My name is JH Glaze. I am the author of two novels, “The Spirit Box” and “NorthWest”, a short story, “Forced Intelligence”, and I am currently working on a third novel in a series entitled “The Paranormal Adventures of John Hazard”.
In 1991 I bought my first computer with every intention of writing movie screenplays, but got sidetracked into graphics instead. Why didn’t I start writing back then? I don’t have an excuse other than I didn’t read enough fiction to understand how it was written. Then I started reading regularly. After 50 or so novels, I understood.
A story can’t be forced or contrived because you want it to. A good story has to write itself. Ask any good author if they know what they are going to write before they start. I am guessing the answer would be “No.” It is why you see in movies the writer sitting at their computer or typewriter, staring at a blank page, with a well- written ‘Chapter One’ on it. You can’t just WRITE a GOOD story, it almost writes itself.
At least that is how it works for me. I don’t pretend to speak for all authors. I can’t see into their minds.
For me, the story starts with a simple concept, sometimes a phrase or a single word. In writing The Spirit Box, I was inspired by a piece of pottery made by my son. It was a really cool box with a face on it (this box can be seen in the image on my book cover). When he first brought it to my house, I said to him, “It looks really cool, and creepy. I feel like it is going to rip the soul out of my body!” The book was born.
Once the concept is conceived, I start writing. From there, I may have an idea how the story ends, but no idea how I will get to that ending. I sit down and start writing and the story comes out of me. No writer’s block. No sitting and staring at the screen. It just comes as I write. Characters introduce themselves to me as needed, plot twists appear when they should and sometimes they even surprise me. Conversation happens because my characters have something to say, and when they are upset or scared, just like real people, they may use profanity.
Now you might not believe me when I say this, but after I finish a novel, I can’t look at it for a while. That is when my editor, Susan - My Wife – takes over. She adds finishing touches, corrects my errors – grammar and spelling - and by the time she is finished, I can re-approach the work. We make a great team, she makes me free to create and that’s what I do best.
When you imagine where I might be writing, you may think I sit in my comfy home, staring out the window of my den or office, at the lake or the seasons changing. No. I work a fulltime job five days a week and to get to work, I drive to the commuter train station, get on the train and immediately open my net book and begin writing. I usually write for twenty to twenty-five minutes before I reach my stop. Yes, I write on the train, with people talking, yelling, being jostled and sharing the seat with strangers.
Both of my first two books were 90% written on that train. When you read those books, you are going to have a “Holy Shit” moment. Something like “Holy Shit! He wrote 90% of this on a freakin train?!?”
Yeah I do. My wife said she couldn’t believe how I can write like that - 25 minutes at a time once a day and keep the story straight. I tell her it is because my characters are guiding me. It is their whole life and they keep track of where I left off. If that sounds freaky – hey, I don’t mean to freak you out.
I just want to write stories that entertain you, scare you, make you laugh and maybe make it impossible for you to put it down.
My five star ratings speak for themselves.
So in conclusion, I want to say there are many more stories to come. I make a note of every idea. As soon as I finish this third book in the series, I will be writing a three story compilation of science fiction tales, then on to the next book.
Give The Spirit Box a try. You will need to read it first to follow the series from its birth. You won’t regret it if you like a good paranormal horror/thriller story. Don’t be scared to read the book, but whatever you do, don’t look into The Spirit Box. If you do, be prepared to have more than your breath taken away!
If you aren’t totally freaked out, you can find me on Facebook – JH Glaze. I’m on Goodreads.com, and my website www.JHGlaze.com
JH Glaze books do not contain Vampires, Werewolves, Zombies, Fairies, Trolls, or any of the common themes of modern paranormal/horror fiction. They are unique tales and IMHO - kick ass!
Thank you 1000 + Books to Read for having me stop by!
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