In this chat we get to meet Jamie Russell. Author of Skywake Invasion (out in March 2021) He has really taken a deep dive into these questions and is a real down to earth guy. Sit back and enjoy this one folks…
First off, tell us a little about yourself…
The most important thing you need to know about me is that I am human.I am a carbon-based life form made up of oxygen, carbon, hydrogen and a bunch of other really important elements whose names I forget. I am definitely not an alien, unlike some of the characters in my new book.
Tell us about your latest book…
SKYWAKE: INVASION is the story of a gamer called Casey who discovers that her favourite online shooter SkyWake is actually a training tool created by a mysterious alien race called The Red Eyes. When Casey and her friends compete in an eSports tournament, the Red Eyes attack and abduct the best gamers. They’re planning to use them as soldiers in a war across the galaxy. Casey has to use all her gaming skills to rescue her little brother Pete and save the day. It’s an action-packed adventure about videogames, aliens and what it means to be a leader.
What was your nickname at school? (If you had one)
I always wanted a really cool nickname like “Ninja” or “Doc” something. Hmm, maybe “Doc” isn’t that cool now I come to think of it… The only nicknames I ever got were the obvious ones that came from being shy, overweight and wearing glasses. Funny enough, there was a boy nicknamed “Ninja” in my school but it was really a bit of an insult because he was the least ninja-like person you could ever meet (after me). Apparently one day he’d bragged that he knew martial arts (he didn’t) and the name just stuck forever.
Were you good at writing at school?
I’m not sure I was good at it, but I definitely loved it. Putting words on a page is like magic. You start with nothing and you end up with a story… I mean it would probably be more useful if you started with nothing and ended up with a lump of gold or a cure for cancer, but good stories can definitely change the world in exciting ways. The first story I can remember writing was when I was five and it was about a whale trapped in an aquarium. He found a secret tunnel that led out to the ocean and managed to escape. I have to admit, that story didn’t change the world…
What was your favourite book as a child?
I had lots! I became a big sci-fi fan after my dad told me about a grown-up book he was reading called The Illustrated Man. It was a collection of short stories centred around a man covered in tattoos. When you looked at his body these tattoos came to life and told a different story in the book. One of the stories totally blew my mind. It was about a brother and sister who have a virtual reality screen in their bedroom. They use it to go into the African savannah and they make friends with a pack of lions. When the parents complain about how much time the kids are spending in their room, the children send the lions to eat them in real life… I was SO shocked! I didn’t know stories were allowed to be that mean and nasty. I was also amazed by the technology in the story. How could the lions come to life and what was up with the talking dinner table that apologised when it forgot the ketchup?
That story made me want to read sci-fi. I read lots of novels by an author called Nicolas Fisk, who also had a bit of a dark streak in his work. He wrote a book called Grinny about an alien who pretends to be an old lady and a series called Starstormers about a bunch of kids who fit rocket engines onto an asteroid and blast into space. They’re looking for their parents but they end up being chased by a strange alien race.
What was it that inspired you to become a writer?
I always loved writing, but I was never sure I could become a writer. It took me a long time to find the courage to write stories. I think I was always worried that no one would take them seriously. But one of the biggest influences on me when I was young was the choose-your-own-adventure Fighting Fantasy books. I read them all cover to cover and then I discovered games like Dungeons & Dragons, Paranoia and Call of Cthulhu. I had quite a few books of rules and campaigns and I used to pore over them creating characters and creating stories. But I never really found anyone who wanted to play them with me. So I ended up with all these folders full of maps and story points and characters with elaborate backstories. It was a bit sad, but it taught me lots about storytelling and world-building.
What are common traps for aspiring writers?
Starting and not finishing. It’s really easy to get really excited about an idea and write a bit of it and then get stuck and stick it in a drawer somewhere and never come back to it. The key to writing is to realise that you have to finish what you start. You can’t show half a story to anyone. Well, I guess you can, but it won’t really impress them. It’s like cooking someone half a meal and asking them to eat it…
If you could tell your younger writing self anything, what would it be?
Writing stories is like riding a bike. I don’t mean the bit about “Because you never forget how to ride a bike”. I’m thinking more about the bit at the start where you keep falling over. Learning to ride a bike takes time and you have to accept you will fall flat on your face many times and end up covered in cuts and bruises. Learning how to write a good story involves lots of face plants.
