We had the good fortune of connecting with Jason Lancour and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jason, what’s one piece of conventional advice that you disagree with?
I have seen a lot of writing advice that suggests that you should just get words on the page no matter what. Write something, even if it’s awful, and you can just fix it later. I could not disagree more. Everyone has their own process, so this might work for some, but for me it takes far longer to fix lousy writing than to simply take a breath, slow down, and get the words close to right the first time. I’d rather write a few hundred words of work that is near to the way I want it than a few thousand words of garbage that I’ll need to fight with later. Progress is only helpful if you’re progressing in the right direction.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
It took me a while to land on writing as my preferred way to express myself creatively. I initially went to art school thinking I would be an illustrator. It wasn’t long before I realized that I did not possess a significant amount of natural talent in that area, and I became discouraged. I don’t want to suggest that if you aren’t immediately good at something, then you should quit – quite the contrary, mastering any skill takes time and hard work. However, I do recommend that before you spend the time doing anything, know why you are doing it. I took a class in film production and immediately realized that the thing I liked about illustration was the storytelling aspect. I liked how a single image can suggest so much. I also found that it was a lot easier for me to tell a story, and with more detail and nuance, by using a camera than a stick of charcoal. I started on the path that led me to a career in film production, but I always felt a pull toward something more. I started writing, really just to get the ideas out of my head and on a page somewhere, and as I pursued it, I found that more and more, this was what I really wanted to do.

I’ve always enjoyed speculative fiction, either sci-fi or fantasy. Reading the genre or watching movies has always engaged me more than anything else. It might be because when something has a more fantastical element, we can remove ourselves a bit from the story – see it in a more neutral light – allowing us to really see some of the deeper themes without getting to personally involved.

I began writing my fantasy book over twenty years ago and had it mostly finished within a few years of starting. A year or two would go by as I was consumed with other factors in life, and I wouldn’t touch the manuscript at all. I’d pick it up, re-read it, make a few changes, then set it aside again for another year. It wasn’t until the pandemic forced everything to a standstill that I sat down and really committed to getting published. Only once I truly made the commitment to myself and applied steady and patient discipline to the work was I able to complete anything. I’ve now got two books published with a third on the way. It will be a series of interconnected, shared-universe novels and novel series, that all tie into a common sub plot.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Well, if we are being fully honest, I don’t get out much. As I mentioned, my primary income has been from doing freelance work in the film industry, so most of my friends are also film industry professionals, and as a result of the pure chaos that comes from that career path, it’s nearly impossible to plan anything, so I can’t think of any one specific place to go that has better than a 50/50 chance of still being open. If someone was visiting Atlanta and had the misfortune of having me as a tour guide, I’d probably take them down to the East Atlanta area – lots of great places to eat or have a drink, and a few spots to catch a live show. And one of the best things about Atlanta is the diverse landscape. There are a lot of great hiking trails with natural rock formations and gorgeous views right along the river. You’d never know you were in the middle of a major city.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I’d want to recognize the support given to me by my friends and family. It’s difficult to know how writing comes across to an audience when you already know what you were trying to say, so getting honest feedback from test readers is vital. So, to anyone who read through those first drafts and gave me good, honest notes – I owe you a lot.

Website: www.jasonlancour.com

Instagram: @jasonlancourauthor.com

Other: Not sure if this is the sort of thing you’re looking for, but here’s a few more links: Publishers Weekly Review: https://booklife.com/project/storm-cloud-rising-85356 Kirkus Book Review: https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/jason-lancour/storm-cloud-rising/ Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Jason-Lancour/e/B09KVJK8QS Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21969778.Jason_Lancour

Image Credits
(I took all the pictures)

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