I was lucky to get an interview with Peter Blaisdell, the author of The Jinn and the Two Kingdoms, one of this year’s #SPFBO8 entries.

Please, tell us a bit about yourself…
Well, I live in the greater LA area. On the non-literary side of my life, my youngest daughter just graduated from UC Berkeley, so I’m super proud! Also, she’s a terrific writer! Anyway, I have a Ph.D. in Biochemistry and have conducted postdoctoral research in microbiology. Currently, I work in biotechnology. Strangely, though I write mainly fantasy, my science background influences my narratives. I think this right/left brain mixing results in better prose. On the literary side of my life, I write modern and literary fantasy novels. My latest book, ‘The Jinn and the Two Kingdoms’, is a literary fantasy. It’s the first in a series set in a mythical kingdom of jinn, and the human realms of medieval Spain and Arabia. I’ve also written a three-book, modern fantasy series including, ‘The Lords of the Summer Season’ set during the 'Summer of Love' in 1967; The ‘Lords of Oblivion’ with environmental themes and ‘The Lords of Powder’ set during Miami’s cocaine wars (this one has kind of a noir fantasy vibe).

“My main goal is to entertain readers, but if I can also include cool ideas and motifs, that’s where the real magic happens.”

— Peter Blaisdell

Why did you decide to take part in the SPFBO?
I’d read some of Mark Lawrence’s books, but until last year, I had no idea he sponsored a contest focused on indie fantasy novels. Who would have thought! Anyway, as indie writers know, getting high-quality reviews is critical to gaining readership, so this was a good chance to be reviewed and see how I measured up to my peers. Also, it’s been a total eye-opener for me to see the sheer breadth of work in this space – including high/epic fantasy, grimdark, slipstream, paranormal, LitRPG, and modern fantasy. While some of the entrants stick to ‘traditional’ narratives, many of this year’s entrants seem willing to stretch the boundaries of the genre. As long as the stories are good and there’s magic, I’m all for this.

Why should we buy your SPFBO8 book?
The Jinn and the Two Kingdom is (I hope) a cool blend of literary fantasy and fast-pacing. The protagonist, Thiago, is a jinn (or djinn). He doesn’t think of himself as a demon, but he is. He’s also a thief, which drives the story-arc. The story is set in a magical kingdom of jinn, and in medieval Arabia and Spain. A portal connects the magical and human worlds which leads to conflict. In fact, though Thiago begins as a thief, by story’s end, he needs to stop a supernatural war. Importantly, though Thiago is the ‘main’ character, ALL the characters are strong and when I shift POV, I tried to write as if that character thinks it’s their story.

What got you into writing? And how long have you been doing it?
I’ve always written either for work or to entertain myself. I read widely. So, looking at what great authors can do inspires me to try to be creative.

Why did you choose to write fantasy? And why pick this particular fantasy subgenre?
I write fantasy because it’s a genre that encourages – demands – that the author use their imagination. And also because you can mix interesting themes in with the magic, spell-craft and demons. My main goal is to entertain readers, but if I can also include cool ideas and motifs, that’s where the real magic happens.

Your subgenre question is a good one, because there are dozens in the fantasy space, but I like the literary fantasy angle because it pushes me to be imaginative, but also try to include more ‘main-stream’ fiction notions like voice and theme.

What’s the best thing about being a writer?
Freedom. You’re the god of your own little world. Whatever you can dream up, you can put into the story.

What’s the hardest thing about being a writer?
Freedom. Because you’re the god of your own little world, you’re wholly accountable for what reader’s see. You owe them a good, well-written story. That’s harder than it seems.

Do you have a tip, app, tool, or resource you recommend to authors?
Try to write clean sentences without too many adjectives and adverbs; it’s amazing how powerful simple subject-verb-object sentences can be to move the action along. As Mark Twain said, ‘If you catch an adjective, kill it!’. Of course, that’s an extreme position, but after reading too many sentences resembling the following: ‘hunky werewolves chase sexy vampires through the nighttime streets of a darkened city under diamond bright, pitiless stars’, the reader has the right to want something more straight-forward. Don’t kill all your adjectives (and adverbs), but don’t over-use them, or they lose their potency.

Also, plan your book marketing; you can write incredible stuff, but you’ll labor in obscurity unless you also focus on the business side of writing. Especially as an indie author, you must decide why a busy reader with a million choices should look at your stuff.

Further, editing is super important for the quality of your work. Someone said that you create a book during the editing process. I think it’s true. Much of this is what the author must do themselves to revise/improve their work. But beyond a certain point, it’s impossible to truly check your own novel – I’ve tried! Also, your friends won’t/can’t do this either – they don’t want to offend you by calling out flaws. So, consider paying a professional to provide copy editing help.

What new projects are you working on?
I’m working on another novel to follow up on ‘The Jinn and the Two Kingdoms’ with the same main character, Thiago. It’s still in the gestation stages where I’m working through the themes and the major story arcs. This is the fun part! After that, it’s work to distil all of your ideas into a readable novel.

Anything else you would like to say before we close?
First, best luck to the other SPFBO authors!

Also, can I include my favorite two quotes from The Jinn and the Two Kingdoms?

“I’m a woman among men, a skeptic among believers, a servant among princes, and a scholar amid the ignorant.
Which gets me killed first?”
Describes a Spanish librarian, Lubna, who helps Thiago, the jinn (in chapter 1).
“The jinn juggled emeralds.
He started slowly, but soon he had the jewels moving so fast they formed a seamless green circle. The gems were as big as hen’s eggs, heavy and expertly cut, a king’s ransom that he casually orchestrated. Moonlight refracted the jewel’s facets splashing the jinn with a green glow.”
Describes Thiago (in chapter 2).

Interesting answers! Best of luck in the competition, Peter, and with sales.
Thanks for doing the interview.

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