Let’s get started. What’s your name? Who are you?
Jake Bible. Yes, that’s my real name. I’m a novelist. I write full-time. It’s a hard job, but I have had waaaaaaay worse, trust me.
What books have you written?
I have nearly twenty published novels by a couple of publishers. For Permuted Press I have the medieval space fiction series Reign of Four, the middle-grade ScareScapes series, my YA zombie novel, Little Dead Man, and the Bram Stoker Award nominated YA horror novel Intentional Haunting.
What first inspired you to become a writer?
I love telling stories. I have always been full of ideas. Folks have said I’ve been full of something else, but I guess that goes hand in hand. I’m a natural born liar, is what I’m saying. 😉
And what compels you to continue your career as an author?
Money? I’m only half joking. I do this full-time, so it is the way I make my living. But, honestly, I don’t think I could ever stop writing. I’ve told my wife that when it comes time to retire I’m going to retire and be a writer. Seriously. I could do this until they find my corpse slumped over my keyboard.
What is your most recent work?
For Permuted Press, my latest work is Reign of Four, a series of space opera novels I like to call “medieval space fiction.”
What can audiences expect from this series?
The Reign of Four series is true space opera – a mix of sci-fi and fantasy. Although, with this series I would say it’s a mix of sci-fi and historical fiction. I call it “medieval space fiction,” and it’s based on the lives of Edward I, II, II, and The Black Prince of England. Edward I was the king during William Wallace’s rebellion (Braveheart). Crazy drama and filled with so much passion and story that I felt I needed to adapt it into a classic space opera tale. But it’s not filled with spaceships and lasers. The tech is very primitive, invented by a civilization long dead and only maintained by the current civilization, not built upon. It has a very middle ages feel, yet it’s set in space.
Why do you write in the world of science fiction and horror?
I hate rules and in sci-fi and horror you can break every rule and make up rules. It’s freeing at times. With horror I never have to worry about pulling back. I can be as explicit and grotesque as I want. The same with sci-fi. I can be as fantastic as I want, my imagination is the only limit.
Was it difficult to go from writing a fun middle-grade kids’ series to writing an epic science fiction series for adults?
Not at all. I switch up genres all the time, so going from one to the other didn’t present any problem. Even writing for different age groups isn’t an issue. I love to entertain and tell a good story. That’s the hard part – telling a good story. Once I have a hook and I know my story will work, then the rest is easy, not matter the age group of the genre.
What are your dreams for the future as a writer?
Success. But not so much for me. I want to be a best seller and have the financial freedom so my wife can stop working, if she wants. She’s a public school teacher, which means she gets paid almost nothing for the work she does and gets absolutely zero respect. I can’t stand that. So I want to hit it big with a series and let her follow her dreams and passions. Only fair since she’s been teaching the children of this country how to follow their dreams and passions, right?
Is there anything else that you would like for people to know about yourself and your work?
They should know that my writing is varied. I have everything from zombie fiction to straight sci-fi to straight horror. YA, middle-grade, adult. Some of my work is thriller/adventure-based, some is scare-the-pants-off-of-you-based. I use extremely foul language in some novels and none in others. Never put me in a box and never assume you know what you’re getting. Just be prepared for a good story and some novels I promise you’ll get lost in.
Where can people find more information about you?
My website is jakebible.com. You can find links to all of my novels, links to my Facebook page and my Twitter feed. I also have a podcast where I talk about pro writing. And I give away free micro-fiction every Friday! Come on by, y’all!
Preorder Jake’s new title REIGN OF FOUR: BOOK ONE, out July 7th!
