Hamish Downie’s Five More Questions With PJ Selarom
Editor Note: Hamish has another in his series of Five Questions With…
Hamish came up with this idea because he was accumulating too much material for his Famous News Sushi column and asked if he could do these mini-interviews. Why would we say no?
Thank you Hamish for being such a trooper for us. We really appreciate all for your hard work.
Let us know what you think of these interviews in the comments below.
TGG: PJ Selarom was our very first interviewee for the spin-off “5 Questions” column, and I’m so pleased he’s agreed to come back for another five questions! For those who don’t know you, could you please re-introduce yourself?
PJS: I’ll be honored. I’m a USAF veteran who’s crazy about fantasy. Always have been. I hail from a large Puerto Rican family and have a twin brother. And, yes he and I are like night and day. For instance, I’m gay and have always wanted LGBT inclusiveness in the fantasy worlds I read about, but could never experience it. I realized how much a profound effect that social conditioning had on my psyche and how subversive that conditioning could be, therefore, I decided to write my own LGBT inclusive series and am quite proud of it. By the way, my twin brother is very supportive.
Special hail to Mr. Coatsworth, my science fiction counterpart from another mother. I bought his first book and read his “Author’s Note” and was glad I wasn’t alone in my sentiment. Our community needs representation and I’m humbled to be a part of that process with him.
TGG: Can you tell us about the latest book in your The Jode series, “Awakenings Reckoning”?
PJS: “Awakenings Reckoning” was a thrill to write! It’s the crazier sequel to my first novel, “General Ygl & the Genie” where our heroes and heroines race across the continent of Zaendara in an effort to warn the surrounding estates about the evil fate befalling everyone. Sometimes I’d wake up in the middle of the night with extra special nuances to the epic stories. The reader will be introduced to new races with new cultures, even my editor gave me a big kudos. It was so much fun showing how our characters react to each other and these cultures. I even played around with different aspects of the title to pull the reader further into the story.
I’m so excited! One of my Jode Seekers (readers) already gave “Awakenings Reckoning” a 5-star rating fresh out the gate. I can’t wait for new Jode Seekers to get engrossed with Inner Earth as well.
TGG: I hear congratulations are in order for your first book. Can you tell us about the awards you’ve just received?
PJS: Thanks for asking. “THE JODE: Part 1: General Ygl & the Genie” won First Place in the hard-fought “Reader’s Choice Award.” I thank all my readers for their support. Across the pond, the same book won a Finalist medal in the U.K.’s “Wishing Shelf Independent Book Awards.” That was extra special because most of my readers are adults and I wanted to see how teenagers en masse would feel about the story. I’m quite honored about the response and am pleased they enjoyed the story.
TGG: I hate to ask it… but, how are you handling the lockdown? Do you have any recommendations?
PJS: I’m handling the lockdown pretty well since working on book three of the series and promoting “Awakenings Reckoning.” Recommendations? Well, that would be on lockdown, but I already gave a shout out to Mr. Coatsworth. I’m reading his “The Stark Divide.”
TGG: Sounds interesting! I’ll have to put it on my to read list. Finally, where can we find and buy your books?
PJS: You can find the first two installments to the Jode series at https://www.pjselarom.com/books I’m very very honored to have this second interview with you Mr. Downie. May you and everyone “find their hidden green.”
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