Interview with J.M.D. Reid, Author of Jewels of Illumination Box Set
02 Mar 2021
What can you tell us about your new release, Jewels of Illumination Box Set? It contains the first three books of the Jewels of Illumination series, an epic and dark fantasy. In the City of Kash, overrun by strife and crime, Obhin has a chance for redemption by guarding a scholar from the machinations of crime syndicate, a mysterious woman, and a dark necromancer. In a city about to explode against the crown and the rich, Obhin must work with Avena to keep Dualayn safe. But can Avean trust Obhin and his dark past? Can they find a way to work past their difference and save not just Dualayn. But the City of Kash itself. What or who inspired you to become an author? It was the fantasy books I read in my preteen and early teen years. Tolkien, David Eddings, Terry Brooks, Weis and Hickman, and Robert Jordan were writing all these great stories. I wanted to tell my own fantasy stories like them. Make my own worlds born out of my imagination. What’s on your top 5 list for the best books you’ve ever read? The Lord of the Ring (I’m cheating and lumping them together), The Darkness that Comes Before by R. Scott Bakker, Dune by Frank Herbert, The Lord of Chaos by Robert Jordan, and The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson Say you’re the host of a literary talk show. Who would be your first guest? What would you want to ask? Robert Jordan. I would love to ask him how he is so good at foreshadowing and utilizing prophecies so skillfully to inspire readers imaginations and misdirect them at the same time. What’s your favorite thing about writing? Getting the the stories out of my head and on to paper. That’s always such a wonderful moment to have an idea that could be rattling around in my head for sometimes years. What is a typical day like for you? I wake up and start writing. I am a weirdo that can get up and go. I ghost write for a living, so between my writing and clients work, I get about 20,000 words written in a day (it can vary if I’m doing more editing). I take breaks for breakfast, lunch, take a walk, to do my social media, but much of my day is spent typing away. This is my job, and I work hard at it because I love it. Writing is rarely a chore for me. What scene from Jewels of Illumination Box Set was your favorite to write? There are so many of them. Some of my favorites are really spoilery, but I would say it’s the opening of Ruby Ruins, the second book. It has a return of an antagonist from the last book, Avena getting to really show how much she’s grown, and then a great twist that always shocks readers and kicks off the book’s plot. Do you have a motto, quote, or philosophy you live by? I just like to hunker down and do my writing. But the Golden Rule’s probably the best way to live. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
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