Author Interview: Jake Buller of "Teenage Writer"

Greetings from planet novel, writerly homedogs! Today we have a very special guest with us: Jake, the fedora-and-trench-coat-wearing blogger of Teenage Writer and author of numerous novels, including The War Horn, his first published work. We have worked hard through tight schedules and busy months to get this interview to ya'll (oh NO!...now you know I'm southern...), so let's give Jake a big WELCOME!!!

WELCOME!!!

Hi, Jake, and welcome to The Writer’s Block! We’re very honored to have a real live published author on the blog. Tell us a little about yourself...

Well, that’s a complicated answer.  To quote the excellent children’s movie Megamind, “I had a fairly standard childhood,” which is to say that it wasn’t fairly standard at all.  I’ve lived in a number of different cities in the Midwest, but I’ve always been rooted in Kansas.  (I am of the opinion that it is the best state in the Union.  Their motto is “through difficulty to the stars” in Latin.)

My “home” when I’m in the States is a farmhouse that turned a hundred years old last year and was built by my great-great-grandfather Tobias.  I’m rather proud of that fact, which is one of the reasons I use the pen name J. Tobias Buller when I’m writing.

I do, however, live in West Africa – I just got back from a visit to the States on the 25^th of September.  The next two years of my life will be spent here in Africa.

How did you get started on writing? What was your first ‘role model’, if any?

I’ve been writing for as long as I can remember.  I still have little “books” I stapled together when I was seven about astronomy and dinosaurs and such, and notebooks full of drawings and half-finished stories.

I think the first writer that really got me going on writing was probably Christopher Paolini, although in the long run Tolkien has been hugely influential on me.  My mom was definitely the one who kept me going, though.  Without her, I wouldn’t be a writer—or a reader, for that matter.  She’s the one who taught me how to read.

So, I’ve been to your blog and I’ve noticed you have quite a lot of writing projects going on! What’s it like to be writing so many books at once?

While I definitely have a lot going on, I try to only write one book at a time.  I have a lot of books in various stages of brainstorming and outlining and revising, but only one novel where I’m actually writing the rough draft.  (My current project is Tornado C, which is a rather odd working title that came out of nowhere.  I hope to finish the rough draft before the end of October.)

It’s hectic, more hectic than I want it to be.  Sometimes the mood comes on me and I have to scribble down thoughts to use later, and things get cluttered.  Eventually you just have to choose your battles and focus on one project.

You seem mostly wrapped up in your upcoming book Tornado C right now. Can you give us a little sneak peek?

It was hard to choose a scene, but here’s a quick glimpse at my villain.

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        Commander Dakor, however, was briskly moving on to other subjects.  “How bad were the losses?”

        “My source said that it was nearing half, sir.  As a result, Sub-General Percidon called a retreat.  They lost much of the northwestern banks of the Vandar.”
        The commander cursed.  “The devil!  I ought to have him whipped before his men—and I would wager his men wouldn't mind it either, after putting them through a purgatory like that one.  But Percidon has one blasted foot in politics and wouldn't be rooted out for anything.”
        “He's Lady Yionna's beau after all, sir.”  Chathaz shook his head.  And as the daughter of the Baron of Grand Corva, she wielded considerable influence with her father.  Enough to get her fancy a giant promotion with zero effort.
        “Hang her.”  Commander Dakor stood up abruptly and paced in front of the couch. “She doesn't know a splinter about war—doubt she's ever had her dainty toe in real dirt, either.  But the women are the neck that moves the head, they say.” He turned back to Chathaz.  “What about prisoners?”
        “There's seven of them, sir, with more at the front.  There's a sizable amount, despite our losses.”
        The commander grunted.  “Good.  What did you order?”
        “Interrogation.”
        “Hm.”  The short, barely-audible noise was enough to make Chathaz's gut twist a little, and the neutral expression on the commander's face confirmed it: the commander disapproved.  True to form, the commander wasn't happy with the decision—Chathaz ought to have known.  At least he had delayed torture for an hour.  And he supposed an hour's delay was all he could ask for the poor souls.
        Commander Dakor turned his back to the brazier.  “Have our interrogation officers change methods.  Start with threats.  Move on to more persuasive methods if necessary.  Branding and needle torture are authorized.”
        Chathaz bit his lip and forced himself to say, “Yes, sir.  Understood.”  But not approved.  Then again, he didn't have to approve his commander's decisions in order to carry out his orders, did he?  He had done what his conscience dictated and delayed torture.  That was all he could really do.
        “Send a message tonight,” Commander Dakor continued.  “Sub-General Percidon is to be transferred to the Twenty-Second Brigade.  Fenderkort is to temporarily assume leadership of the Sixteenth, who are to rest for the next three days before being reinforced with more men from the draft.”
        Chathaz nodded appreciatively.  “Very good, sir.”
        A bit of a smile hovered at Dakor's lips.  “It is, isn't it?  The Twenty-Second is a more prestigious command for the prestigious Percidon...but currently in the reserves.  At least that bremmed gentleman will be able to play soldier without hurting the war, for a while.”
        Abruptly, the commander gave a wave of his hand.  “You are dismissed, Captain.  Any further news must be relayed to me immediately.  And remember—those orders must be sent tonight, as soon as possible.  Don't stop to chatter with some airheaded militiaman.”

What inspires you to keep writing, even when you’re stuck?

There are a lot of different things that keep me going, but I think the biggest thing is the theme of my novel.  Because the novel is coming from my heart, I can’t not write it.  It’s part of me, part of what I believe about how the world works.  So when the prose isn’t flowing and I’m frustrated, I flip back through my novel and find new energy to keep on writing.

What is your favorite aspect of writing a novel (i.e. outlining, brainstorming, characters, etc.)?

Well, brainstorming is definitely the easiest, but I think that finishing a novel is one of the most satisfying feelings in the world.  Of course, you always have to revise it later, but for a little bit you feel relieved and elated that it’s finally done.  I think that’s a universal feeling that every writer strives for.

Okay, silly question time! What’s your favorite fictional character ever, and why?

What an awful question!  How am I supposed to choose?

If I really have to, though, I’d probably choose the Doctor from the British TV show Doctor Who.  He’s such a complicated and wonderful character, unlike any other characters in any show I’ve seen or book I’ve read.

Last of all, Jake...how do you overcome writer’s block?

By writing.  You’ll write awful prose for a while and the words won’t flow, but really, writing is the only way to get over writer’s block.  Even if you have to break all the rules of writing just to get words on paper, at least your novel will be written!  There’s room for revision later.

And you’ll find that after a little bit, writer’s block won’t pinch you so much—and later on, when you look back over what you wrote, it won’t be as bad as you remembered.


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We can't thank Jake enough for helping us out with Writer's Block. But we can still try! THANKS JAKE!!!!