Jackie Gamber, returns to Jorie Loves A Story!
Author who created the Leland Dragon series!
About the Author | Jackie Gamber
As an award winning author, Jackie writes stories ranging from ultra-short to novel-length, varieties of which have appeared in anthologies such as Tales of Fantasy and Dragons Composed, as well as numerous periodical publications, including Orson Scott Card’s Intergalactic Medicine Show, The Binnacle, Mindflights Magazine, Necrotic Tissue, and Shroud. She is the author of the fantasy novel Redheart and Sela, and writing an alternate history time travel novel. She blogs professionally for English Tea Store.com, where she reviews classic science fiction and fantasy novels and pairs them with the ideal tea-sipping companion.
Jackie is a member of the professional organizations Science Fiction Writers of America and Horror Writers Association. She was named honorable mention in L. Ron Hubbard’s Writers of the Future Award, and received a 2008 Darrell Award for best short story by a Mid-South author. She is the winner of the 2009 Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley Award for Imaginative Fiction for her story The Freak Museum, a post-apocalyptic tale that looks closely at perceptions and outward appearances and how they affect the way we see ourselves. Jackie Gamber was co-founder and Executive Editor of Meadowhawk Press, a speculative fiction publisher based in Memphis. One of their novels, Terminal Mind by David Walton, won the Philip K. Dick Memorial Award in 2009. Jackie also edited the award winning benefit anthology, Touched By Wonder. She has been a guest lecturer at Memphis Options High Schools, and is a speaker at writers’ conferences from Michigan to Florida. Jackie is also the visionary behind the MidSouthCon Writers’ Conference, helping writers connect since 2008.
By which the interview commenced,
between Jorie and Ms. Gamber!
I am thankful to announce that I had the pleasure of welcoming back one of my favourite Seventh Star Press authors to my blog! From the moment I first soaked into the world of the Leland Dragons, I felt a connection to the author whose intuitive wordsmith abilities to jettison a reader into a fantastical realm to the brink of living there for a niche of time is the type of adventure we all strive to arrive into whilst choosing which book to read next! It was such an unexpected delight and encounter, to where I am oft finding myself curious and a bit anxious to read more dragon fiction! Will I warm up to other dragons? Only time will tell! For now, let us step back and observe what was exchanged between a reader and the author who left her enchanted:
Did you originally plan to have the Leland Dragon series confined to a trilogy or were you planning to expand the stories set within the world of Leland Dragons evolve outside of this first introduction?
Gamber responds: When I first began the imaginations that led to “Redheart”, I wasn’t thinking of it as a series, just the story of Kallon. It became clear, somewhere in the development, though, there was more story here than one book, or one character, could tell. It evolved into a three-book tale, and I’ve thought of it that way ever since.
As a reader, I am always genuinely curious about a writer’s process, yet as a fellow writer I do have a bit of an edge as far as having insight into this, yet we each have our own methods at arriving at our story’s conclusion. This is why I am thankful to be in a position now as a book blogger to interview authors I have the pleasure of discovering! As hearing about how the story evolves and is initially created adds to the dimensional joy for me having read their tales!
For readers, like myself, who have grown attached to the series have any hope of seeing this world re-surface down the road?
Gamber responds: I’m a firm believer in storytelling for the story’s sake, and knowing when that has been satisfied. As an example, I admire British television for grasping when to bring a series to a close once the story’s been told. American television will drag on and on to feed the entertainment engine even once the story has been long “finished” and lost its original luster. Same goes for movies and novels. I have written a couple of short stories from Leland, though, as an ancestral background sort of experiment, and that was fun.
Yes, I do concur with you on this to a certain point, except to say as far as the Britons are concerned I was most grieved in recent years by their inability to carry-on with “House of Elliott”, “Rosemary & Thyme”, and “Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries” where they clearly did not understand the full impact these serials had on their dedicated audience! On the flipside, I also concur on how a show can become a stalemate as I lost all interest in ER during Season 8 or 9 (whichever one they brutally killed off Kellie Martin’s character); yet my heart left when Ross & Hathaway made their exit in Season 5! I think the difference between serials on tv and in literature, is a reader will always struggle a bit more to let go. We get such an attachment whilst reading the character’s story that we always hope in some way we can continue to re-visit a new aspect of their lives. The same is true for tv serials, but oft times the writing lacks whereas an author has more continuity and control. In this thread of thought, are you going to release the short stories from Leland in the form of an anthology collection!?
