Featured Interview With J Glen Percy
Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I was born and raised – and proudly so! – in the population center of…drumroll…. Natrona County, Wyoming, in a town called Casper. Not too big or small, Casper was a great place to grow up and provided awesome access to the one thing that is often hard to find nowadays; remoteness. Boy Scouts and swimming absorbed much of my adolescence. At 18 I moved to Lawrence, KS to pursue a degree in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Kansas. Five years of ballooning braincells and debt was reward with a degree, and a job with Boeing in Seattle, WA. My five years spent in Seattle designing airplanes were absolutely amazing and less than a year separated, I am missing it tremendously. The desire to be closer to family has me currently living in the Kansas City area (and loving the proximity to my Jayhawks!). I am always on the lookout for the next big adventure and, given my personality, am positive that I could live anywhere on our wonderful planet (or off) and find enjoyment/satisfaction! My latest book actually begins in Seattle and ends in Casper, covering the mountainous wilderness in between as the four adolescent protagonists make the journey on foot. Certainly my love of where I come from and where I’ve been play a huge role in the setting.
At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I have always enjoyed books, but it wasn’t until reading the Lord of the Rings in seventh grade that I became fascinated with the worlds and narratives that printed words can create. Heavily focusing my education and career on math/science related disciplines (one does not become an aerospace engineer without a heavy dose of both), I realized that I had been neglecting my creative side and decided one dreary Seattle day (sorry for the redundancy!) to pick up pen and paper. My mother will testify that I was always entertaining myself as a child; writing, I believe, is my adult manisfestation of that. You see, I still play pretend. I simply do it in front of a computer where I can share the fantasy with others. With each book written, I have learned more and more about the process, both creatice and business. Practice makes perfect, though, I remain stuck on the former and plan on happily being so for the rest of my career!
Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
Asking for a favorite author is like asking for a favorite moment in my life. There are so many brilliant ones to choose from and I might put one above the other depending on the moment, my mood, the cycle of the moon, etc…. I have always loved reading fantasy (see Lord of the Rings above) and have devoted a not-insignificant sum of my life to Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time series. Like music, my brain hasn’t of yet limited itself to the enjoyment of one genre, and I find myself enjoying a little of this and a little of that from just about every corner of the literary world. As far as inspiration I often look beyond the literary world to current events, politics, history, and science, and as of late, have been looking towards the stars 😉
Tell us a little about your latest book?
My latest work, A Few Lives Lost, follows four very different children on their journey across the wilderness of the western United States as they struggle to comprehend political freedom, nature’s callousness, and – as importantly one another. Complicating matters for the children is the endless pursuit that shadows them every step of the way. The narrative comes through Thomas, a 15 year-old with the outdoors, hunting, and marksmanship in his blood, who is forced to embark on the journey for the sake of his little sister’s future. The children meet up with two misfit orphans who Thomas would rather not associate with and Abbi, his younger sister, is all too welcoming of. One thing is certain, if the four children are to survive pursuit, the wilderness, and each other, they must do so together despite their seemingly endless and conflicting differences. Now that Thomas is the prey and his parents’ captors the hunter, how will he use his extensive skills to ensure survival?
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Very interesting book to read, especially when you think there is no way out of a situation and have to keep reading to see what happens next. Anxiously awaiting the 2nd book in series…
Loved the first book! Can’t wait for the second.
“Asking for a favorite author is like asking for a favorite moment in my life.” Great line. Wish I had thought of it.
I love it also!
I do not read a lot but I picked up the book Sunday and couldn’t put down till I was finished. I felt I was with them step for step. I to can not wait for the next book. Good job!