For our second interview with authors from Fantasy Short Stories Issue 1 we have Jake Scholl, author of ‘Demon Stone’.

Can you tell our readers a little about ‘Demon Stone’ and how you got the idea for the story?

‘Demon Stone’ came to be when I participated in JulNoWriMo (July Novel Writing Month) in 09. Like with National Novel Writing Month the challenge was to write 50,000 in a month.

Since I didn’t have a novel idea, I decided to write short stories and articles. With ‘Demon Stone’ I had a basic plot in my mind, and went from there. Before the tale appeared in Fantasy Short Stories, the story was rejected three times. Every time it was rejected, I reworked the story.

Then, two years later, it was accepted. It was a very pleasant surprise.

Who are your favourite fantasy fiction authors, and why?

I have too many favorites, lol. The top writers I like are Robert E. Howard. Michael Moorcock, David Gemmell, Dennis L. McKiernan, Terry Brooks, Terry Goodkind, Andrzej Sapkowski, Weis & Hickman, and of course J.R.R Tolkien (I would be a heretic not to admit Tolkien.) : )

The worlds these authors have created sucked me in, and have never let me go.

Are there any authors that you admire from other genres?

Stephen King, Ernest Hemingway, and Ray Bradbury. King because his voice is so authentic and unique. Also because he’s a master of writing from experience.

Hemingway because his writing is short, snappy, and to the point.

Bradbury because reading his stories are like reading poetry. I recommend reading his work out loud to get the full effect.

How did you get into writing, and why did you choose to write fantasy?

When I was a kid, I had a hard time with the fact I couldn’t play with the other kids my age. I have Muscular Dystrophy, and I’m confined to a wheelchair. For me it was too depressing to watch my friends play on the playground or play soccer.

To fight off my self-pity I started reading. I was always encouraged by my parents and grandparents to read whatever I wanted. To explore new worlds where I could walk and run.

I started reading T.A Barron and Brian Jacques. The stories by those two, especially The Mirror of Merlin  and Redwall inspired me to pick up a pen and start writing. That excitement from exploring these worlds is what inspired me to write.

What do you do when you’re not writing?

I read. : ) I also like watching movies (Saw Avengers recently. Very very good!), and playing Xbox. I play a lot of Halo and Call of Duty, and every once in awhile I play an RPG. (The RPG I’ve been playing lately is L.A Noire.) I also do some Blogging, and I’ll list those links at the end.

Are you working on any other short stories or novels at the moment and if so can you tell us a bit more about them?

I’ve been working on novel that I wrote back in November. It’s called The Blade in Hiding, and currently I’m looking for an editor. The plan is to self-publish.

The book is a Heroic Fantasy, and here is a little blurb I wrote:

When Stefan’s family is slain by the power mad King Warrick Volung, he vows to seek revenge for their horrid deaths. He joins the Ranger’s Guild to learn how to capture and fight evil doers, to prevent more death and destruction.

His current mission: to assassinate someone who is going to terrorize the population of a large city. Stefan had always been told to try to capture someone alive, and only kill if necessary.  Never has he been told to kill and ask no questions. The further he gets into the mission, the more he becomes embroiled in a plot that threatens all of Kronea.

Nowhere is safe.

What are your ambitions as a writer?

To write and publish until I die. : )

Jake Scholl is a 20 year old writer and blogger from Idaho. ‘Demon Stone’ is Jake’s first published short story. You can read his ramblings on writing and life at http://jakeescholl.wordpress.com/ and his book reviews at http://fantasydreamer12.wordpress.com/

Also, you can find him on Twitter and Goodreads.

Related articles

• Free extracts of Fantasy Short Stories Issue 1 now available (fantasyshortstories.org)
• Author Ray Bradbury dead at 91 (abc.net.au)
• Author Ray Bradbury has died in California – USA TODAY (usatoday.com)