I’m very excited today to share an interview with Jeff Wheeler. If you got my books on Amazon, then you’ve almost certainly heard of him. The guy lives at the top spots on the fantasy charts! Even when my last series ended up in an obscure subgenre called gaslamp — which no one has ever heard of — I found Jeff there waiting… I had to talk to the guy.
He has an expansive catalogue, which you’ll learn more about in the interview, but if you can’t wait to read all of that, the best places to start with the books are The Wretched of Muirwood or the soon to be released The Killing Fog (preorder). The Wretched of Muirwood is classic Jeff, the Killing Fog is new Jeff. If you liked Benjamin Ashwood, then Muirwood could be a good fit. If you liked the Cartographer, then his Harbringer series is a closer match — though Jeff isn’t as dark & dirty as I am. And if you trust nothing I say and want to skip to his best-selling series, it’s Kingfountain.
Actually, just read the interview…
AC: Hi Jeff, thanks for joining me today. My readers likely know you best from your Kingfountain or Muirwood books, but you’re pretty prolific. Before I lost track, I think I counted 29 titles across several series! Can you tell us a little bit about the different series and your new one coming out?
JW: When the writing bug bit me, I decided early on that I didn’t want to be confined to just one world and only tell stories in it. Most readers know me for my Muirwood series and Kingfountain series, which take place on two different worlds, and then the Harbinger series which creates conflict between both of them. Most of my books have a medieval feeling to them, except Harbinger which has a more Steampunk vibe. My new series, The Grave Kingdom, is something totally different and takes place in a world with Chinese mythological elements.
AC: You had a few books out beforehand, but you really got going with the Legends of Muirwood series back in 2013. It was published by Amazon’s fantasy imprint, 47North, and if I have my timing right, that was just shortly after 47North got started. How did you end up with them, and were you nervous about starting with a new imprint?
JW: I originally self-published the Legends of Muirwood series, launching all three books simultaneously after multiple rejections. It was on the market at the time 47North was born and was picked up by their editor, David Pomerico, who had been recruited from Del Rey to help with acquisitions. David was interested in those books as well as the Mirrowen series which I had started writing after finishing Muirwood.
AC: Ah, I didn’t realize it was self-published first! Amazon is rarely known as a book publisher, but thanks to their retail presence, marketing prowess, and a savvy selection of authors, they’ve grown into one of the largest. Can you tell us a little bit about what it’s been like working with them?
JW: Having spent most of my career at a tech company, I really understand Amazon and where they’re coming from as a disruptor in the publishing scene. What I really wanted was a long-term partner who would continue to innovate and not just sell books the traditional way. It was a perfect match, and I’ve enjoyed the partnership, especially their ability to turn out my books as fast as I can write them. It means they’ve been open to testing aggressive launch schedules and all that it entails. But what most people don’t really understand is their unparalleled ability to match readers with writers they’ll love. No other publisher can do it the same way.
AC: The book publishing and retailing businesses have seen huge upheaval in recent years, and just about everyone predicts more is to come. What changes do you expect to see happening in the next 5 years?
JW: It’s true that change always happens. We’re already seeing more of a shift to audiobooks than in the past, and I think that trend will only accelerate. People just don’t have as much time to sit down and read as they used to. The ability to listen while driving or going to the gym and then being able to switch to reading a digital version at the same spot is something that is helpful. With services like Kindle Unlimited, we’re seeing another huge shift in the industry that will have long-term implications. But I don’t foresee an end to reading. Yes, books compete with TV shows, movies, videogames, listening to music, and other forms of entertainment, but it’s not going away any time soon. People crave an escape from the pressures of daily life and the ability to immerse themselves in words. That won’t change.
AC: Let’s get back to your books. With so many different series, I’m curious about what inspires you. We can’t cover them all, so how about we start with your upcoming March 2020 release, The Killing Fog?
JW: The idea for The Killing Fog originally came during a family cruise to Alaska. That’s where the plot and world building started, but things really exploded when I was invited to the International Writing Conference in Beijing in 2018. I got to spend a month in China and really immersed myself in the lore and culture of that country. But like all of my series, it’s the story that drives it. The emotional connection I feel to the characters and what they’re about to go through. The setting is just part of the ambiance. What really matters, to me, is the human experience. I chose fantasy as my genre because while I love history and majored in it during college, I didn’t like feeling constrained to follow things that happened. Most of my books are based on obscure historical details that I then re-vamped into something new.
