I was lucky to get an interview with JCM Berne, the author of Wistful Ascending, one of this year’s #SPFBO8 entries.
Please, tell us a bit about yourself…
I’m a software developer and former high school chemistry teacher. I’m married to a woman I knew in high school (she dated my best friend at the time; we reconnected 20 years later). I have two children by a previous marriage, one of whom is adopted; my wife also has two children, one of whom is adopted. My college roommate, John Chu, won a Hugo award (neither of us were in writing programs nor did we write anything at the time).
I live in the US, just outside New York City (about ten meters from the city). I’m descended from Eastern European Jews, including one grandfather from Transylvania.
“I think a key component of all fandom is meeting someone and recognizing that you share likes (and dislikes) in media. You love the same show, the same actors or films, or the same authors. This recognition creates an instant bond. You instantly know so much about the other person’s temperament, sense of humor, and even worldview, just from what they love.”
Why did you decide to take part in the SPFBO?
I feel that my book is very enjoyable, and that many people would thoroughly enjoy the time they might spend reading it, but convincing them to try it is extremely difficult. My book is listed on Amazon, but it’s competing there against thousands of similar books. No casual observer is going to take the reviews or ratings seriously, because it’s so hard to tell if they’re overly generous, from friends and family. My genre – superheroes – is not in high demand for novel readers. I have simply found no meaningful way to convince skeptical people to read a book about a superhero punching spaceships other than sincere reviews from book influencers. SPFBO seemed like a way to guarantee that at least one book influencer was forced to read the book! Unfortunately, he didn’t pass me along to the second round, but he did post a very positive review on youtube.
The short answer is that SPFBO was a chance to get some heavy exposure, with the ultimate goal of reaching a larger audience.
Subgenre: Superhero fantasy
Pages: 465
Self-published: 2020
Why should we buy your SPFBO8 book?
Almost as funny as Harry Dresden, a unique combination of magical powers and advanced technology reminiscent of the major superhero franchises, a very likeable main character with a soft tale of redemption, talking bears, a planet full of kaiju, and a cast of artificial intelligences you’ll wish were real.
If any of that sounds interesting at all, type ‘Wistful Ascending’ into YouTube and watch the reviews. Or check out Goodreads or Amazon. Because to be honest you shouldn’t trust me when I say it’s a good read, but maybe you can trust some of those other people.
What got you into writing? And how long have you been doing it?
I wrote my first full length novel in about 1998 (I’m 51, I was already an adult at that time). I’m a lifelong reader and consumer of stories – books, comics, anime, manga, television shows and movies. I generally feel driven to write when I read a story that is great but has some component that rubs me the wrong way. A plot twist that doesn’t work, an annoying character, or some aspect of the worldbuilding that doesn’t make sense. Then I am driven to create my own story that avoids that pitfall.
I wrote intermittently for a while but never had the fortitude to really go for traditional publishing. In 2020 I was feeling creatively unfulfilled by my job and had what I felt was a good idea for a universe and storyline (all sprouting from one annoying thing in the otherwise wonderful comic and cartoon Invincible that I can’t tell you about because it’s a spoiler from later in the story). I wrote the first draft of Wistful Ascending, motivating myself by promising to self-publish it “even if it sucks.” Which I did! Enough people seemed to genuinely like the story that I spent the next year learning how to write, polishing the manuscript, and writing the sequel.
Why did you choose to write fantasy? And why pick this particular fantasy subgenre?
Similarly to, I think, most people in modern society, I feel fairly powerless in my daily life. When I see injustices around me there is very rarely much I can do to correct them. I like to read and write stories that on some level are power fantasies. I like to write about characters who can right wrongs, who can fix things, can make justice. Realistic settings don’t lend themselves to that concept.
Any high fantasy setting, offers abundant opportunities for that sort of story.
Ultimately, the real world is kind of rough. I don’t think things are going great. I read, and write, to escape that.
As for superheroes specifically, I just like the superheroes. I like the visuals of character flying through the air, punching holes in things. And I like stories about heroes, where the heroes are not only trying to do the right thing, but are mostly succeeding in making the world a better place.
What’s the best thing about being a writer?
I think a key component of all fandom is meeting someone and recognizing that you share likes (and dislikes) in media. You love the same show, the same actors or films, or the same authors. This recognition creates an instant bond. You instantly know so much about the other person’s temperament, sense of humor, and even worldview, just from what they love.
When you write the way I write – writing what I love, first and foremost, not to the market or to any sense of what other people will want to read – then every time a reader likes the book, we have that connection. There are people all over the world who are now my friends because they loved my book!
That’s the best thing – making those connections, even when I don’t know about them. It’s even better when I DO know, which is why I, like most writers, value reviews so much. I like to hear that someone loved my book. But honestly it’s enough just to see someone read over a thousand pages of my writing in a single day through KU. I don’t know who did that (this actually happened yesterday) but I feel like they’re one of my people now.
What’s the hardest thing about being a writer?
Being cut from SPFBO.
I mean that to be mostly tongue-in-cheek, but that event is representative of my struggle. First of all, nobody should feel sorry for me. I’m not counting on book sales to pay my grocery bill. This is an indulgence on my part, so my writing struggles are very much first world problems.
But I write to connect with readers, and finding those readers is really hard. Days, weeks, and months can go by with few or no sales, and I often feel as if I’ve been wasting my time (and money) on this project. I really believe that there is a large audience for what I’m doing, but I don’t know how to convince them to pick up the books.
The actual writing part is challenging, of course, but not nearly as hard or heart-rending as the marketing.
Do you have a tip, app, tool, or resource you recommend to authors?
I don’t think I have any special tools, but I am always happy to offer advice: Your first draft will suck. If you write a first draft and think it’s okay, that’s because you’re not good enough at reading with perspective (yet). You need a team of people to help you rip that draft apart and put it back together, over and over, until it’s good. Which might never happen, but it might. Don’t expect your first draft to be readable – instead, hope your tenth draft is worth someone else’s time. If that sounds too hard, or you believe you’re the exception because you’re so talented or whatever, then writing isn’t for you!
What new projects are you working on?
I am deeply committed to my series. I have a very Harry-Dresden-like vision for it, and I’d like to get at least fifteen or twenty books published with this setting and characters. Book 3, Blood Reunion, releases on Halloween, and I am about to start the first draft of Book 4 (I’m an outliner, so that means I have most of the story figured out already).
Anything else you would like to say before we close?
Thank you for your time! Come give Rohan a chance! If a novel seems like too big of an investment, you can read a (I’m told) very funny free short-ish story available here (No email required).
Interesting answers and best of luck with the next books JCM Berne, and with finding those precious readers out there!
And a big thanks for doing the interview.
