Welcome to Sugarbeat’s Books – The Home of the Romance Novel!
Today we are welcoming Jonathan Westbrook, the author of A Legend in Time to the blog. He’s going to share some thoughts and some information with us about his new book. Make sure that you come back tomorrow and check out the excerpt that he is letting me post! Very interesting!
Barb – Tell us about yourself.
Jonathan – By day, I am a technical illustrator, which doesn’t always placate my creative needs, so by nights and weekends, I put words together that will hopefully entertain those who read them. I live in Connecticut, with my two cats, two dogs, two kids, and one very supportive wife.
Barb – How long have you been writing?
Jonathan – My first published piece appeared in a high school magazine publication called Mindscapes almost forty years ago, but the bug didn’t infect me back then. It was shortly after the movie Good Will Hunting came out in 1997, that my best friend and I said we could write a story of our own, just like Ben Affleck and Matt Damon had. Unfortunately, to this day, that project is still a work in progress, but I decided to not let that stop me because I loved the process—coming up with an idea, developing a flow chart of major events to follow, and then bringing the characters to life. But, after having spent so long working with my friend, I questioned, “What would I write about?” And then it came to me … when I was a young boy, fishing with my dad, he told me that (four-hundred years ago) the Princess of Lake Pocotopaug had committed suicide by leaping off of a cliff to the rocky shore below. Why did she die in such an awful way? What if I could visit her in the past to find out? What if I were the cause of her demise? From those questions and more, and after a bunch of research, A Legend in Time emerged.
Barb – Who are your cheerleaders? Who encourages you to continue writing?
Jonathan – So far, anyone who has read A Legend in Time has been very enthusiastic and supportive (to my face, anyway), but the top of the list goes to my wife (my constant first reader) and my best friend (a constant source of inspiration).
Barb – What’s the hardest part of writing a book?
Jonathan – Believe it or not, but for me, it’s the title. A title is the first thing a reader sees, so either it’s going to interest them or it’s not. A writer wants to grab the audience right away with something catchy, of course, but one that makes sense too, and that’s not always an easy thing to do.
Barb – What’s your favorite part of writing a book?
Jonathan – I always start with a flow chart to steer by, making sure all of the major points are addressed, but what I love most is when an idea enters the book while I am writing it which I hadn’t put in the flow chart. It becomes an “Ah-hah!” moment for me.
Barb – Tell us about your first novel?
Jonathan – A Legend in Time has something in it for everyone: romance, historical fiction, action-packed adventure, and a little bit of science-fiction mixed in for good measure. Readers are invited to join James Sutherland as he chronicles his daring first journey to four-hundred years in the past, where he becomes a captive to his new surroundings—a New England area populated by the Wangunk Indian tribe. On the shores of Lake Pocotopaug, he finds fulfillment and love in his life with the beautiful Indian princess, Namoenee, but his Eden is interrupted by those from the future who oppose him.
Barb – What is your favorite scene?
Jonathan – My favorite scene came to me as one of those “Ah-hah” moments—it definitely was not planned. When James decides to return to his own timeline, he comes across his younger self at a gravesite, and it ties the book together because the scene is in the front of the book as well, and it gives an explanation to the events that occur.
Barb – Who is your favorite character in your new release? Why?
Jonathan – My favorite character is the love interest of James, the Native American princess, Namoenee. She is strong and capable of anything she puts her mind to doing. Unlike James, she is in complete control of her life. Her name means, “She That Is Curious,” but I like to think of her as willing to try new things, even in the face of danger, even in the face of death.
Barb – Do you see yourself in any of your characters?
Jonathan – The protagonist is based on me back at a particular time in my life, but as far as time traveling is concerned, I’ll let the readers decide if there’s a connection between me and James Sutherland.
Barb – What book is currently on your nightstand?
Jonathan – I just finished reading The Gone-Away World by Nick Harkaway. It’s a great romp involving a nameless soldier in the Go Away war, which is apocalyptic and fueled with conspiracy (not to mention ninjas, mimes, and cannibal dogs). This multi-faceted novel was fun, intriguing, and kept my interest throughout.
Barb – Do you have an all time favorite book?
Jonathan – Just one? Oh boy, that’s a tough question. I enjoy reading Dan Brown, Piers Anthony, and William Shatner, to name a few.
Some individual favorites include:
A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole
Rule of the Bone by Russell Banks
Handling Sin by Michael Malone
Four Testimonies – a book of poetry by Kate Daniels
But my all time favorite has to be Stephen King’s Misery. I’ve read all of his works (except for the Dark Tower series) and Misery just keeps coming back to my mind time and time again.
Barb – Where can readers find your books?
Jonathan – On Amazon as a paperback
On Kindle
On Nook
Barb – How can readers stay in touch?
Jonathan – Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1805374880#!/jonathan.westbrook
Twitter – https://twitter.com/#!/JonWestbrook
Official website – http://www.westbrookdesigns.com
Barb – Anything else you would like to add?
Jonathan – Book Two of the James Sutherland Chronicles has just been made available to the reading public. It’s called Onboard the Marauder. In this sequel to A Legend in Time, James continues to chronicle his amazing adventures through time, where he must save the life of a woman, whose name he doesn’t know or what she even looks like. She originally survived her oceanic pilgrimage to the Americas in 1721, but with the interference of James’ rivals, she dies when her ship is sunk by pirates!
Thank you Barb, and Sugarbeats Books, for giving me this opportunity. I always love introducing my book to new readers.
I’d like to thank Jonathan for dropping by and sharing with us today! I must admit, the book sounds pretty exciting! Come back tomorrow and take the opportunity to read an excerpt!
Amazon Purchase Link for A Legend in Time: Book One of the James Sutherland Chronicles
I totally get the title being the hardest part. I have always thought it would be.