W.J. Long III interview

AUTHOR INTERVIEW

A little introduction:

Hello all, I'm W.J., a writer and family man out of rural North Carolina. Intros are always a challenge for me, but I'll start by saying that I am a lover of stories in all of their forms. Since the third grade, I have written my own, though this year marks my first adventure in publication with Children of the Black.

When did your love of books begin?

My love affair began at the elementary school book fair. I grew up poor, so many times the book fair came to my town, I had to watch other kids buy new books and get lost in them. I read from the local library for a long time, finding novels like "Over Sea, Under Stone" and "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe." It wasn't until I could save enough money to buy my own book at the book fair that I found my place in the reading landscape with Monica Hughes' "Invitation to the Game."

When did you start to have the wish to become an author?

In elementary school, I wanted to tell my stories to the world. As I got older, that wavered, and I strayed into screenwriting, but underneath it all, I have always wanted to share my work with the world. Now, I am grateful to have the time, knowledge, and support to do so in such a freeing medium.

How have you found the process for becoming an author?

So far, the process has been pretty good. I was expecting crushing disappointment (a fairly common assumption on my part), brutal writer's block, and endless rejection, but I have been assaulted by none of those things. I am thankful to have a wife who pushes me out of my own defeatist nature, and I'm lucky to have found Private Dragon (my publisher). They believe in the stories I'm telling. I have been fortunate in my journey so far. Children of the Black is bound in paper and available, so I couldn't be happier.

What would you say to those wanting to become an author?

Stay true to your stories, characters, and worlds. Tell the tales you want to read. Chasing trends and aiming for the successes of others will lead to burnout and disappointment. People out there want the story in your head. It's your task to capture it on the page and deliver it to them.

Tell us about your book/books:

This is my favorite part. Children of the Black is a story I have been telling for a while in different formats. I first wrote it very casually in spiral-bound notebooks. Then years later, I chose to adapt it into screenplay form, and now it's back to its proper form, though aggressively expanded.

The novel centers around a former mercenary, a working-class guy, named Claude DiSilva, and his ward, a mysterious young girl whose snark is only matched by her psionic abilities. Together they are tasked with seeking out lost research data from a failed weapons program that possessed the potential to win the old war for the enemy. Now that the universe has found peace, uncovering the secrets of the Talos program could reignite deep-seated conflicts and drown the stars in new blood. That's assuming Claude and Vision can survive the mutants, pirates, and government maneuvering long enough to find the data in the first place.

What do you love about the writing/reading community?

The community has been great, and I especially appreciate the supportiveness and curiosity of its members. My story is strange, and I come to it from a strange place, but so far, everyone I have interacted with has been kind and honest. My goal is to pay some of that back as I continue to write and find new friends.

If you could say anything to your readers what would it be?

Don't be afraid to give me your opinions. Be granular if you like. I have lived with these characters for years, and I would love to hear what they're like for everyone who is just meeting them. That goes for every book that has my name on it.

Where can people connect with you?

I can be found all over social media. Twitter (@WJLongIII) is my typical haunt, but you can find me on Instagram (WJLongIII) and Facebook.com/WJLongIII. Official website coming soon