You’ve managed to introduce us to such interesting characters throughout the journey leading into ‘Reclamation’. I was curious how did you originally draw life into Kallon, Riza, Sela, Jastin Armitage, and Orman Thistleby?
Gamber responds: My hope in creating any character is to imbue them with the same attributes as actual persons. We all have fears, hopes, emotional triggers, memories. To me, the best kinds of characters have all these things, too. One of the questions I’ve asked of students when I’ve instructed writing is: “All stories have characters, but do your characters have their own story?” A character should act from its own motivation, not just because a writer needs a certain plot point to happen. That’s the goal, anyway, to make a character real. For me.
The more I turn over in my mind the motivation I had for naming my blog, the more layers I reveal about myself. Which is to say, I have oft spoken about this very nature of writing, insofar as to clarify for those who find how writers write to be a paradoxical mystery: writers record the histories of the character who has not yet found the voice to carry forward their life’s story. I always felt as I sit down to compose thoughts on different portions of my own manuscripts, that I am one part historian and one part creator. The key is finding the balance between being a story-teller and a vessel of inspiration. I think blending these two is the key. Which goes directly to what your saying,… if fictional characters do not have the etchings of real-life counterparts fused into their beings the audience will not draw out an empathic eye towards them.
What made you decide to write fantasy for a Young Adult audience vs. an Adult one? Were there advantages to taking this course over the other? Do you find all ages enjoying the series or one over the other?
Gamber responds: When I first began writing “Redheart”, I didn’t know I was writing YA! To me, I was just writing a good story. I still see a fine line, even in other genres, what makes a story YA vs. adult-oriented. I have come to grasp that Kallon Redheart has daddy/identity issues, as well as Sela, and that is a heady blend often explored in YA fiction, as well as other themes that worked their way into the story. I wouldn’t call writing for YA an advantage, necessarily. There is already a stigma that genre writing isn’t “real” literature, and even to genre writers, there’s a stigma that YA writing isn’t “real” writing! J.K. Rowling and Suzanne Collins (among others) have busted the myth wide open to show publishers and the entertainment industry that a good story defies demographics. I love that. Personally, I have had lots of grown-ups tell me they enjoy my books, and even some that have said they got them for a son or daughter, and ended up reading them, too. Doesn’t get any better than that!
Your very first sentence brought back a memory I had whilst participating in Nanowrimo, as to where I was being questioned about the marketing and branding of my stories. To me, those are the details that are attached after the breath of life is infused into the story rather than the opposite way around! At the very same time, I sometimes get a notion of an idea of which direction I’m heading into but to actually say I can classify my novels towards this arena or that arena as far as where they will fall on a bookshoppe’s shelf is a bit of the cart before the horse! I thought perhaps this was a quirk of mine rather than the rule! On the level of stigmas, I’m a champion of believing that there are none! Across the board really, as there are so many societal labels & stigmas floating around in our lives, that I truly work against acknowledging them! The masses will always lament their point of view to the contrary but to me, if a reader picks up a book, makes a connection with the content inside, and walks away feeling uplifted, emotionally moved, or otherwise felt the time spent soaking in the narrative was worthwhile, than who dares to say that book is not literature!? Literature of itself is a classification of stories writ by ink and bound into form!
What do you think is a key ingredient to engage an audience into a fantasy series?
Gamber responds: I guess I have to come back to the characters. Engaging a reader into any story relies on the characters; as long as a reader believes enough in a character, the world around them can be full of dragons, or fairies, or boogeymen. This can be a tough sell for readers who’ve told me, “I don’t really like fantasy.” I think what those readers are actually saying is something like, “I don’t like reading about things I don’t personally believe in.” I don’t believe in, say, ghosts, but I sure love spooky books and movies. Because I don’t need to accept ghosts are real in order to believe in a character who, in his world, does see them. But I need to believe in that character.
To extend into your theory of ghosts & spooks, one of the best forays of this exploration for me in television is “Ghost Whisperer” which re-defines ghosts in fiction form! As much as to say “Touched by an Angel” re-defined the perception of angels walking on earth. Both of these series dealt with their subjects with finesse which bespoke of the writers conjoined ability to suspend reality and allow us to enter into a glimpse of a world which exists beyond our visual veil. In literature, I oft find the same to be true whilst reading science fiction and fantasy, because a writer who can etch out a world that is wholly vivid and real for a reader to drink in without hesitation or questioning of its existence is the writer who charms the reader into seeing their reality. Having said that, I do agree that the strength of the believability in all formats lies squarely on the shoulders of the lead characters!
