Interview with James D. Sanderson

Today, the fascinating author James D. Sanderson stops by to be interviewed about his book, The Angelic Mysteries, and his life as a writer.

Interview with James D. Sanderson

1- Why don’t you begin by sharing a little about yourself.

I am a 59 year old full time writer who lives in SW Colorado with my wife and we are raising our granddaughter. I love to hike, camp, and boat as well as reading and writing.

2- How long have you been writing?

I have been writing since I was twelve years old. I have worked other jobs along the way but I always knew that sooner or later I could become a professional writer.


3- Can you tell us about your book, ‘The Angelic Mysteries’?

This novella is not long, but it is the distilled essence of the fantasy and thriller genre. Here we have Daniel Allman, a young bachelor, who meets and falls in love with a woman, Sarah, who believes she is an angel. They are being hounded through Europe by a psychopath she believes is an anti-angel bent upon capturing her and doing her harm.


4- Why did you decide to write in the fantasy genre?

Fantasy lets an author explore the whole range of human experience and beyond. The introduction of angels and anti-angels into the human experience can become symbolic, also, of much more.


5- What is the hardest part of writing fantasy fiction?

Well, in spite of the fact that I could let my imagination roam, I still had to consider what was within the reader’s realm of experience and not let the reader become lost in my fantasy.


6- Were there any surprises in the process of writing your books?

‘The Angelic Mysteries’ really began as a thriller and the fantasy aspects simply took over as I wrote. Then, I began to explore more and more the extent of our experience with the spirit world and our ‘clinging’ to the real world.


7- What sort of research did you do for your books?

I spend a lot of time in the library but more and more the internet is becoming central to my research activities. Even though we may write in the fantasy genre, we must keep our facts straight. There is really no reason for an author to screw up the facts when we have the facts at our fingertips. (I am always careful to source my research, however, and to fall for subjective views found everywhere online).


8- What advice would you give beginning writers?

Just write. Don’t let anyone stop you. Read everything and write always. Throw away what you know stinks, but don’t be afraid to find and keep the gems in your work even if they don’t seem to fit anywhere right now.


9- Who has inspired you as an author?

I have been inspired by all the ‘classic’ writers from Tolstoy and Dostoyevsky to Hemingway and Faulkner and Borges to Garcia Marquez.


10- What’s next for you?

I am currently finishing a collection of short stories about the nonviolent revolutions of 1989 called ‘Sacred Are The Brave’ which is coming out in the Spring of 2012.


For more on James D. Sanderson check out these sites:
Blog: http://www.jamesdsanderson.blogspot.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/jamesdsandersonbooks
Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B001K7VMEK

 

The Angelic Mysteries:

Traveling to Europe to escape the specter of madness in his life, Daniel Allman meets and falls in love with a woman who believes herself to be an angel.  She is being pursued by a psychopath, a man she believes is an anti-angel.  An action-packed thriller, a tender love story, and a literary adventure. The Angelic Mysteries: Where Heaven and Earth Meet.