What's the story behind the story? What inspired you to write this book?
What happened was… I’m a soldier, and I got hurt really badly a few years ago. In the course of my recovery, I spent a lot of time in my own head, which wasn’t all that helpful. One of my doctors had me try creative writing as a mindfulness activity. I hated it, obviously. But—warrior culture—I refused to quit and “let her win.” As you can imagine, the doctor was smarter than me on this one. She really saw me coming. My stubbornness developed into a kind of passion. I used to be a tabletop gamer a long time ago—nerds, maps, dice, character sheets, the whole mess. So I loved the genre already, and creating stories turned out to be a powerfully effective therapeutic outlet.
Later, I was showing a friend some of the stories I wrote, and they convinced me to put them out there. You may see some trauma themes reflected in the writing of book one. And the type of humor I use is definitely the same kind you might find in combat environments—the idea that this sucks, I’m terrified, but we can still make fun of the situation, and ourselves. The other story-behind-the-story, though, is the POV shift I had to make. When I went back and turned a pile of notebooks into an actual book, I realized I’d written about Jamie—the warlock who ends up mentoring Makayla—but it was really a story about Makayla learning to survive after her life blew up. I realized her experience was the center of gravity for the whole story, so I went back and rewrote the entire thing from Makayla’s perspective.
If you had to pick theme songs for the main characters of your book, what would they be?
For Jamie he’s got a sexy, confident gunfighter vibe, so I know it’s overused, but I would definitely go with Short Change Hero by The Heavy. For Sir Buttons, that cat is a freaking gangster—not a main character, but he definitely steals every scene he’s in.
Awasoruk Jam by Cyrano Jones for sure. For the succubus, Seraphina, I put one together and will drop it on YouTube in a couple of days, called Kiss and Tell.
Add @warlocklife on YouTube; I’ll hang a few other songs there that I made to accompany the book. For Makayla, I struggle to pin one song for her because she grows so much in the book. If you find a good match for her, though, DM me, and I’ll post it. For Shadraq, I’ll have to post the song from the Goblin rap battle because I wrote it just for him.
What's your favorite genre to read? Is it the same as your favorite genre to write?
Hands down, I love urban fantasy. It brings the funnest combination of absurd magical stuff, modern settings with all of their challenges and opportunities, and it lets you wash all the tension in contemporary snark. I also think you can world-build in urban fantasy and create truly lived-in environments in ways that other genres just can’t compete with. I love the challenge of making magic work in a modern world, with modern technology. And I love the challenge of those competing elements. Some writers struggle to make magic relevant enough and end up having to basically “nerf” technology, saying, “Okay, electronics or guns don’t work when magic is around, so there.”
I had a lot more fun building a balanced magic system where the fantasy elements fit into the modern world, sometimes in messy ways, so nothing had to be artificially nerfed. I also really enjoy the potential to develop something that breaks your own fictional universe—the proverbial level one spell that somebody abuses in ways the rules never intended, but it’s so awesome, you know, people would absolutely do that in real life. Finding those moments with a character is the best Easter egg, and I keep them every time.
What books are on your TBR pile right now?
Judgment-free zone? I recently picked up a used stack of the Fifty Shades series. It’s not the genre I usually like to read, but someone showed me a passage recently that presented anticipation in a really visceral way, and I’m interested to see how E.L. James handles other intense emotions. I include a lot of emotional themes in my own writing, and I’m hoping to learn a few things from her.
I keep the dry topics in the car for those few minutes here and there when I’m waiting for something. Right now, my car book is Elementary Treatise on Practical Magic by Papus, and it’s about as exciting to read as it is to eat, but at this point, it’s a matter of pride. I’ll get through it. Beyond that, I read a lot of material on religion and mythology from other countries. Also, guilty pleasure—there might be a Mercy Thompson book in that pile by my nightstand.
What scene in your book was your favorite to write?
Definitely the Undershire. Very minor spoilers: In this scene, Makayla is still on the run with her companions, and they start an uprising in this underground fantasy cavern community—the back cover art is my interpretation of that place. There is a point in all of the chaos when Makayla’s mentor essentially tells her that she needs to perform. It’s absolutely a scene I’ve observed over and over with young soldiers when they realize something important is up to them alone: perform, or people die. In the story, Makayla has to wind a storm—combine her very basic magic with real physics to create a storm underground.
It’s really the point in the book where she changes the most—from a magical nobody trying to survive to the one who makes the whole difference—and in a way that feels very earned. It also combines the coolest elements of the book (warlock powers, a rebellion you can visualize, fantasy cultures, and badass magic cats) into a single explosive scene. It’s not the one I spent the most time writing, but it’s the one I go back and reread the most. Spoiler: It also leads right into Makayla being inducted into a supernatural culture in a way my beta readers loved. It’s the whole package.
Do you have any quirky writing habits? (lucky mugs, cats on laps, etc.)
Not a cat in the lap, but definitely a fuzzy sounding board, subject to feline intervention. When no one is looking, it’s great to run Mow’s lines by actual cats, usually to stark disapproval—because cats. My most inspirational Mow is definitely my roommate’s cat, Hotdog. I gave him a role in the second book, actually. For raw creativity, I like to go where people are—preferably a park. We have one nearby with tons of free-roaming cats and banyan trees, and it gets me in the right mood. Otherwise, coffee shops or outside cafes. I love the energy of people. Getting out also protects me from all the distractions of my home—simplifies it Walden style so I can focus on the story.
A couple of funny quirks about my storytelling technique: because I used to be a gamer, I don’t believe in rewinds. If Makayla makes a stupid decision in chapter 5 and it makes chapter 30 a bloodbath, that’s her story—example, not spoiler, don’t panic. Also, I sandbox rather than railroading the plot. I set up the big world events and personalities and then kind of play it out like a role-playing game to see where it goes. That’s how I kept it fun for myself when I started writing. I give characters certain strengths and weaknesses, and sometimes roll dice to see which way things shake out. Sometimes failure is more fun than success, especially when it happens organically, and the consequences shape the rest of the story. You will probably pick up on that in this book.
Do you have a motto, quote, or philosophy you live by?
As a professional warrior, I have developed a powerful appreciation for people who can perform under stress while still finding humor and expressing kindness. In short: Winning matters, but that’s no reason to be a dick.
If you could choose one thing for readers to remember after reading your book, what would it be?
So my book deals with a number of heavy issues: consent, power dynamics, imperfect moral choices with no perfect option. I don’t have any perfect characters—except the cats, because I’ve never met a perfect person in real life.
Remember this: Real relationships are like real people—imperfect, messy, and breakable, but infinitely better for your life than any curated experience or post. Give them, and yourself, the care and attention you need to thrive.
J. C. Nill is the author of the new book The Scion, The Lich and The Warlock (Power and Will Book 1)
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