Jake Bible

How did you become a writer?

I've always been a storyteller. Or "liar," as some might say. I wrote my first story in elementary school. I actually had to illustrate it and bind it into a children's book for class. That was when the bug bit. I wrote all through school until life and work got in the way. It wasn't until 2007 that I got back writing and submitting short stories (yay for the internet!). I have been writing professionally since 2008 and don't ever plan to stop. Slow down, yes, but never stop.

Name your writing influences (writers, books, teachers, etc.).

Roger Zelazny is #1. The Amber series blew my mind. Add in Poe, Henry Miller, Vonnegut, Tom Robbins, Robert McCammon, and Cormac McCarthy and I never stood a chance of writing "normal" fiction. As for teachers, I wouldn't be a writer without Mike Garling. Corridor Elementary school. 3rd grade and that children's book I had to write, illustrate, and bind. Mike was an incredible teacher and started me on my path.

When and where do you write?

I used to write full-time every weekday, 9-5. But life and finances aren't always cooperative, so now I write part-time on the weekends and when I can snatch some extra time. For the most part I write in my office at home behind a mid-twentieth century modern desk that was my wife's grandfather's. It's a massive half circle that spans 9' in diameter. I love it.

What are you working on now?

Right now I'm working on a quirky mystery/thriller that's a weird combo of Northern Exposure meets Twin Peaks. Slow going, but a lot of fun. I'm also prepping for the penultimate Roak novel which is tricky because I took a long break, so now I have to go back and reread the previous ones because continuity. Stupid continuity...

Have you ever suffered from writer’s block?

Nope. I wrote 50 novels in five years. I have more ideas in my head, and in my iPhone's Notes app, that I will never et to write in my lifetime. Writing is like breathing to me and telling stories is my core, so writers block just isn't a thing for me.

What’s the best writing advice you’ve ever received?

It came from Scott Sigler and he said it takes 4-5 years in the publishing industry before you even start to understand what's going on. He was 100% right. After about my 4th year I realized I didn't know jack about what I was doing and my eyes were only just opening up. It cracks me up when new writers start spouting off about how writing and publishing should be. I just nod and smile and wait and watch for when reality kicks in for them.

What’s your advice to new writers?

Be prepared for success. Writers talk about failure too much and don't talk about how to handle success. Okay, so you now have a hit book? What do you do? You move fast and capitalize on that success, you don't kick back and get comfy. When opportunity knocks, will you be ready? Start thinking on that, people. I've blown a couple good opportunities because I wasn't be prepared.

Jake Bible is a Bram Stoker Award nominated novelist, short story writer, independent screenwriter, former podcaster, and inventor of the Drabble Novel. He has entertained thousands with his modern pulp fiction tales. Jake reaches audiences of all ages with his uncanny ability to write a wide range of characters and genres. 

Jake is the author of 60+ novels, including the bestselling Roak: Galactic Bounty Hunter series of space crime novels, the bestselling Z-Burbia series set in Asheville, NC, the bestselling Salvage Merc One, and the MEGA series for Severed Press. He is also the author of the YA zombie novel, Little Dead Man, the Bram Stoker Award nominated Teen horror novel, Intentional Haunting, the middle grade ScareScapes series, and the Reign of Four series for Permuted Press. As well as Stone Cold Bastards and the Black Box, Inc novels for Bell Bridge Books.

Find Jake at jakebible.com. Join him on Twitter @jakebible and on Facebook.

Elvia Wilk

How did you become a writer?

I started out as an artist. Over time, I realized I was spending all my time in the studio writing rather than making things. At first it was poems and fragments, and then I started writing pieces about art, and eventually reviews and essays. Suddenly one day I realized I didn't need a studio anymore. Every problem (formal, emotional, intellectual) that I've tried to solve since then has been one I've found I can tackle within the confines of the page. I'll keep writing until that changes. 

Name your writing influences (writers, books, teachers, etc.).

Many of my influences are artists. For the last few years: Mierle Laderman Ukeles, Barbara Hammer, Ana Mendieta, Suzanne Lacy. I have too many writerly influences to name! Those who I thought of while writing my recent novel the most include Kurt Vonnegut, Tom McCarthy, Jonathan Lethem, and Jeff VanderMeer. I always think about Doris Lessing. Lately I've been reading and learning from Ingeborg Bachmann. 

When and where do you write? 

I write at home, in my living room, at a desk. I have a nice chair and big monitor to force myself to sit up straight. I write whenever there's time, which is usually in the afternoon—after I get some other work done and feel I can concentrate. 

What are you working on now? 

I'm turning several talks I've given over the past few years into essays. They're about topics like weird fiction, black holes, vampires, and role-play. I'd like to compile them into an essay collection.

Have you ever suffered from writer’s block? 

Every day! I just make myself write some words, however bad they are, and eventually I forget I'm blocked. If that doesn't work, I take a walk. 

What’s the best writing advice you’ve ever received?

Butt in chair, for as long as it takes. If that doesn't work, take a walk. 

What’s your advice to new writers?

You'll probably have to write a lot of bad stuff in order to get anywhere good. So quantity over quality at the start, at least in order to develop a regular practice and get used to flexing your muscles. If you can, try writing lots of short pieces for publications (anywhere will do) so you get used to deadlines and the editorial process. A lot of the real writing work is editing work. Drafts are called drafts for a reason! And of course—read as much as possible.

Elvia Wilk is a writer and editor living in New York. Her first novel, Oval, was published in June 2019 by Soft Skull.

Randy Boyagoda

How did you become a writer?

In grade two, I wrote an acrostic poem for a girl in my class. My teacher confiscated the poem before I could deliver it and had a strong reaction. That’s when I realized I could move people with words.  

Name your writing influences (writers, books, teachers, etc.).

My writing influences are a combination of faith, fiction, and family life. These include, in other words, the Catholic intellectual tradition, a 2000-year global and cosmopolitan effort to make sense of human experience in the fullest possible ways, the work of writers like William Faulkner, Saul Bellow, Philip Roth, and (very much these days), Dante, and growing up the suburban son of Sri Lankan immigrants to Toronto who now is married and father to four daughters. Watching and listening around my house, while reading and thinking about stories, makes for the major influence on my work. 

When and where do you write? 

Anywhere and everywhere that I can, given my family life and professional life (when I’m not writing fiction, I’m the dean of a 5000-student undergraduate college, St. Michael’s, at the University of Toronto). When I’m writing a novel, I normally get up around 4 AM to work for a couple of hours before here comes everybody. 

What are you working on now? 

A novel about the creation of a Dante theme park in an opioid-ravaged small town in Indiana. It’s called “Dante’s Indiana.” Here’s an excerpt from the work-in-progress: https://thewalrus.ca/super-dads/

Have you ever suffered from writer’s block? 

No time for writer’s block. 

What’s the best writing advice you’ve ever received?

Always, always read and write more, and always, always talk about writing less. 

What’s your advice to new writers?

See above answer. 

Randy Boyagoda’s most recent novel, Original Prin, was named a New York Times Book Review Editor’s Choice and Best Book of the year by The Globe and Mail. It’s the first in a trilogy. The author of two other novels, Boyagoda is a professor of English at the University of Toronto, where he is also Principal and Vice-President of St. Michael’s College and holds the Basilian Chair in Christianity, Arts, and Letters. He lives in Toronto with his wife and four daughters.