Hello riders and readers. Today I am sitting down with epic fantasy, horror, and science fiction author Jesse Sprague. We are going to talk about her journey thus far as an author and how she plans to implement Kickstarter in her future career. Dive into the details about Jesse's life and her current Kickstarter that she is running for her book "Path of the Elors Omnibus." Make sure to check out all the details and Back This Project Today while it is live. There are only 16 more days to grab your special editions for a limited time from Jesse and you don't want to wait until they are gone forever. Happy reading everyone :).
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Author Interview with Jesse Sprague
I'm Jesse Sprague, an epic fantasy, horror, and science fiction author and illustrator. I spend most of my time creating elaborate imaginary worlds and then crafting terrible things to happen to the people living in them… you know, good clean fun. Occasionally, I draw pretty pictures of the carnage (or romance as I so choose).
Can you share how your journey as an author started?
I’ve been writing since I was in second grade, so there really is no start. This is what I’ve always been best at, just imagining worlds and putting them on the page, either in words or drawings.
I typically say I write speculative fiction. But really, I just like playing “god” in a sandbox of my own creation. I like magic and fantasy, impossible worlds and broken people… I like it all a little dark.
Dragons, dire wolves, gryphons… aliens, werewolves. It all depends on the book. For The Path of the Elors series, it’s a cobble of a bunch of fantasy creatures reimagined to fit the world… but yeah, dragons and dire wolves are the big ones. Cause what better to imagine as a pet than something that can eat you?
I've actually published quite a few books across several genres! I have trouble staying in one imaginary world for too long… so I have a universe. Here are a few places you can start, depending on what kind of trouble you like your characters to get into.
Bone River (The Aspect Wars Series): This is my bestselling series about a very grumpy necromancer who is forced to save the world but is really more concerned with saving the very few people she cares about.
Soulfire Blue (book 1 in Wandering Worlds and my previous Kickstarter): Floating continents, forbidden magic, an undead goddess, and a crow-cloaked stranger. My first Kickstarter project!
Beneath 5th City (5th City Chronicles): A series about what happens after the alien invasion succeeds and what becomes of human hope and freedom seen through the eyes of one surviving woman.
Spider’s Kiss (Drambish Contaminate novels): This was one of my first series and it is dark. It is about man-eating sexy spiders in space who want freedom at any cost… and the people who they trample along the way.
Porcelain: My psychological horror novel about an evil doll… who might not be evil at all because she may just be a doll. After all, its usually just people who are evil.
What does a typical day look like for yourself? Do you work as an author full-time or do you have a side job?
I'm a stay-at-home mom, and I also freelance as an editor, ghostwriter, and illustrator. So I mostly work as an author full-time, but what that means depends on the day. Sometimes I'm writing thousands of words, sometimes I'm drawing dragons, and sometimes I'm staring at Photoshop wondering why I've decided to illustrate an entire book (I’ve done that a lot recently.)
I started writing and dreaming about this world when I was twelve and it has never left me. So when I discovered Kickstarter and what it could offer, I knew I wanted to revisit the series and give it everything I'd always imagined—my artwork, extra lore, beautiful editions, and all the things that aren't practical in a traditional release.The omnibus brings together three novels, each following a different couple, with their stories intertwining around a larger tale of defying the gods, making your own fate, and choosing both love and family. Plus magic and dragons, so…
Each book follows a different couple.Rose of the Deadlands follows Saiette and Felix, a seer cursed to die young of madness from her powers, and a sorcerer prince who hates just about everyone but still wants to save the world.
Exile of the Wolf follows Ziza and Vaash (and his daughter Liily). She is an exiled sorceress who just wants to go home, and he is the man set to inherit the throne of the nation she can never return to.
Dragons of the North follows Chella and Tay. Chella is a princess who was fatally injured as a baby and survives only by continually healing herself. Tay is a dragonrider who has lost his dragon… which is a death sentence. Neither of them has a future, but somehow could they make one together?
Found family, slow-burn romance, morally gray characters, forbidden love, reluctant heroes, ancient gods, and women who refuse to accept the fates they've been handed. Also, quite a few people making spectacularly bad decisions for very understandable reasons.
Three but the world is really big with more waiting to come. Eventually there will be more when I’m finished playing with the other stories.
What do you plan to include in your backer tiers for your upcoming Kickstarter “Path of the Elors?”
I might have gotten carried away! There is an ebook and paperbacks, but the centerpiece is the deluxe illustrated hardcover omnibus. I'm also offering a lorebook for readers who want to wander a little deeper into Aloria, art cards featuring my illustrations, chibi stickers, and limited-edition hand-carved block prints. Basically, I've been using this campaign as an excuse to indulge every artistic whim I've ever had about this world.
This is my second Kickstarter, so I’m still pretty new to it. But I loved my first Kickstarter and how much support I got with it. I do intend to keep using Kickstarter; I love how it lets me include my art as part of the experience of reading. So I’ll keep doing it as long as people keep loving my author illustrations along with the stories!
What advice would you give to an author that is trying Kickstarter out for the first time?
Look at other campaigns. Really look at what works and why. Kickstarter is a very visual platform, so presentation matters, but so does offering something people genuinely want. And make sure you understand the costs of everything you're promising! It's easy to get excited about beautiful extras without considering what they'll cost to produce and ship. Mostly, though, study the platform and build realistic expectations before jumping in.
What advice would you give to a budding author that has never published before? What pitfalls do you think they should avoid?
Publishing is incredibly individual. What works for one author might be completely wrong for another, depending on their strengths, weaknesses, and goals. But one thing I think is universal is that you can't just throw a book out into the world and hope people find it. There are too many books out there. It doesn't matter how wonderful your story is if nobody ever sees it. And if your cover doesn't convince someone to pick it up, they'll never discover what's inside. Before you publish, do the work of figuring out how to get people to read that masterpiece you’ve poured yourself into.
Tell us anything else you would like to include about yourself or your upcoming Kickstarter for your omnibus “Path of the Elors…”
I’m just excited about finally getting to share Aloria in the way I’ve always envisioned it. At this point I’m up to 9 full color illustrations, individualized chapter headers, endpapers, the jacket cover and the inner cover… plus over 20 black and white drawings… and I’m still drawing for it. This world has been with me for so long, growing and changing over the years… but there are still corners I haven’t explored, and this feels like an invitation to reader to come explore with me!
And who doesn’t like a little company on their literary adventures?
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
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