Jacob Gowans Author Interview~Part 2

Recently I had the pleasure of interviewing one of my favorite Indie authors, Jacob Gowans, and due to the length of that interview and not being able to cut anything out I decided to break the interview into two parts.....yesterday I featured questions regarding his writing; Jacob Gowans Interview Part 1, and today I will be featuring questions about his characters and his personal life. 

Jacob Gowans is an amazingly descriptive writer whose characters and worlds I am completely infatuated with and follow faithfully! 

Characters:

1) Do you see yourself in any of your characters?

--I see a little bit of myself in all my characters, even the most awful of ones. We all have our strengths, our goodness, our weaknesses, and our darkness. That’s not to say a bit of me is a sociopathic killer, but I think writing characters like that requires looking into the more base side of ourselves, the natural man so to speak, and not flinching at what we see. Then being honest about it.

2) Being a fan of yours on Facebook I know that Maad Rosmir from the Psion Series is based on your best friend and former roommate Adam. Are there any other characters that are based on people you know? If so, what makes you put them in your books?

--So many characters are named after people I know. It’s just a thing I like to do. I like interesting names. Many of the characters from Beta were created through researching common names in some cultures. Berhane is an African name. Gefjon Tvedt is Norwegian. Asaki is Japanese. Nowadays, rather than invent new names, I prefer to use people from those cultures/regions if I can. It makes it more fun. More than half of my Psion characters are people I know. Storyteller characters are not so much. Most are just names I invented.

3) I am a huge fan of characters, in fact if I don’t feel some kind of connection to the characters in a book, then I feel let down. One of the things I like to do when reviewing a book or a series is to pick my favorite character moment. That one moment that epitomizes everything about that character and why I love them. What is your favorite character moment from your books and why? I would love it if you could give me one from each series.

--I think my favorite Sammy moment is in Delta. Since you’ve already read this, it was his speech. It was simple, mature, and poignant. It showed that he’s grown up and is ready to take on adult challenges. For Storyteller, it’s the moment when Ruther and Maggie make amends at the end. It was a very human moment for them, not romantic or complex, just simple forgiveness and a realization that they could not conquer their problems with pettiness existing between them.

That too was one of my favorites, in fact that entire chapter is earmarked as my favorite!

4) If you could be any character from your books, who would you be and why? (From either series)

--Hmmm. Tough question. Not Sammy, that’s for sure. Definitely someone with the ability to blast. Maybe Al. He is a great warrior, but also a kind and good person.

Personal:

1) How do you balance your job, family and writing?

--It’s tough. They all keep me busy. I try to write in the evenings after my kids are in bed or on the weekends. Making sure my writing doesn’t become more important than my family is also very important. This is sometimes very difficult because I get caught up in my writing and get into moods where I can write all day. I have to remind myself to take breaks and spend time with my kids. I occasionally work on books while at the dental office. If the day is slow enough, I find time. When people ask me “How do you do that?” I just say that if something is important enough you find the time.

2) If you could have any anomaly, which would you have and why?

--Definitely Fourteen. It’s so cool!

3) Do you prefer being an Indie author? Or would you like to get picked up by a publishing company? If so, which company would be your dream company?

--If the right opportunity comes along, I would love to be published by a major publishing house. This opens so many doors: movies, international sales, strong marketing campaigns, etc. Scholastic would be awesome, but I think my books are too violent for them. Simon and Schuster do great work, too. There are several great companies I’d love to be published with.

4) Do you hope to be able to quit your day job and become a full time author? If so, how will you know when that day has come?

--I would never quit dentistry. I’d certainly scale back to 1-2 days a week, though. That day will come when my writing income is similar to my dental income. Still, my dream is to write 3-4 days a week.

5) We all know that inspiration doesn't always come when we want it to. When you are in need of inspiration, what do you do?

--I’ve been fortunate to never have writer’s block, at least not severely. Sometimes I’ll get stuck on an action scene and have to walk my way through it. I’ll draw it out, watch certain action movies, or stand up and act out what the character is doing so I can get a good feel for how to describe the action in a comfortable, easy-to-follow kind of way. Generally, if I’m writing something I’m not excited about, I know it needs to be spruced up to make it more interesting.

6) Is there any significance to the book covers for the Psion Series?

--My cover artist is Britta Peterson. She and I met in college when I worked with her husband in a research lab. She designed the blast symbol that is on each cover and also the symbols that represent Anomalies 13 and 11. We have a lot of fun collaborating together and I look forward to working with her more in the future.

7) If the Psion Series were to be made into a movie, who would play Sammy? He would have to be completely awesome to fill the role.

--Oh man… that’s so hard to say. One problem is that the actor will never match up with people’s imagination, no matter how well he played the part. If Will Smith’s kid could bulk up, I could see him doing it. I’ve also mentioned before the actor who played Dean Thomas in the Harry Potter films. Or there’s always undiscovered talent.

That is such a hard one, but I can definitely see Will Smith's playing Sammy once he bulked up. Us readers are hard to please aren't we!!

8) If you were stranded on a deserted island with food, water, and shelter provided. What 5 things (not people or a boat) would you want with you?

--The Harry Potter series, a treadmill, The Count of Monte Cristo, a TV, and my Nintendo 64 collection. I know I cheated a little, but that’s okay.

I totally love the fact that you have to have your Nintendo 64 collection!! Awesome!!

Before I go, I want to shout out to my fans. They are so awesome and have helped this series grow into a very respectably following. I’m grateful for their support and enthusiasm. I hope the Psion series is everything they want it to be. Long Live Sammy!

Thanks to Jacob Gowans for answering all of my ridiculous and not so ridiculous questions! You were a great sport. I always love getting inside the heads of my favorite authors!! 

Log Live Sammy! Psion Delta left me on the edge so naturally I am dying to get my hands on Psion Alpha!!

If you haven't checked out his amazing books yet, well now is your chance to start something new, that will leave you in awe and completely speechless! 

Jacob Gowans

"Devouring worlds, one book and recipe at a time."