Hans Cummings, author of sci-fantasy novels, dropped by for a visit. Check out my interview with him!
Jen:
Tell me about what you’re working on right now.
Hans:
When I’m not working on revisions to the fourth Zack Jackson novel (Zack Jackson & The Secret of Venus), I’m developing my next World of Calliome novel. This time, however, I’ve advanced the time-line roughly two thousand years, making it a sort of sci-fantasy novel (or what many people think of when they think Urban Fantasy). It’s a struggle to create anything at this point (I’ve been working on this urban fantasy thing for over a year now; more time than I spent writing the first drafts of my last two novels), because life stress makes it difficult to stay motivated to create, but I can’t not try. I have another idea in develop as well, a stand-alone novel that tackles heavy question like the nature of reality and the afterlife.
Jen:
Do you have an author who influenced you or made you want to write?
Hans:
Several authors influenced me. As a teenager, I was greatly influenced by C.S. Lewis, Lewis Carroll, Judy Blume, R.A. Salvatore, and the team of Margaret Weis & Tracy Hickman. I was already interested in fantasy due to my love of role-playing games, but books by those authors inspired me to want to branch out into longer form storytelling. As I matured, I found value in works by J.R.R. Tolkien, Chuck Wendig, Michael Stackpole, Lin Manuel Miranda, and Lawrence Kasdan.
Jen:
What non-writing thing do you do for fun?
Hans:
I try to make time every night to watch television with my wife, but I also make time for individual pursuits like video games. Every other week we meet with friends to play tabletop games, like Dungeons & Dragons or Sentinels of the Multiverse. I also enjoy cooking and try to fire up my smoker several times a year to make pulled pork or smoked salmon.
Jen:
What do you want people to know about your novels?
Hans:
While I primarily write my novels to be entertaining, I do try to explore themes of acceptance and diversity in them. In an age where many people seem to be proud to be intolerant and bigoted, I think it’s important to show worlds where people are judged by the content of their character and their actions, and not by their outward appearances. In my Zack Jackson series, I’m especially careful about showing real-world science and try to bring a sense of wonder and amazement to discoveries to show kids that real science can actually be cool.
Jen:
Tell me about your writing fantasy, (Example: I want to be signed by a major publisher and get a seven figure advance.)
Hans:
I don’t dream of mansions and fancy cars (though a Tesla would be nice), but rather to just sell enough books to be able to make a living creating full-time.
Jen:
What kind of advice would you give aspiring authors?
Hans:
Dory gave the best advice for writers: “Just keep swimming.” It takes a LOT of words and sentences before anyone is really great at their craft and you’ll never get there if you don’t keep writing. Write every day if you can. Every word you write is one more than you had. It’s not a sprint race; it’s a marathon. Stamina and perseverance are everything.
So, where can you find his books? Here are the links!
Malediction: https://www.amazon.com/Malediction-Scars-Sundering-Book-1-ebook/dp/B0127DM4NI
Lament: https://www.amazon.com/Lament-Scars-Sundering-Hans-Cummings/dp/1944999000
Salvation: https://www.amazon.com/Salvation-Scars-Sundering-Hans-Cummings/dp/1944999035
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