Welcome to my weekly Author Spotlight. I’ve asked a bunch of my author friends to answer a set of interview questions, and to share their latest work.
Today: Jaques Smit was born in Rundu Namibia, grew up in South Africa, lived in Asia and Europe working as a game developer before settling with his family in Wellington, New Zealand. While working as a production manager for PikPok, he became a master transformational coach and now supports leaders in creating effective teams. Jaques writes fantasy laced with Positive Psychology, aspiring to create compelling stories that touches the reader. And where better than the harsh setting of a fantasy world to showcases key ideas to support individuals through challenging times.
Find Him at: https://www.ayrul.com/
Thanks so much, Jaques, for joining me!
JSC: How would you describe your writing style/genre?Â
JS: I write what I like to read, fast, action-packed, fantasy adventures set in a dark world but with a hopeful message. In other words, I write Noble-Dark. Heroes are good even though the world around them is not. Besides enjoying this kind of story, I also chose it because a dark setting makes for tangible danger. Anyone can die at any moment, so donât take their safety for granted. And my hero, a thief who wants to help people, is a character I want to root for.
JSC: Do you read your book reviews? How do you deal with bad or good ones?Â
JS: I read every review, and I love the critical ones most of all. Itâs always nice to see what people like, but that doesnât make you a better writer. Reading about what made someone put the book down, or feel an emotion you didnât intend, does make you better. The reader doesnât always have the right advice for fixing it, but they are sharing their authentic reaction to the work. I can use that to pinpoint a mistake, or sometimes the thing one person loves, another hates, which is simply the spice of life. In these cases, you receive the conscious choice of which way to lean.
JSC: What were your goals and intentions in Verdant Heart, and how well do you feel you achieved them?Â
JS: In my first book of the series, The Eye of Winter, I explored the formation of a team, demonstrating through Lorenzo, how to integrate a new team member. In Verdant Heart, I wanted to show what it looked like from the leaderâs perspective, as Birger builds his own. The first challenge in a new team starts with conflict. While team members are in unhealthy/personal conflict, the leader must take a directive approach, until they can achieve a healthy state of task orientated conflict. However, making this happen is rarely simple.
JSC: Letâs talk to your characters for a minute â whatâs it like to work for such a demanding writer?Â
JS: This guy! You wonât believe the gullshite I have to deal with, all in the name of entertaining readers. It feels like in every chapter my friends or I are in some sort of danger. Cos-damnit man, give me a break. That said, I do appreciate my fellow cast members, like Renate. I donât even know what I would have done without her. These rough seas are worth sailing for her support alone.
JSC: Tell me about a unique or quirky habit of yours.Â
JS: I like to write in bed on an iPad! I do have a keyboard for it, but honestly, most of my writing happens in the middle of the night, when I canât sleep, and I pull my iPad out to start typing away. My poor wife simply turns over and goes back to sleep. I have a real issue falling asleep, so often, itâs a choice between lying there and doing nothing for hours or making productive use of the time.
JSC: Whatâs your writing process?Â
JS: Aside from late nights in bed, I am a planner and a pantser. I plan to make it easier to pants. My plans are loose, I start by stubbing out the major beats, then create a visual board on Miro to flesh out challenges, build characters or otherwise construct my mental image of the story. Once I have that, I start fleshing out the key moments. Not entirely, just enough to know what I want to have happen. Then I start from the beginning and write dialog with minimal descriptions. Once I have a narrative I like, I start from the beginning and build it up, and finally, I edit, 7 passes through each chapter, refining the language and making it as good as I can.
JSC: What other artistic pursuits (it any) do you indulge in apart from writing?Â
JS: Iâm a game maker by trade. I love games and art in general. My wife and I have been working on a Roleplay setting for 5e. She is a fantastic artist, so she focused on the characters, while I do landscapes and graphic design work. In addition, I have many painted miniatures. We are a family of creators. My son and I will often compete to see who can do the best animation in a set period. I guess you can say that while Iâm not the best artist, I do love to make cool things. And of course, I both illustrated and designed all my own covers.
JSC: We know what you like to write, but what do you like to read in your free time, and why?Â
JS: Fantasy is my first love, but as someone with ADHD, I need a constant pull forward in my reading experience. As a result, I have a particular slant towards action-adventure, mystery and suspense. James J. Butcherâs unorthodox series, Matt Dinnimanâs Dungeon Crawler Carl LitRPGs, Brian McClennanâs Power Mage trilogies, and A troll walks into a bar by Douglas Lumsden. I like tenacious lead characters who take action and get things done.
JSC: What qualities do you and your characters share? How much are you like them, or how different are they from you?Â
JS: My cast is varied, but we certainly do share certain aspects. Birger shares my ADHD and persistence. I bring my coach training in through Renate and Eric carries my grumpiness or occasional desire for solitude. A reader who worked with me, once asked if I saw myself as Renate, working to bind the team together and resolving conflicts. My response was no, I think Iâm more like Lorenzo. I try really hard to be like Renate, but habits and instincts from my darker past, when I let my ADHD drive me headlong into bulldozing through every problem, sometimes let me down.
JSC: What are you working on now, and whatâs coming out next? Tell us about it!
JS: Iâm currently working on two projects, one is the Weavewalkerâs Crown, which sees my series continue, and I am working on The Magpies Code 5e campaign guide so DnD players can explore the world of Ayrul or bring a little Robin-Hood-like thievesâ guild action into their own games. Iâm quite excited about the latter as itâs a family project. My son and I even built a dungeon in lego for us to play test.
And now for Jaques’ latest book, Tearing the Darkveil book 2: Verdant Heart:
The adventure continues amid the thieves, spies and politics of Roviere. Birger and his team are on a deadline. A vast invasion fleet is due in five days. However, much must be done before Birger’s team can escape and infighting threatens to rip them asunder. To make matters worse, several powerful villains, including Ulfhild, are in town, with their sights locked on another Piece of Divinity.
From the quintri Technomancers, who combine magic and technology, to the political battlefield within the Verdantfield Stadium, Roviere’s rich landscape provides a myriad of challenges.
How will Birger rebuild his team, secure an escape from Roviere while battling against demons, vampires and dark magic?
Book 1 – The Eye of Winter
Book 2 – Verdant Heart
Excerpt
Twin warehouses loomed on either side of the alley, casting dark shadows over Birger and his three visitors. Chancebringer, keen as a lookout in a crowâs nest, kept track of the pair lurking behind him while he fixed both eyes on Lady Elise.
Her wide red sleeves poured from her wrists like blood. She stood with the swollen pouch of gold extended to him.
The bait, but where was the hook?
Such an outrageous sum was hard to ignore. âA thousand gold for a book of accounts?â Birger asked.
Elise nodded with a smug grin as she studied his face.
Birger felt disgusted with himself for even considering it. But was there a way to take the money, pump information from her and snatch the Heart before she did?
âYouâre as subtle as a polar hurricane when you lie,â Bo reminded him. âYou barely fooled that mutt at the Hung Sailor last night.â
It was true. Thief or spy, Birger had never mastered the art of telling a convincing lie. Except to himself. He was great at that. Still, with others, he had always preferred stealth, and his swordmanship was at least average. Cons, however, were unappealing to him.
At least Lorenzo taught him a way to avoid outright lies by saying nothing, so he tried that. Birger reached for the pouch, but Elise plucked it away.
She asked, âDo you accept?â
Damn, sheâs too clever for that trick. Birger grinned at her. âWhy me?â