What was an early experience where you learned that language had power?
When I was young I had a speech impediment. My words would come out in a garbled mess that no one could really understand apart from my mum. I had to have speech therapy to help me. I remember one Saturday afternoon going down the street to knock on a friend’s front door to ask him if he wanted to come out and play. His dad answered the door and he couldn’t understand a word I was saying. I kept trying to explain but nothing I said worked and he was looking at me like “Who is this weird kid talking nonsense?” I ended up running home in tears. It taught me how valuable it is to be able to say what you want to say and have people understand you.
What other authors are you friends with, and how do they help you become a better writer?
Children’s book people are some of the nicest people I know. They’re all so kind and ready to help one another. It’s really different from the world of journalism and film, where I started my career, which is a lot more cutthroat and competitive. Being part of a positive writing community is the best thing because writing can be a lonely business and it’s great to know people who you can moan to about how hard putting words on paper is.
If you weren’t a writer, what would you be doing?
I’d be a full-time climate activist because I’m really aware of how much more work we need to do to protect the planet. But my dream job, if I could do anything, would be to be an actor. Being a writer means you get to play all the different characters in a story in your imagination. It’s not the same as actually bringing a character to life using your voice and body, though. I’m in awe of how actors do that. I’d never had the confidence to stand up in front of people and do a job like, that so it’s just a daydream.
Has a book ever made you cry? What was it?
The Velveteen Rabbit always makes me cry. It’s about a boy who has scarlet fever and all his favourite toys including his soft rabbit are sent to be burned. It’s a story about what it means to love someone unconditionally, even though they’re not perfect. When I got married we had reading from it at my wedding, which was really fitting seeing as I was asking my wife to love me forever despite me being completely and utterly imperfect in every way.
What is your writing Kryptonite?
The best thing about writing is “having written”. The actual writing itself is often quite hard, especially at the start of a project. So one of my worst characteristics is impatience. I always want to get to the “I have written” stage rather than the “I am writing” stage. I have to remind myself to stop because it’s a marathon not a sprint.
What was the best money you ever spent as a writer?
Psst, wanna know a secret? The best thing about writing is you don’t need any special equipment to do it. A pen and a notebook, that’s it. You don’t need to buy a fancy laptop or an antique writing desk to be able to create magical worlds. But there is one thing you need and that’s time. When you’re young, that’s not a problem. But when you get older and you have bills to pay, finding time to write becomes much harder.
If you’re doing a full-time job that isn’t writing-related, it’s really hard to come home at night and start putting words on paper. So the best money I ever spent as a writer was the money I put aside so I could write full time. That’s a really boring answer, isn’t it? Maybe I should tell you about the antique walking stick sword I bought so I could write a story about a Victorian adventurer. It has a secret lock on the handle and when you twist it you can pull out this thin sword from inside the stick and use it to fight off street robbers who are trying to steal your pocketbook.
As a writer, what would you choose as your mascot/avatar/spirit animal?
On my desk I have a little glass box full of Mexican skeletons. They’re sitting in a bar with a jukebox, drinking tequila and having a party. I used to live in Mexico and Mexican culture is obsessed with death and skeletons. Mexicans don’t really see them as scary monsters, more like a reminder that we’re all going to die so we should probably make the most of things.
What does literary success look like to you?
Writing and finishing something. Having at least two people who aren’t related to me by blood say something nice about it. Earning enough money from publishing it to go and make up another story.
Do you Google yourself?
Argh! No! That’s the worst! I try not to read my reviews either. If they’re good, I don’t believe them and if they’re bad, I believe every single mean word and they end up seared into my brain forever.
And most importantly… What is your favourite biscuit?
This is the wrong question. I’m not a big biscuit eater. Ask me about my favourite crisps.
What a pleasure it has been having Jamie on Stoomio. I love his detailed and insightful answers! Thank you for being awesome Jamie!
If you’d like to know about Jamie or stalk him online I’m more than happy to facilitate that…
www.jamierussell.co.uk | Twitter: @JamieRussell_74 | Pre-order Skywake Invasion
*If you are an author (or publisher who would like to introduce an author) and would like to do your own q&a, or something else, to feature on the blog then send me an email… It’s a great opportunity to wax lyrical about your work and do some shameless self-promotion.
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