Why do you believe we’re always intrigued by dragons? Especially the kind of dragons featured in the Leland Dragon series?
Gamber responds: I think dragons are part of that mysterious, reptilian-brain cell memory phenomenon that cross-cultural myths share. They belong to that “what if?” category of the unexplained, which fascinates us. The Leland Dragon series is the embodiment of my own imagined version of dragons; less the feral, destructive beast, and more the older, wiser sort of magic bearers of their world.
Yes, I think you’ve clued into why I have such a disagreement with standard stories of dragons! I am always seeking the heart and soul of the dragon rather than the monstrous feral versions which seek only to terrify you! A bit like how despite my passion for “Jurassic Park” on the level of the science behind the phenom of bringing dinosaurs back to life; those that stepped out of history were altogether too real and not meant for a humanised world. Whilst embarking on reading fiction that involves dragons, I’d much prefer to see the kindness of their hearts and the genuine history of their race and origins. I suppose in some ways, what we seek in literature goes directly back to our world-view.
How did you become the visionary leader of the MidSouthCon Writer’s Conference? And, how does the Conference engage writers into its community?
Gamber responds: I had been involved with MidSouthCon as a science fiction convention for a number of years. Along those lines, I had begun to wonder why there was no writers’ conference in Memphis, and saw the convention (with its heavy literary bent) as an untapped resource to fill that void. We already had amazing science fiction and fantasy authors and editors attending, why not include other industry professionals, and develop a how-to writing track, as well? A sort of writers’ conference embedded right into an event already taking place? That was the seed that has since exponentially garnered attendees and the writing community beyond Memphis.
I think this was a sheer stroke of genius on your behalf, to take an established event and enhance it by broaching an entire new layer to its existence! Writers like to gather together to share antidotes and experiences, as much as network with like-minded souls who understand their writing lives. I can see how key this would be to include at a convention which celebrates science fiction (and fantasy) as its a section of genre writing that tends to be misunderstand as much as its celebrated! The benefit of having an additional support system in place for writers under this branch must be quite exhilarating for those who attend!
In your biography, I didn’t see the inclusion of your educational background. Did you prefer to be self-educated and motivated through life-long learning opportunities vs. conventional options?
Gamber responds: To put it bluntly, I wasn’t given an option for higher learning as a high school graduate. It was the military, or the streets; my dad started the military recruitment process without me even knowing it. When I left the Air Force in my mid-twenties, I was married and starting a family, so college or university has never figured its way into my life. But I like the way you put it: self-educated and motivated. I have certainly been that. One of the gems I hope I have instilled in my own children is the self-propelled pursuit of knowledge. I practically lived in the library as a child; that was my only real resource. I have continued that trek into adulthood, reading and learning, and working hard to make my own opportunities.
I was leaving behind the essence of myself in this question when I referenced: self-educated and motivated! I, too, took a different path from the norm wherein I opted out of college for a non-conventional life of finding my own route to knowledge. I did this in different ways, but its what you said about reading; books are the gateways to knowledge on inter-changeable levels. Reading is the one key component of learning as it is available to everyone, everywhere. With books our horizons are not only broached into the stratosphere but they are without limits!
At the release of ‘Reclamation’, do you have any upcoming releases you can reveal at this time which are being worked on? Are you considering exploring the mystery genre as you once disclosed in an interview?
Gamber responds: I don’t have any official releases to announce just now, but definitely in discussion concerning my historical/time travel novel, all buttoned up. And it’s funny you should ask, Jorie, because I have suddenly found myself back at the mystery genre gate, peering over. I’m watching true crime documentaries and eying my stacks of unread mystery novels. I wonder if you’re onto something?
If I am onto something, I’d be thrilled to peaches if you were to explore the mystery genre! There are so many avenues the genre can yield for you to pursue, I am giddy simply thinking of all the wicked sweet possibilities! On the level of a historical time travel novel, I must confess, its a new addiction of mine and I will keep my eyes glued awaiting word on its release!
How did you feel when you learnt you were a finalist for the 2014 Darrell Awards!? Considering that Book 2 in the Leland Dragon series was the entry?
Gamber responds: It’s always an honor, and frankly, a bit of surprise, to be named in consideration for an award. It’s a validation to that seemingly congenital condition of “You like me! You really like me!” But I do try to keep a perspective; lots of super talented authors, painters, architects, construction workers, parents, teachers, etc. drive themselves toward excellence for the sake of it, without ever coming near a titled award for it.
