing I know for sure is that I love telling stories. For most of my life I didn't know I wanted to be a "writer" per se. But I always loved telling stories. So I guess my goal is to get to the point where I can make a living doing something I love, be that with Farworld or some other series. I've got lots of stories to tell, but you know how hard it is to find the time to tell them all.

6--You've been married for over twenty years and you've often attributed much of your success to your wife and yet, having met her, she certainly has not 'given herself over' to your goals and ambitions, what advice do you have for anyone pursuing their own talents, and married to someone else who is. How can couples grow individually and yet together at the same time?

Wow, deep. If you're asking me how the hack I managed to get Jen to marry me, and stay married to me for twenty plus years, I'm going to have to claim ignorance. Dumb luck? She's dumb and I'm lucky? What I would say is that you have to be delighted at the other half's success. When something great happens to or for Jen, I'm every bit as happy as if it had happened to me, and the same with her. We honestly don't ever see ourselves in competition
with each other over anything (except Sudokus, which she kicks my butt at.) We are a team in everything we approach.


What? That's all? No questions about how I came to be such an amazing writer or which Hollywood hunk I'm most often compared to? Ooookkkaaay. Thanks, it was a lot of fun. Good luck with her Good Name. I'm sure it will be awesome. (And yes, Jeffy really wrote that last part, not me—but it was my decision to keep it in ☺ )