Interview with Jaime Buckley

Published 2014-07-29.
What inspires you to get out of bed each day?
I think I have one of the few jobs that becomes SO addicting that I have a hard time sleeping. Truth is, I can't wait for Monday's to roll around and I can plop back into my chair and work out the next project. My mind and heart are always fixated on how I want to make the readers feel.

It's a passion with inspiring, uplifting, encouraging and unveiling the potential in each of us that gets me up and going as soon as my eyes open. Wanting to create something SO good and SO compelling that the reader will want to seek me out and have a conversation or ask questions. It's even better when I get begged for more! Nothing beats that.

What inspires me to get out of bed each day? The possibilities of what can happen if I give my all to Wanted Hero.
When you're not writing, how do you spend your time?
Unlike most authors, I'm a father of 12 children., Yeah, i said TWELVE...so I always have something to do. Youth and family are my life, so I spend time engaging in their lives--playing games, working on community projects and our all time favorite: snuggling up together with HUGE bowls of popcorn and watching Doctor Who.

If I'm not with family, I love doing community service, I volunteer to help people with various projects, donating my talents and skills and let's not forget reading. You can't write unless you read too--so that's part of my daily TO DO List. The key here is shifting the mental muscles. If I'm not writing, I'm researching, planning, plotting, organizing or having conversations with people to gather ideas...

Thing is, I'm a creator by nature--so I'm rarely idle unless I'm literally unconscious. Naps are good though.

I like naps.
How do you discover the ebooks you read?
Just about anything I read anymore comes from personal recommendations.

There's not enough time in my life to squander a moment on buying something and regretting it. If I haven't heard enough GOOD things about a book, I don't get it. If certain friends or family say key things about a book, like my brother who says, "That was one of the best books I've read in years," I pay attention. You know why?

He doesn't compliment books, so it has to be good.

If there's an exception, it would be when I want to learn new skills--so I have to search reviews. Always look at the good and bad and balance them out, that's my rule. Bad review? WHY was it bad? Facts are good, emotional vomit doesn't interest me. If there's just a rating and no explanation, well...they just don't exist as far as I'm concerned.
What is your writing process?
I use what I call the "UP-CHUCK" method...which was named after one of my main characters. It's been so successful for me over the past decade, I broke it down into specific parts and published it as a book to help others.

Advanced WORLDBUILDING takes the result you want to create, including the emotional and mental reactions of your readers and then works backwards to ensure they occur. It's a fun process and naturally sparks one's imagination.

As for the whole of the steps, I wake up at 3am each day, write until noon using the UP-CHUCK method. Each day I sit down, I go back half the chapter I worked on and refine it. By the time I reach the end, I've done a good edit and I'm in the mood to create more. Once the story is completed, I set it aside about a week, while letting others do a beta read.

I probably publish sooner than I should, but that's my habit. Success in motion and my focus is on the story. Things are never perfect--even when I take every precaution I can think of. So why wait? When I get enough feedback, I revise and print the next edition.
How do you approach cover design?
My options are limited--at least more limited than I like. I am an artist, but not the kind I think I need for the covers of books. So I try to use textures, deep, rich colors and font utilization.

The fun thing is, for the "Chronicles of a Hero" series, starting with Prelude to a Hero, they all have the smiley from Wendell's shirt on it. It's odd, quirky and it really stands out from the black covers. It's been my branding for years and though it has yet to fully catch on, I know it will.

Eventually I'd love to have professional painters do some covers within certain parameters, but until then, I design the covers myself as best I can. David Farland told me I have a very good eye for such things as have other authors...so I'm trusting in their experience if I feel a lack of confidence.
What do you read for pleasure?
I love fantasy and archaic religious texts (because truth is often stranger than fiction in my mind).

I own all the Harry Potter, Ender's Game and Tolkien books available. Add to that Drangonlance, Thieves World and anything from Terry Pratchett. On the other hand, I also love learning, so my shelves are packed full of gardening books, raising animals, how to brew home made beer and how to make artisan cheeses.

Hey, a guy's gotta be well rounded, right?
What is your e-reading device of choice?
Nook all the way.

I love Amazon, but I prefer to have an eReader that i can take to someone and look them in the eye to fix it.

Besides, my Nook glows.
What book marketing techniques have been most effective for you?
Being consistent in sharing good information on my daily blog (I love teaching worldbuilding) and building relationships with people.

Funny thing is, this is all about people anyway. It's not about money or advertising or even social media tricks...it's about talking with and interacting with people, getting to know them. That's what I think, anyway. People who love reading are usually brilliant by nature...which means they are a complete and total hoot to visit with!

Marketing is a personal business, At least if you WANT to be successful it is.
Describe your desk
ACK!! It's huge. Almost 80" wide, covered with 2 monitors for my Mac Desktop, a video camera, fan, speakers, lamp, a stacks of world journals. I also have a long tray attached to the side which has pens, pencils, tape, rulers...all the good artistic-type stuff. To the opposite side is a large collection of incense and burners.

