Jonathan Winn

answers the Usual Questions

Has your interaction with fans, for example, at conventions, affected your work?

I haven't really taken advantage of conventions and the like yet, though there may be an event coming up in the next few months I may attend. I've found the best interactions to have been from those readers who recognize me on the street and amble over for a quick hello and a handshake. I love those. It's always nice to have a chance to thank someone personally for supporting your work.

Is there any particular incident (a letter, a meeting, a comment that stands out?

With a reader? Well, a film director I greatly admire reached out at one point and complimented me on how strong the writing was in Proseuche and how great the books are going to translate to film. That still stands out as one of the top moments for me so far.

Do you have a favourite author or book (or writer or film or series) that has influenced you or that you return to?

I still hold Anne Rice's The Witching Hour up there as a book that inspires me. Although I read it differently now than when I first read it -- as we grow, our awareness of what constitutes a good read grows as well, so that's not unexpected -- I still find it to be a sprawling epic centered around a fantastically told story. And the effort that went into weaving all those disparate generations together into a cohesive narrative? Oy vey.

Who is the person you would most like to be trapped in a lift with? or a spaceship?

Okay, I know I have all of history to choose from as well as everyone there ever was, but, honestly, I have a new friend, a student, who is interesting, fascinating, quick, funny. I think he could be great company if I found myself stranded.

Who is the person you would most DISlike to be trapped in a lift with? Or a spaceship?

Any number of reality TV stars. Really, just take your pick and, yep, there's your answer. I just find most of them vapid, self-involved and clueless. So, nope.

book cover, Proseuche, Jonathan Winn; 140x187

What would you pack for space? (Is there a food, beverage, book, teddy bear, etc that you couldn't do without?)

Good question! And I really don't have an answer. Really, there are just too many things I covet that I feel I'd need. Seriously. You should see me when I pack for trips. How the kitchen sink hasn't ended up in my luggage is beyond me.

What is the most important thing you would like to get/achieve from your work?

I tend to rewrite history in my work. Offer alternatives to the world as we've come to understand and accept it. If I can help someone reach beyond what they've, perhaps blindly, accepted as "the facts" and consider the possibility that perhaps the reality might have been different, then that'd be cool.

What is the special satisfaction of your work?

It goes between telling a really good story and those moments when I find the story telling itself. There's a real excitement to be found in balancing those two. Crafting the narrative while, at the same time, getting out of the way for those new, unexpected and exciting plot points.

submitted by Jonathan Winn

27 August 2014

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Just the facts:
Born: Seattle, Washington
Resides: U.S.
Bibliography/Awards:
Full-length novels:
Martuk the Holy ("Highlight of the Year" - Papyrus Independent Fiction Awards)
Martuk the Holy: Proseuche
Short Fiction -
THE MARTUK SERIES:
The Wounded King
The Elder
Red and Gold
Anthology:
Forever Dark in Tales from the Lake, Vol. 2 (upcoming from Crystal Lake Publishing)