Welcome back, my fellow creatives! I’m thrilled to continue sharing some lovely indie authors I’ve met in our community–it’s so great to connect with folks again. This month, please welcome the fantasy author, J.M. Turner!

Let’s start with a journey into the past. What is your favorite childhood book?

I know it’s not one book, but I loved the Deltora Quest YA fantasy series by Emily Rhoda. It was an excellent and accessible introduction to the epic fantasy genre, with just enough complexity in the story to keep me engaged without confusing me. Each novella took our cast of heroes on a different adventure across the land of Deltora’s varied environments. Among my favorites were the dark, haunted Forests of Silence, and the desolate City of Rats.

The cover of each book in the series had artwork of the book’s “final boss”, for lack of a better term. I can distinctly remember each and every one of these, and have even used some of the monsters from the series as inspiration for creatures in my own work.

Oh yes, I love finding inspiration for creatures! I’m having so much fun utilizing my children’s creations as a foundation for some of my WIP’s characters. What first inspired you to create your debut novel, The Fine Edge of Dawn?

A childhood steeped in medieval history and fantasy; specifically Tolkein and the Legend of Zelda. I have core memories of my father reading The Hobbit to me as a bedtime story. That’s when the seed of the fantastic was planted. Fast forward a couple of years, and I’m introduced to the original Legend of Zelda. Being able to adventure in a world of medieval fantasy was an instant obsession. I was constantly imagining new worlds with unique cultures and magic. I finally started putting things down on paper in the form of (I’m ashamed to say) a Legend of Zelda fanfiction. The story and world were quick to take on an identity of their own, and I scrapped everything Zelda related. Thus, the first VERY rough draft of The Fine Edge of Dawn was born.

Hey, there is nothing wrong with fanfiction. Goodness, just think of how many stories have been inspired by folk tales, fairy tales, and mythology! Even my debut novel has hints of “Beauty and the Beast” in there…and also Highlander. It’s a complicated mix, lol. Cult classics can be such a powerful source of inspiration. What’s your favorite under-appreciated novel?

I picked up a used copy of The Chrysalids by John Wyndham on a whim at my used book store. I had never heard of the book or John Wyndham, but man did I fall in love with this novel. The story takes place in Labrador in the distant future. An apocalyptic event has destroyed much of the world and the technology within. Survivors in Labrador practice a strange form of Christianity that requires they purge any mutations found in man or nature to prevent another cataclysm. I don’t want to explain much more than that, as the story is just too good! It’s a quick read, about two hundred pages, and I cannot recommend it enough!

Writing fantasy fiction requires a LOT of important worldbuilding so readers can still feel a sense of reality with the adventure. What kind(s) of research do you do to help you with this worldbuilding?

How people lived in the medieval times makes up the majority of the research that I do for my books. I grew up loving the European Middle Ages, so I had a strong baseline of knowledge, but there are so many misconceptions regarding medieval life that many, myself included, just accepted as fact. For instance, medieval folks bathed much more often than is believed, and swords were not particularly effect weapons on a battlefield. Some of the more interesting things I’ve had to research often regard the mechanics and nomenclature of medieval technology, such as the trebuchet and crossbow. For instance, crossbows do not shoot arrows, they shoot something called a quarrel or a bolt.

WHAT?! Wait a second…I think I heard Terry Jones talk about that on one of his history specials! I could be wrong, though, lol. If you can get your hands on any of his history series he made in the early 2000s, I HIGHLY recommend a view or three. x

You recently published a second novel, Devour the Sun, which follows multiple characters into the battlefield as well as the political minefield of the court. Do you have any tips for fellow writers when it comes to weaving those multiple character arcs without developing any knots?

Something I started doing towards the end of writing To Devour the Sun was focusing on a single character and finishing their story before starting another character’s. I found this helped me keep each character’s story consistent before moving forward with making sure the interweaving tales made sense. This also helps me really get into the mindset of the characters without constant interruption from other storylines. I’m doing the same thing with my third novel and so far I’m liking it!

Thank you so much for taking some time to chat with me! Let’s end with some encouragement for your past self and all the other present and future writers out there. If you could tell your younger writing self anything, what would it be?

Focus on getting words down. Up until recently, I would self-edit while I wrote. There was a little bit of a perfectionist in me that would spend half an hour trying to get the right combination of words down on the page. It made the editing passes a bit easier at the end, but I lost so much time mulling over choices of words when the idea is the most important aspect. The thing about an idea is that it has so much potential. Ideas are living and malleable until you nail them down with flowery words. If you leave a scene barebones with only the concept holding the words together, you can come back later and have a far better opportunity of changing things for the better.

It’s always wonderful to share amazing indie authors with you in this online world! I look forward to sharing more authors with you in 2026. In the meantime, be ready for a colorful moment of gratitude, another podcast, and more. Stay tuned!

Read on, share on, and write on, my friends!