I love incense. Get's me into the mood for writing in 30 seconds flat.
Where did you grow up, and how did this influence your writing?
I was born in Oakland California, and always aspired to be something more. Now at 364lbs I'm beginning to rethink my aspirations. The trials and tribulations are the KEY influences in my writing. In fact, I write an article that went viral, called "Just for TEENS" ( http://goo.gl/BPkXYx ) where I explain many tragic experiences and how they've helped me to become the person I am.

My writing is to take these growth experiences and help others find strength in themselves. Not directly, mind you, but through these fantasy adventures. Allowing readers to see themselves through someone else--like Wendell--and see that they're worth far more than they realize,

I've been doing this for 20 years and I'm just getting warmed up.
When did you first start writing?
Probably at seven or eight years old. It was the same time I started making my own comic strips and that's when writing stuck.

I wanted to entertain people and this was the way to do it.
What motivated you to become an indie author?
It was people telling me it couldn't be done.

I started back before there were eReaders. I was making Wanted Hero comic books traditionally and then scanning them into the computer to make .PDF's. I would then sell my comics as downloads for $0.97 each. It did well and it was always against the grain. people saying it wouldn't work, but it did. I was told I couldn't make money, but I did. People telling me it had to be done a "specific" way...

...but it didn't.

I don't like the control freak issues so called "professionals" have. Not all, of course, but it's more common than not. So I guess I resented the though of someone taking over what came from my own mind and heart and telling me what I could do with it. Didn't seem right to me and I've never listened.

Very glad I didn't.
What is the greatest joy of writing for you?
Seeing someone smile or hearing them laugh while reading my books, and they don't know I'm even there.

That is what I call a 'pure review'.
What do your fans mean to you?
Fans are my motivation.

If no one wants to read what I have to say, what good is it?

Fans to me are a validation that I'm doing the right thing.

I got an email years ago from a young girl who thanked me for making these stories. She'd been in a car wreck and was not crippled. Her brother brought Wanted Hero to her and it eased the pain...motivated her to keep going.

Her email motivated me to keep writing.
What are you working on next?
Book #4 of "Chronicles of a Hero" series.

I miss Wendell and I've had too long of a break.
Smashwords Interviews are created by the profiled author or publisher.

Books by This Author

Just For TEENS: Abuse, Violence, Depression, Drugs, Death & How To Understand Your Parents
Price: Free! Words: 10,850. Language: English. Published: October 30, 2014 by On The Fly Publications. Categories: Nonfiction » Relationships & Family » Life stages / adolescence, Nonfiction » Reference » Personal & Practical Guides
Meet Jaime Buckley. Husband, father of 12 and grandfather…cartoonist, fantasy writer, game maker and champion of youth. He IS a kid in all but age…and now he wants to share why his life’s mission is to help you to a better place.
MADE FROM SCRATCH: The Ultimate Guide To Self-Publishing
Price: $9.99 USD. Words: 25,970. Language: English. Published: October 30, 2014 by On The Fly Publications. Categories: Nonfiction » Publishing » Self-publishing, Nonfiction » Reference » Publishing & books
Develop the skills and perspectives to take full control over your own publishing project and leave the doubt behind. MADE FROM SCRATCH will change the way you view publishing. It gives you the tools to make a seemingly impossible goal…a complete success.
Cross Point (What if...you were the Hero? #1)
Price: $5.99 USD. Words: 31,490. Language: English. Published: September 2, 2014 by On The Fly Publications. Categories: Fiction » Fantasy » Epic
Step into the world of Wanted Hero, nearly a thousand years before the Chronicles of a Hero began...at a time when Mahan is at war with the world. But beware - each and every choice you make will affect the future.
Advanced Worldbuilding: A unique guide & journal for every writer
Price: $9.99 USD. Words: 40,850. Language: English. Published: August 1, 2014 by On The Fly Publications. Categories: Nonfiction » Reference » Writing skills
(5.00 from 1 review)
Advanced Worldbuilding is a unique guide that takes you by the hand and helps you understand the ‘why’ of worldbuilding. Written in the form of a conversation with a friend, taking you, step by step, through the process of creation with a focus on the end goal: To tell a great story. Advanced Worldbuilding is a fantastic tool for any writer, regardless of skill level
The Good Parent: Essentials Principles for Raising Your Kids
Price: $2.99 USD. Words: 21,930. Language: English. Published: August 1, 2014 by On The Fly Publications. Categories: Nonfiction » Parenting » Childhood development, Nonfiction » Parenting » Teens
We want the best for our children as well, but do we DO what is best for them? Are we parents of Principle or Emotion? Are the patterns we set today, going to empower our children in the future? More importantly, will we like what they become…or choke them along the way? Author Jaime Buckley and father of 12, asked those very questions and gives you the answers…