Today I have with me James Matlack Raney and we're discussing his debut novel,
Jim Morgan and the King of Thieves. I had the pleasure of meeting James at a conference this summer and I'm very excited that he agreed to stop by my blog.
First, a little about his book...
Jim Morgan and the King of Thieves
by James Matlack Raney
Synopsis:
Young Jim Morgan loves everything about his life: ignoring his old tutor’s lessons, flaunting his new clothes, terrorizing his servants, and perfecting the fine art of snobbery. But the night his father returns from a mysterious sea voyage with the secret to a vast pirate treasure, Jim's world is thrown upside down.
Now Jim must escape the clutches of his father’s wicked enemies, decipher the magic of a gypsy witch, hide from a shadowy pirate and his talking raven, and outwit the King of Thieves and his army of pickpockets.
If he is to survive, Jim must learn to trust new allies and discover the power and magic of true friendship. And through it all he may, just possibly, uncover a hero hidden within him, and live an adventure beyond his wildest dreams.
And without further ado,
please welcome James Matlack Raney.
Cherie: Where did the spark
for Jim Morgan and the King of Thieves come
from?
James: That’s a good
question, mostly because I’m not entirely sure when the entire idea actually
coalesced into one story in my mind. But
I know it began with the desire to tell the story of a boy who loses his father
and goes on a great journey to become something he thinks would make his father
proud. That’s an important theme to me
personally and I just felt the need to talk about it through an adventure
story. Everything else, like the pirates
and thieves and treasure, all fell into place after that.
Cherie: I think it’s a
wonderful theme! When did you first realize you wanted to write for children?
James: You know, I never
consciously decided that this book was going to be for kids. When I was growing up, I wasn’t aware of this
hard line between Young Adult, Middle Grade, etc. To me, there were the little kids books
(which I didn’t like so much) and then there were just books, and I loved
reading books. That idea has really
carried over for me into my writing.
Yes, the hero, Jim Morgan, is 11 years old, but I didn’t want to write
just for 11 year-olds. I wanted to write
a good book that someone of any age could enjoy. Hopefully I accomplished that.
Cherie: I think all ages love
a good adventure. I know I do. J What do you
like most about writing for this age group?
James: Your imagination is so
fertile at that age! It’s amazing! When I was younger, reading books would
really whisk me off to other worlds where anything was possible, and I would
love to give that same sensation to young readers from this generation.
Cherie: I love your cover!
How much input did you have in its design?
James: I had some input, but
I really have to hand it to Lora Lee.
She is an amazing artist! Something
that really helped was that Lora read the book before
designing the cover. So much of what
came out was her interpretation of the story.
She blew me away! Check out her
other work at loraart.com.
Cherie: I definitely will. What
is your writing process like?
James: I try to keep it as
organic as possible. I do outline,
mostly to get the skeleton of the plot and the pacing right, but I purposefully
try not to overdo that. I really like to
discover and explore the world and events there as they are happening. Sometimes this method slows me down a bit,
but it also has resulted in some really great twists and surprises.
Cherie: Do you see this as a
series, and if so, what’s next for Jim Morgan?
James: Yes! I’m actually working on the sequel now. Things are going to get tough for Jim and his
friends as the story progresses. The
humor will still be there, but Jim is going to be tested by darker forces than
he faced in the first novel. It’s going
to be very exciting!
And now for some random, fun
questions…
Favorite color?
Blue. Been my favorite since I was a boy!
Snickers or Almond Joy?
Going to have to go with
Snickers on this one – those are good!
Are you a morning person or
an evening person?
I love the morning,
especially for writing! It’s a quiet
time of day when my mind and my imagination are less cluttered and more
energized. I get much of my best work
done before noon.
Do you have any guilty
pleasures that get you through the writing/revising process?
I love to reward myself with
a movie at a movie theater after finishing a long section or difficult portion
of a novel. And I go all out: popcorn,
soda – the works!
Favorite place to write?
I like writing in coffee
shops. For some reason I enjoy having
other people around while I’m writing.
Perhaps it’s all in my mind, but sometimes I feel like I capture a bit
of the energy from the activity and conversations around me. Plus, going somewhere besides home makes it
feel a little bit more like going to work or to the gym – I’m headed to this
place with a purpose and I need to get that purpose done!
Thanks, James, for being with
us today and congratulations on the release of your novel!
For more information on Jim Morgan and the King of Thieves:
About the author:
James Matlack Raney grew up all over the world, in Europe, Latin America, and Africa, before winding up in the mysterious land of horses and bluegrass – Kentucky. Now he calls Southern California home, writing adventures and occasionally living a few of his own.
Besides writing adventures about magical treasures, scheming thieves, and daring pirates, he also enjoys playing guitar, reading a great book by the pool or at the beach, and seeing his far-away friends and family whenever he has the chance.
Find James Matlack Raney
