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Tuesday, June 15, 2021

James Palmer -- A Man at Loose Ends Gone To Writing

James Palmer is an award-nominated author of science fiction and pulp adventure. A recovering comic book addict, James lives in the wilds of Northeast Georgia with his wife, daughter, three dogs, and a metric ton of books.

Tell us a bit about your latest work. 

I always have a lot of irons in the fire. I'm writing a follow-up novella to my series in the Shadow Council Archives series from Falstaff Books, this time starring Allan Quatermain. I just wrote a story I'm shopping around in a Lovecraftian space opera world I'm developing, and plotting a story about Dragon Con. I wrote a space fantasy novella in the vein of Roger Zelazny's Amber and Van Allen Plexico's Lucian about a god-like planet conquerer with amnesia. in 2019 I adapted the late Jerry Pournelle novel Exiles to Glory into a one-hour audio drama for the Atlanta Radio Theater Company. They plan to stream it at virtual LibertyCon this year. I also wrote a comic book for Lucky Comics. Recently I edited War on Monster Earth, the third and final volume in a trilogy of anthologies in which the Cold War is fought with giant monsters instead of the threat of nuclear weapons. 

What happened in your life that prompted you to become a writer? 

I don't know that it was any one thing. I've always wanted to create and get paid to use my imagination. When I was a kid I wanted to be a movie producer, without having any inkling of what a movie producer does or is. Sometime early on in my high school years, I decided I wanted to write after I started reading Stephen King. I wanted to write something that made someone feel like King's books and stories made me feel.

Alfred Bester once said, "Put any man at loose ends and he invariable goes to writing." I've had a lot of odd jobs and dead-end jobs over the years, but there was always something in me that made me believe I was superior to my circumstances, that if I just got out of my own way long enough I could really do it. 

What inspires you to write? 

Everything. Other books and writers. A snippet of science news. Sometimes I combine two or more ideas that have been nagging me into something new. Reading (or rereading) great writers like Robert E. Howard, Harlan Ellison, and Ray Bradbury, even a trip to the book store makes me want to run to the keyboard.

What are the themes and subjects you tend to revisit in your work? 

I use a lot of Lovecraftian themes in my work, the idea that we are just small specks fighting over a dust mote in one forgotten corner of an indifferent universe. I like to play with time travel. But most of all I like the idea of the reluctant hero, someone who isn't equipped to lead the charge but does it anyway and figures it out by the end of the story. 

What would be your dream project? 

I would love to write a Marvel comic. I don't know which title. Probably the Silver Surfer. 

What writers have influenced your style and technique? 

A lot of writers have influenced me in different ways, including the above-mentioned. I try not to copy any one writer's style. Lovecraft's cosmology has influenced a number of my works and continues to do so. I love the idea of species and races that are far older than us and turned to dust before we came down out of the trees, but not before leaving behind their mysterious and often dangerous engineering projects for us to stumble upon. 

If you have any former project to do over to make it better, which one would it be, and what would you do? 

My first full novel, Star Swarm. It has a number of structural problems that stem from the jumbled way it was written. If I had it to do over I'd probably burn it down to the ground and start over. 

Where would you rank writing on the "Is it an art or it is a science continuum?" Why? 

The line between art and craft is a blurry one. Every writer comes at it differently, with a different set of skills. He may be naturally good at structuring plot or creating rich characters. Everything else he or she has to learn. In a word, I think it's both. But those elements are different for every writer at different stages of their growth as a writer. Or maybe I'm just flat-out wrong. Who knows?

What is the most difficult part of your artistic process? 

The planning stage of a new project, and getting out of my own way long enough to finish the thing. 

How do your writer friends help you become a better writer? Or do they not? 

I consider myself lucky to know so many creative people, not just writers but visual artists as well. Their successes buoy my spirits and their struggles give me insights into my own. They make me want to be a better writer so that I will work hard to become one. 

What does literary success look like to you? 

I've never really chased literary success, though I would certainly accept an award or two if one were tossed my way. I want to reach readers and sell my books and stories to as many people as possible. Success to me would be to write full time.

Any other upcoming projects you would like to plug? 

I have a current project, War for Monster Earth, the third and final volume in the Monster Earth anthology series. It's about a world where the Cold War was fought with giant monsters instead of the threat of nuclear weapons, and features stories by talented folks Jim Beard, Teel James Glenn, Nancy Hansen, Desmond Reddick, John C. Bruening, and Russell Nohelty, with cover art by the dynamite Jeffrey Hayes. You can check out the entire series here.

I'm also trying to guide people over to my Patreon, where I'm going to be serializing some novellas and stories. Readers can get full access for as little as $1 per month. You can check it out at www.patreon.com/jamespalmer.

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