Author Interview: James McLean
Tell me a bit about yourself. Who are you and what do you write?
Well, my name is James McLean, a Canadian born writer who recently went the self-publishing route with his work. I’m a semi-retired martial arts instructor and MMA Fitness/kickboxing coach, and a former baker. I like to write epic fantasy. Though the initial ideas don’t usually start out as “epic”. I get a small idea start to think about it, then start to let that idea snowball into something I can really get excited about working on. I used to write a number of horror short stories when I was younger, but that type of genre/medium doesn’t strike a tune with me anymore. Couldn't say why. Whilst the majority of what I write is – and will be – fantasy, I do plan on diving into some soft sci-fi in the future. Got some plans for a series already in the works which will serve as a prequel to a collection of novellas.
What’s your favourite genre? Is it the same as the one you write in?
My favourite genre to read would be fantasy, by far. I love seeing how writers can change and create cultures to make things that really are thought-provoking, or just plain interesting! Different systems of magic and religion are also things I find fascinating. I love the sheer array of ideas that fantasy can revolve around, there is usually something that sets one world apart from the other. Whether it's the use of magic, to the behaviour/relevance of gods, I like to see how different things can be. Yes, fantasy is also the same genre I primarily write it. I love seeing what spins I can put on things too.
What do you do for inspiration?
Inspiration is a strange one. Some people will say they listen to music, watch movies, read books, draw etc. Well, I can’t draw to save my life, music doesn’t inspire me either. Movies do, to a point, they can help feed some ideas. But ultimately, looking at (and reading about) things in the real world and how they could be different usually pushes me into an idea. Heck, even a single line of dialogue, said off the cuff, has been enough for me to spin a whole scene, which then inspires a chapter, to an act, to a novel, to a series etc. My inspiration comes at me kind of randomly, so it’s not an easy question for me to answer because almost anything could strike a chord with me, depending on my headspace at the time.
How do you approach building your worlds?
By looking at our world, first and foremost. I’m currently in the middle of doing some large scale worldbuilding for a future fantasy series. I look at what makes a culture a culture. Anything from profanity, to rude gestures, religions, weddings, funerals, food, flavours, alcohol, engineering, gender norms, trade, currency etc. Heck, I even look at geopolitical events to decide if it makes sense for nations to form based on the actions or preferences of another.
I will look at existing religions and see how I can put some fictional twists on them to apply them to worlds in my works. Same with weddings and funerals. I’ll also look to currencies and see how they’ve been minted and used (or abused) in the past and use that to establish what feels real. One thing that I think is important is having similarities between cultures and countries. For example, Canada and the United States. We share a tonne of similarities, but also a lot of differences as well. Yet, we came from the same parent-nation. I will do that with my world. In the world I am building now, I have one continent that is populated solely with countries that broke off of an elitist parent-nation.
I look at your day to day life and question it. What we eat, why we eat it, what offends us, why it offends us etc. From each hour of the day, culture influences us in some way. I work backwards and apply that same thinking to my worlds to make them feel organic.
What comes first? Characters or plot?
That’s another tough one. But if I had to choose, I would say plot. I try to think up an event that I, and others, will find interesting, then populate it with the kinds of characters that would be affiliated with, or drive, such events. The series I mentioned prior started with a plot twist on the typical monster hunter genre of fantasy. The book I just published now started with the idea of a dirty grimy invasion. The plot all came first, then I brought in people and factions that would be able to work within the plot and drive it forward in ways that make sense and feel organic.
What was the hardest thing you’ve ever had to write?
The final paragraph of my first book, easily. Though it is not published, yet, I remember sitting in a pub among friends typing furiously before stopping for nearly ten minutes in the middle of the final paragraph. It was a huge thing and still was with the book I just put out. The last thing I wanted to do was have this potential great ride through a world of fantasy to have the tire on the car blow out and ruin the entire journey. We’ve all read books like that, or watched movies where the end leaves you feeling deflated. I didn’t want that, obviously.
What’s your favourite/least favourite thing about the writing process?
My favourite thing would be talking about my ideas with others. I get so excited and I can see that excitement flow into whoever I’m speaking with. My girlfriend and I have eaten up 2-hour drives talking about ideas, where they could go, what they could do, how they could tie into existing ideas and the like.
My least favourite thing, however, would be formatting. Most people might say editing, but I don’t mind that. For me it is formatting. Making sure the manuscript formats properly to be used in eBook or paperback can be infuriating when your programs don’t want to speak with each other, or when underlying programming gets in the way and you have to find a workaround to make your printed copy look just right.
Are you able to share any short snippets from the cutting room floor?
There isn’t much I can share from the cutting room floor without giving away a lot of spoilers, as most of the stuff that got cut has serious implications on what characters survive and what don’t. But, what I can do is say that three characters that were originally supposed to have been killed off in showdowns or brutal ways, actually ended up surviving the first novel of my series. It just felt better for the story to keep those characters around a little bit longer, give some more meaning to several aspects of the world. They are still slated to die, but at this point, I don’t know when yet!
What is your absolute favourite piece of your own writing? Could be a short scene, a bit of dialogue, a character or even the tiniest piece of worldbuilding.
I have two characters that I am absolutely stoked for readers to start delving into. Both of which have already been introduced in the book I just put out. One character would be Cullen Highfold, the Valen Spymaster of Valenfaar. The other character would be the moronic bandit Dry Eyes. Both these characters behave so differently from one another but they have SO MUCH going on that I haven’t even put onto paper yet.
What are you promoting at the moment?
At the moment I am promoting my first self-published novel with the title of “Valenfaar: The Crimson Plains”. It is the first entry in the series “Fall of Valenfaar”. The story of Valenfaar will end up being two series, and seven books in total. This book has taken me almost three years to write as several aspects of life just kept jumping in and demanding I pay attention to them first. Now, however, I’ve revamped my life and work to allow me to work on writing daily. So we should see the second book in the Fall of Valenfaar series being put out later this year, or early next year.
Regardless, if anyone wants to get into a grittier darker fantasy that looks to establish its characters as morally grey, take a peek at The Crimson Plains! It is currently available on all Amazon Marketplaces and is even included in Kindle Unlimited subscriptions.
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