Interview with JA Bland
Published 2013-09-14.
The Legend of Burroughs’ Rangers combines a lot of things — high adventure, drama, and an apocalyptic vision of a geologic event that alters the world. What draws you to these types of stories as a reader — and what do you feel makes them so popular?
People seem to have an innate fear of the unknown. Following the characters through the unknown, I think, gives readers an opportunity to safely navigate the imagined danger. Their fears are at first heightened then resolved, fostering feelings of excitement and satisfaction through vicarious participation
What are you working on next?
The second in the "Legend" series is in the works. "Shattered Land", follows Bill Burroughs and his band of survivors as they wend their way across the shattered remains of the continental U.S., searching out a path to Burrough's home in the Colorado Rocky Mountains. Their trials and travails, the people they encounter on the journey change each of the Rangers in very different ways and the 'Red-headed boy" rapidly grows into a man to reckon with.
Who are your favorite authors?
Andre Norton, Robert Heinlein, and Ray Bradbury among many others. Edgar Rice Burroughs (no association), J.R.R. Tolkien and Louis L’Amour. Homer, "The Iliad and The Odyssey"
One of the outstanding features about The Legend of Burroughs’ Rangers was the way you always sprinkled in something positive against the face of one setback after another. What were you endeavoring to show about the changes in one’s character when f
As children, for the most part, we see every day and every event as new and enlightening, enjoyable, fun, or whatever you want to call it. As adults, we tend to see less and less of the “fun” and get buried in the roadblocks we run up against. But, when faced with seemingly unending dangers and discomforts, we can get beyond those difficulties by striving to find the positive. If you can’t find it, you put on a good face and lead by example.
Do you remember the first story you ever wrote?
The first story I remember reading, though certainly not the first book I ever read, was Homer's "The Illiad". I was 7 or 8 years old and was enthralled by the story of adventure, danger and heroism.
What is your writing process?
I capture bits of my story line on a moment to monet basis. As a thought grabs my attention, I make note of it. Over time these notes become a rough outline for the overall story. At times I wake in the middle of the night to write furiously to capture several thousnad words as the story flows from my fingertips. At other times, technical details that emerge from rigorous research guides the story in, at times, unexpected directions.
How do you approach cover design?
In my cover design, I try to capture the essence of the story. The landscape, the characters, the critical events from within the context of the tale being told.
What do you read for pleasure?
Oddly enough, I no longer read for pleasure. At one time, a voracious reader now I read mainly to follow the process and technic of favored authors and for research.
Describe your desk
My desk is an old and well worn piece of furniture that welcomes me silently at every sitting. Wide but not deep with a row of shelves above that surround a couple of cabinets provide convienient places for books and papers and odd momentos that remind me of times past and provide inspriation for my writing.
When did you first start writing?
I worte my first "Feature Lentgh" story in the First grade. A assignment for a one page story evolved into a "Lost in Space" saga that was a full 32 pages long. Pretty "Feature Length" for a 6 year old!
What's the story behind your latest book?
The Legend of Burroughs' Rangers follows a handful of survivors after a massive and continuing Polar shift. Massive earthquakes, sea level rise and the threat of renegades provide a backdrop for the struggles of the people to recover and rebuild a semblance of civilization
The Legend of Burroughs’ Rangers combines a lot of things — high adventure, drama, and an apocalyptic vision of a geologic event that alters the world. What draws you to these types of stories as a reader — and what do you feel makes them so popular?
People seem to have an innate fear of the unknown. Following the characters through the unknown, I think, gives readers an opportunity to safely navigate the imagined danger. Their fears are at first heightened then resolved, fostering feelings of excitement and satisfaction through vicarious participation
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Books by This Author
The Legend of Burroughs' Rangers
by JA Bland
An end to man’s feeble struggle on Earth or the beginning of a new age? When the gods of men retreat to their distant abode and care not for the fate of their creation, will you resign yourself to the dark abyss? Will you scream in the face of adversity, I will not go quietly in to that dark night!”?
Join me in the tale of an ordinary man who looked into that abyss and roared, “Do your worst!”
