Interview with Jaimie N. Schock, author of THE TALISMAN WAR series

 

Today's interview is with Jaimie N. Schock! Her Talisman War series sounds absolutely fantastic! I hope everyone enjoys my interview with her today! As always, links to follow her on social media and purchase her books will be included at the end of the interview. Thank you and enjoy!      

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What made you want to be a writer and share your books with others?

I started as a print journalist and editor, which I did for more than ten years. I had to quit due to health issues, so I switched to writing fiction. I used my first book to help deal with PTSD and depression, and in doing so, I wrote a clinically depressed hero and a secondary heroine with PTSD. Once I finished the first book, it only seemed right to share it so others could get out of it what I did.

Very solid reason to take to writing! It's nice to hear that writing helped you.
How do you come up with the characters for your books?

Some are from personal experience, like the two heroes. I include lots of LGBTQIA+ and disabled characters because I am those things, as well. In general, my characters are very diverse. I generally take the story and add characters that make sense to the plot and to the other characters, either as friends or foils.

Writing what you know is always helpful. As is making your writing diverse!
How do you develop your characters as you write/plan a book?

They kind of come to me like the ideas for the plot. I use baby names websites to come up with names a lot of the time.

Nice!
What sort of representation can readers find in your books?

All kinds. Disability, LGBTQIA+, neurodivergence/mental illness, BIPOC, religions, genders, etc.

Love that! It's nice to have a wide range of representation.
Can you describe something that readers will find when they read your books? (Like common themes or such)

There are a lot of "found families," with characters that adopt others or work with them closely and come to rely on them. There is always LGBTQIA+ romance. I often have a main character that feels the need to protect others at all costs. I like to include children that are sometimes precocious and sometimes childlike (like real children). I also like including animals and monsters wherever possible. Violence is common, as well.

Oh I love found families!! And animals!!
What do you hope readers take away after reading your books?

I hope they enjoy them, first and foremost. I also hope they can relate to the characters, who I try to give many flaws. I want them to find comfort in the characters and their decisions, even the morally gray ones. I hope they can use my books as an escape if needed.

That's a great thing to hope for! I hope they can as well.
What are you currently working on right now?

I'm working on a dystopian cyberpunk sci-fi story. It features a hacker who has to live in a wastelands environment and try to survive. I'm more than two-thirds of the way finished with the writing, and I hope to publish it this year with my publisher JMS Books.

Ooh sounds exciting!
Thank you to Jaimie for taking part in this interview and for everyone who read it. I hope everyone enjoyed it! Please consider giving Jaimie a follow and checking out her books! Have a nice day.

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You can find Jaimie N. Schock on her website, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.

You can buy Jaimie N. Schock's books from Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

If you can't buy her books but you still want to read them, consider requesting them to your local library or suggesting them on Overdrive!