AC: Back in my corporate days while I was writing the early Benjamin Ashwood books, I traveled extensively for work. A lot of the places I visited made their way onto my pages. Sharp-eyed sleuths deduced I was in Hamburg, Germany while writing Book 3, for example. I love traveling, and I love finding places in this world that slide naturally into a fantasy setting. Can you tell us the most magical place you’ve visited, and have you drawn from that for your books?
JW: I'm definitely inspired by places I've been. Sometimes little things like hiking the redwoods of California ended up in my books. As for the most magical place I've been, it was probably a river walk in the Sierra Gordo mountains in Mexico. The water was so pristinely clear it seemed like a magical fountain. The river walk led to a massive grotto with waterfalls. That location ended up in my Harbinger series. I still get chills when I think about it.
AC: You’ve also mentioned that your work is strongly guided by your faith. Can you tell us some about that, and how it reflects in the themes you write?
JW: When I was working on the craft, it seemed to me that the Grimdark fantasy genre really took off. I grew up with Terry Brooks, David Eddings, and Weis and Hickman which all feature noble characters trying to defend against the forces of darkness. I wondered if I would have to change what I wrote about in order to find an audience, but I shouldn’t have worried. I write what I like to read and have found that the audience for less gritty material is still alive and well and grateful for an author they can share with their parents as well as their kids. I don’t think those themes (I call them Virtus) will ever go out of style and have been foundational to epics since the tales of Arthur and his knights.
AC: I believe Brandon Sanderson is another devout member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints? Tell us the secret, is there something about the religion which makes one an excellent epic fantasy author?
JW: I won’t say that we’re all excellent epic fantasy authors, but there are more of us than you may know (Stephenie Meyer, Brandon Mull, Charlie N. Holmberg, Emily R King, Orson Scott Card…). There isn’t a special training we all get, but if you consider the history of the religion and its founding, it does seem fantastical. A farm boy from upstate New York has a vision? He’s led to golden plates with ancient hieroglyphics on them? All that’s missing is Gandalf and a quest! I think members of my Church have great imaginations and the Church encourages us to develop talents and try to contribute to the world. One of the articles of our faith says, “If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things.” We’re encouraged to pursue higher education, excel in our chosen fields, and be examples to others. I spent over twenty years working on the craft before getting published with 47North. It might look easy, but it’s really just a lot of hard work.
AC: Can you talk a little about your journey to becoming a full-time author?
JW: The spark was lit while I was an 8th grader growing up in California. I wrote five novels while in high school, all of which were terrible. I’ve always wanted to be a full-time author, but I knew as most people do that I needed a job to pay the bills. It was my missionary training for my church that qualified me to start working at Intel in their training department. I thought of it as a part-time job just to put myself through college and it ended up being a career. But I was always writing stories during that time. Last November, I published my first non-fiction book about my 20+ year journey as a writer called “Your First Million Words”. It goes through all the ups and downs during those years and I hope it inspires people to stick with it.
AC: It’s incredible to think of the changes that have happened in our industry over those 20 short years. Sticking with it will always be good advice for a budding author, but is there anything else you recommend for someone who is just now trying to get into the industry?
JW: My advice would be to train your eye to look at old things in new ways. Publishers aren't just looking for the "next" story that is the same as everyone else’s. Editors and readers crave something new, or something a little different than what they're used to. We reject a lot of fiction in my e-zine Deep Magic because it just feels like something we've already read before. Looking at things with fresh eyes is key and I think a great opportunity for up and coming authors.
AC: And finally, tell us something no one knows about Jeff Wheeler?
JW: My wife and I have known each other since we were teenagers, so she has an unfair advantage knowing just about everything there is to know about me. When I tell a story from a childhood that she hasn't already heard five times, it's a rare event. So I'll qualify the question with something most people don't know about me. I used to publish stories under the pen-name J.T. Slain back when I first created Deep Magic. It stood for "Jerk the Slain" which was a nickname I got from a friend when I was a dungeon master in high school. This was because of my cliffhanger endings and plot twists that had my friends hating me sometimes. My friend James would see my sly grin after pulling one of those jerky twists and he just came up with the title and it stuck.
AC: And there we have it, the infamous JT Slain, ladies and gentlemen. Remember, you can find all of Jeff’s books on Amazon HERE, you can find him at jeff-wheeler.com, or check out the e-zine at deepmagic.co.