I think you hit the nail on the head here, as even Harry Potter learnt that the best way to obtain something is not to go after it directly! (i.e. “The Sorcerer’s Stone” could not be sought but given.) Even so, I still believe in celebrating milestones and recognitions because it validates the person we are at the time in which the award is presented. Each of us knows our own truth and that is all that is necessary.
If a reader who is picking up your series for the first time becomes interested in reading more dragon fiction, do you recommend any of your contemporaries as a next read for them?
Gamber responds: I’m not sure I’ve had the opportunity to offer a next read suggestion for dragon fiction; lots of my readers are familiar with dragon fantasy, and, in my interactions, anyway, seem to have come to my novels in their search for a next read. But I do love hearing from readers who say they enjoy my books, even though they don’t usually read fantasy, too. Often, it’s as if a light goes on behind their eyes, and they want to try more. I relish sharing books I’ve enjoyed with other readers, so I recommend like crazy whenever I get the chance.
I must confess, this question was self-motivated! I attempted to broach an open discussion at the footer of my review for “Redheart” on this very topic, but hadn’t yet fetched a proper response. Therefore, I felt as I had the honour of interviewing you a second time, I’d ask the source! Cannot blame a girl for trying!
At the heart of the first book in the series ‘Redheart’, I made this observation: Friendship is akin to love, and love is akin to friendship, thus so is faith akin to trust without sight. As you were penning ‘Redheart’ was this the core of the story’s purpose as you wrote it, or did it evolve as you saw where the characters were leading you?
Gamber responds: You’re such an intuitive reader, Jorie, I just love that about you. In writing “Redheart”, as in all my stories, really, I don’t consciously insert themes at the outset. I focus on the characters and their revealing as the story progresses and sometimes I gobsmack my own self with the disclosure of the day’s work. Some of it feels raw and risky, at the time, but I don’t fully see the impact until afterward, when all is said and done. And often, not until time passes and I have distance from the work to be objective. It’s a weird and wonderful process that is the core of why I write.
Thank you for this observation, Ms. Gamber! You gave me a bit to chew on whilst looking over my reviews, as I think it stems from always sorting out the sociological side of stories. I am always most keen to sort out a character’s motivations and what causes them to act or react in the methods in which they do. I never officially studied sociology, but I think it always plays a part; moreso if your Mum shared stories of her own experiences studying the field. Ah, yes, you’re hinting at the ‘osmosis germination’ of how a writer places hidden meanings into their writings without a conscience knowledge of their existence until one completes the story. On re-reading the whole of the work, the fuller picture emerges into view.
Of the three in the series, which was the most difficult to write? And, why?
Gamber responds: I think each book as I’m writing it is the hardest one yet! But “Reclamation” was by far the most struggle. It evolved in ways I wasn’t expecting, and there were times I wondered if I had lost touch completely from these characters I first began to conceive over ten years ago. Also, it was a time of personal stress that brought on dry spells and self-doubt, and, let me tell you, I began to wonder if I was even meant to write at all. Reaching the end of “Reclamation” has meant more than just ending one book, it has been an entire era of my life. Saying, “I really did it” doesn’t begin to cover it.
On finishing a decade’s breath of work as an author, I can only imagine and feel the redemption you had! I, too, have gone through my own wrestlements with my writing life as I am not sure if I spelt it out under “My Bookish Life” or not, as part of my story is still evolving as much as to say I am holding back pieces of my path to reveal as my blog grows through time. To the brink of when I participated in Nanowrimo 2008, it was a full ten years since I had picked up my pen due to a stress-induced writer’s block. I am a think-writer, which is both a blessing and a curse, if you compare the fact that your characters and stories never leave you completely, they are always there with you, waiting for their story to be writ down, but whilst your blocked words simply do not flow. I, too, questioned if being a writer was the path I was still on and if I could reclaim it. Life gives us trials that we do not even realise we can overcome, much less face until they are presented. Is this why you entitled it “Reclamation”? You reclaimed your gift as your characters reclaimed their home?
Which character have you felt the closest to during the journey?
Gamber responds: Different characters have waxed and waned emotionally for me in the series, depending on where the story was at the time, and what part of me I was writing from. I think once I got hold of Sela, though, I felt as though I was plugged into something way beyond what I had been expecting.
