Author interview: RJ Palmer

RJ Palmer tells us about her latest novel, Birthright, and her writing process.

Jerome: What can you tell us about Birthright?

RJ Palmer: If you want spoilers you've come to the wrong place however I can say honestly that Raine Donnelly is a very special person in ways no one can ever guess and the impact of those differences would change the course of the history of humanity.

Jerome: Who are your readers?

RJ Palmer: The people who enjoy reading Birthright will be science fiction buffs and those who enjoy a good technical thriller with an edge of the surreal as well as those who enjoy a few twists here and there would quite easily and happily get lost in Birthright.

Jerome: What was your journey as a writer?

RJ Palmer: To be completely truthful I was flat broke on a winter day and unquestionably bored half insane so I sat down and started writing which in turn spawned an enduring love affair with the written word.  Lacking the courage to take the chance I've quietly been writing and sitting on a lot of my work for years until my husband rather insisted that because I have a talent of which I'm aware I have an obligation to share it with the world.  The rest is pretty much history.

Jerome: Do you follow a specific writing process?

RJ Palmer: Absolutely not.  Although I do tend to enjoy Beethoven when I work, in my opinion it tends to impede the creative process if one refuses to let their mind draw on its own capacity for brainstorming and brilliant ideas without a certain set of criteria that has to be just so.  My mind is always brimful of different ideas that, should I choose so, I'll draw on.

Jerome: Where do you find inspiration?

RJ Palmer: Most of the time I put as verbose a description to real-life scenarios as I possibly can and then use the emotions that I feel applied to a completely fictitious circumstance.  Does that sound at all crazy?

Jerome: Who are your favourite authors?

RJ Palmer: I have been an avid and almost maniacal Dean Koontz fan since I was thirteen and picked up my first book authored by him.  To a lesser degree I like Piers Anthony and I admire the tenacity of Anne McCaffrey who chose a more elite genre of authorship in what is in my opinion the most elite career choice on the planet.  Has anyone truly given thought to how exceedingly difficult it is to be a novelist?

Jerome: Is there a book you wish you had written? Which one?

RJ Palmer: If I had to choose it would be multiple books.  The Inheritance Series by Christopher Paolini is absolutely amazing though I can tell he took example from J.R.R. Tolkien.  Not a bad thing.  I would also love to have the singular calibre of talent of Stephen Donaldson who wrote the Chronicles of Thomas Covenant because he frankly does not seem to have been afraid to let thoroughly adult concepts impede the flow of his writing.  Also to have authored the Harry Potter Series would be awesome because quite frankly and to indulge a moment of materialism J.K. Rowling is richer than Croesus.

Jerome: Do you have any tips for budding writers?

RJ Palmer: Yes, as a matter of fact I do.  Be stubborn and persistent.  If you know you have the talent and ability to make it as a writer or novelist, don't let anyone tell you any different.  Does anyone know how many rejection letters I've gotten from agents?  You know the form letters that roughly paraphrased state, "The quality of your work is not in question but we're going to say no anyway."  Too many to count.  Rejection is part of the process and just because someone with a chip on their shoulder who says they're too busy or that you can't write says no, that doesn't mean you don't have the talent and ability to make writing a most fabulous and satisfying career choice.

Jerome: What are you working on at the moment?

RJ Palmer: I've had a bit of writer's block at the moment.  I'm working on another novel and though I've tried everything I can think of to get the creative process moving again and I know which direction I want to go with my new work, titled Sins of the Father, I'm beginning to believe that it would be better to relax and let nature take its course, so to speak.  If anyone has advice about getting rid of writer's block, I would most certainly welcome any suggestions.