Ask the Author: J.C. Stearns

“Ask me a question.” J.C. Stearns

Answered Questions (12)

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What mystery in your own life could be a plot for a book?

J.C. Stearns My biological paternal grandfather died under confusing (although not particularly mysterious) circumstances. (Like a Final Destination-y cascade involving a tractor, a mowing attachment, a telephone pole, and a downed power line.) No one knows how or what PRECISELY happened, and that would be an interesting one to know the answer behind.

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Is there any one place to read your stories? Or do I need to track them down piece meal?

J.C. Stearns I'm so sorry it took me so long to get back to you--for some reason I thought I answered this months ago.

If you go to the Black Library site and search my name, it'll show most of my work. The two pieces that appear in the anthologies from Mad Scientist Journal won't, but everything else should.

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After I finished Wraithbound I came to the dreadful conclusion that I've finished all of your Eldar short stories. I've enjoyed them all tremendously, so I'm terribly curious to know if you're planning on writing more of them? (Or are they perhaps building towards for a full Eldar novel?)

J.C. Stearns Absolutely! In addition to Wraithbound, Past in Flames, Turn of the Adder, The Marauder Lives, and of course, The Oubliette, I've got several new pieces in the queue. Unfortunately, the entire mess that was 2020 rearranged a lot of the publishing schedule, so I don't have any clue when my next piece is going to come out!

I'm not working on another novel yet, but hopefully I'll get to do another one soon!

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Where did you get the idea for your most recent book?

J.C. Stearns I knew I was going to be doing a morality play in space, so I ended up watching Hellraiser, then Candyman, then Little Shop of Horrors, all of which informed what I was doing a great deal.

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How do you get inspired to write?

J.C. Stearns Reading. An idea will strike me based off of a one-off line or a scene I like, and I'll follow that thread wherever it takes me.

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What are you currently working on?

J.C. Stearns There's always some more 40k goodies in the pipeline, but those are hush-hush.

I'm also on fire for an indy project, an urban fantasy noir.

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What’s your advice for aspiring writers?

J.C. Stearns Read more than you're reading. Take time to learn about literary history, too. Knowing more about the craft will help you analyze other work and see how you structure your own work a little better.

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What’s the best thing about being a writer?

J.C. Stearns I do franchise fiction tied into the Games Workshop line of games, so seeing people pick a faction based on what I wrote, or painting their armies in colors based on my stories, is the most flattering thing in the world.

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How do you deal with writer’s block?

J.C. Stearns Maybe have a drink or a smoke to relax, then just sit down and write whatever. It can be nonsense, just something to get me writing. If I'm hung up on a particular scene, I just skip to the next part of the book I actually WANT to write about. I can go back and fill in the missing segments later.

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