Isn’t that the truth!? Another insight into this experience as a writer was given to me during Nanowrimo 2008, as I walked in thinking I’d write a fluffy light-hearted story but emerged with the depth of a multi-generational saga set against the tide of 400 years of history! Who would have even considered that possibility?! Characters sometimes alight in us which draw out the writer in ways we are not expecting to journey.
If this does conclude the Leland Dragon series, do you envision you’ll explore a new series full of dragons?
Gamber responds: If I do venture into dragon storytelling again, it will likely be from a completely different emotional place; which will change my perspective, inevitably. I’m open-minded to see where my journey takes me next. I ventured out to be a writer, but not necessarily a dragon-writer, and by my nature, I resist pigeonholing. In fact, I get a sort of thrill from defying expectations, if you know what I mean! I’m just as curious as anyone to see what I’m going to do next.
Ah, yes ‘defying gravity’ is my favourite song out of “Wicked” (the Broadway musical) which lends itself to understanding your journey towards developing your next niche in literature! To which, I can only say, “Rock on!” with the full of my heart!
{ About the Author }
Jackie Gamber is the award-winning author of many short stories, screenplays, and novels, including “Redheart”, “Sela”, and “Reclamation”, Books one through three of the Leland Dragon Series. For more information about Jackie and her mosaic mind, visit http://www.jackiegamber.com
And meet Jackie elsewhere on the world-wide web at:
I want to thank Ms. Gamber for sharing her soul and bookish heart with us today, whilst revealing pieces of her life that we might not have known about previously. It takes a lot of courage to be bold and confident in our own skins, as well as sharing the bits of our journey that were blighted with strife and adversity. I always celebrate and champion writers who leave behind traces of where their paths led them, as much as how they emerged out on the other side better for the experience. None of us knows where our lives will take us or lead us, but as writers we get to grapple with all of our emotional angst as well as our bounty of joys in the ambient realm of writing. We all find ways to pour bits of our heart into the ink that spilts out our words and our stories. Let us all celebrate the writers who re-define the stories that endear us and gives us a museful pause for the time spent inside their worlds! It was a pure honour and joy to host this lovely author for the second time and to celebrate the ending of one series at the jolting start of another! Please leave a note for the author if you have anything you’d like to say or ask!
I want to thank Ms. Gamber for sharing her soul and bookish heart with us today, whilst revealing pieces of her life that we might not have known about previously. It takes a lot of courage to be bold and confident in our own skins, as well as sharing the bits of our journey that were blighted with strife and adversity. I always celebrate and champion writers who leave behind traces of where their paths led them, as much as how they emerged out on the other side better for the experience. None of us knows where our lives will take us or lead us, but as writers we get to grapple with all of our emotional angst as well as our bounty of joys in the ambient realm of writing. We all find ways to pour bits of our heart into the ink that spilts out our words and our stories. Let us all celebrate the writers who re-define the stories that endear us and gives us a museful pause for the time spent inside their worlds! It was a pure honour and joy to host this lovely author for the second time and to celebrate the ending of one series at the jolting start of another! Please leave a note for the author if you have anything you’d like to say or ask!
Join the celebration as you amble through the tour!
{ converse via: #LelandDragons, #7thStar & #dragonfiction }
Virtual Road Map for “Reclamation” Blog Tour:
Be sure to catch all three installments of this showcase on JLAS:
Jorie reviews “Reclamation” on 3 March
& Ms. Gamber shared a character post from Reclamation!
Previously, Jorie reviewed “Redheart” (Book 1 of Leland Dragons)
and interviewed Ms. Gamber soon thereafter.
Similar to blog tours, when I feature a showcase for an author via a Guest Post, Q&A, Interview, etc., I do not receive compensation for featuring supplemental content on my blog.
Be sure to scope out upcoming tours I will be hosting with:
on my Bookish Events Featured on JLAS!
Cross-listed on: Sci-Fi & Fantasy Fridays via On Starships & Dragonwings
{SOURCES: Cover art of “triptych of Leland Dragon series” by Matthew Perry, author photograph of Ms. Gamber, author biography, and the tour host badge were all provided by Tomorrow Comes Media and used with permission. Post dividers by Fun Stuff for Your Blog via Pure Imagination.Author Interview badge provided by Parajunkee to give book bloggers definition on their blogs. Jorie submitted Interview Questions as part of the tour and received the responses by Ms. Gamber through Stephen Zimmer; for which she is grateful!}
Copyright © Jorie Loves A Story, 2014.
