J H GAINES IS IN THE HOUSE
AUTHOR OF THE
SCIENCE FICTION/ FANTASY SERIES
ZACHANIA
' I wanted to create characters that have feelings, fears, it was important to me to give them a side which we can all associate with, the story is set in a mythical time but I saw no reason why I could not show them having the common traits we all possess.
When I started writing I had never even read a book before but I loved watching epic movies, Dune especially impressed me, I loved the way it showed its leading characters thoughts, this was how I wished to write, I wanted the reader to feel the characters thoughts and feelings as they turned the pages'"
Joseph Henry Gaines
A 'coming of age saga' for its main character: Talon of Tallasian.
Talon born in the Imperial land of Kratos is a descendent
of the Zachanian's, the once fearless fighting men from Zachania who for
centuries were the nemesis of the empire until they were hunted and conquered
into extinction. Talon's parents fearing for their family's safety, live by a
strict rule where they guard and hide their heritage. Tallonus, Talon's father
having lived his entire life in fear of his true identity, vehemently refuses
to hand down this knowledge and burden to his sons.
Endeavoring to disregard the root of his lineage, Talon is
enlisted by his father to be a soldier of the Empire where he excels on every
level. As the years pass, he slowly begins to uncover his origins and begins to
understand his secret Zachanian powers. Now a soldier, he rises quickly up the
chain of command where one day he stumbles upon an ancient secret and prophecy.
A secret the Empire has guarded for centuries. He discovers their terror and
the atrocities they have committed to hide this truth. What happens next is the
story of a man who finds himself in a world surrounded. Haunted by his past and
hunted in his present, he has two choices. Remain a soldier in the Empire and
live a life in the shadows, or risk everything to discover who he truly is and
the truth of his ancestral history....
AUTHOR OF THE
SCIENCE FICTION/ FANTASY SERIES
ZACHANIA
BIOGRAPHY OF J H GAINES
"Writing Zachania began over twelve years ago, what started as a hobby turned
into an epic tale of heroism and revenge surpassing over 1400 pages, inspired by
films such as Dune, Joseph Gaines found himself growing into his
characters.
As you turn the chapters you can feel the emotions of the leading
characters as Gaines brings them to life.' I wanted to create characters that have feelings, fears, it was important to me to give them a side which we can all associate with, the story is set in a mythical time but I saw no reason why I could not show them having the common traits we all possess.
When I started writing I had never even read a book before but I loved watching epic movies, Dune especially impressed me, I loved the way it showed its leading characters thoughts, this was how I wished to write, I wanted the reader to feel the characters thoughts and feelings as they turned the pages'"
Joseph Henry Gaines
DEBORAH: What an incredible accomplishment writing a 1400 page epic! So, this writing journey was inspired by the film Dune, and therefore, not something that had "dogged" you since childhood. Since writing, have you ever been able to put your pen down or has it become like breathing to you now?
It
was a mixture of things coming together which started me writing. I began with
poetry at a time in my life of very deep emotions, and just started to write
down what I was feeling, it kind of had a medicinal effect on me. This was also
the time when I met my future wife, and as I was already writing bits of poetry
and of course being an old fashioned English gentleman, I began to woo her with
my writing. At first I would write her a little note then she got a poem every
day telling her how gorgeous she was! She jokes to me now that it was the reason
she fell in love with me.
Zachania started twenty years ago
when my fiancée was working as a croupier at one of London’s top casinos and I
began to notice that she would always take a book to work with her to read
during breaks. One day I joked that I could write her a better book than she was
reading and she dared me to do it! So when she came home from night shift,
waiting for her on the table was about ten pages of a new book called Zachania.
(Pronounced Za-Kania) I cannot remember where the name came from, just somewhere
in my head. When I woke in the morning I found next to my manuscript was a
letter saying how much she enjoyed the book and that she could not wait for the
next instalment. So that is how it all began, every night I would write a few
pages until it just seemed to take on a life of its own and I found myself
really enjoying writing it.
To be
honest I never even imagined getting it published. That happened because I
stumbled on to creataspace while web surfing one day this year, our wedding
anniversary was fast approaching and I thought it would be a nice gift and
surprise to give my wife ‘our book’ as a present.
That
was in May 2012 and now I am writing, or at least trying to!
That
is what makes life so wonderful and exciting; it is amazing the changes and
surprises we sometimes find along our path.
My
biggest challenge at the moment is trying to learn grammar and sentence
structure. I was unfortunate to leave school almost illiterate but over the
years I have managed to get by and educate myself to a relatively acceptable
standard. But now I have to raise my game, I know I have to improve, but in all
my life I have never been one to shirk a challenge.
I
suppose I began to write before I learnt how to write!… but to me writing is
about what is in the heart, and what you can imagine. Finding a way to express
the feelings and thoughts onto paper is something that is easier to learn than
the passion and pain that inspired it in the first place.
DEBORAH: What an incredible story, writing before you really knew how to write. I have such great respect and admiration for you, first because you're not ashamed to admit you were deficient in grammer, but mostly because of the strength of your spirit which caused you to push forward, forget current circumstances and to accomplish so much with your writing.
What are you writing now, and do you think it will be another whopping 1400 page novel?
That
is not an easy answer! Currently I am juggling different books and ideas and
desperately need some ‘strategic planning’. First on the list is Zachania Tome
two, it is already handwritten but needs to be typed and edited. I am managing
to complete around ten to fifteen pages a day and I am on page seventy (40.000
words) so I still have some way to go.
I
should imagine Zachania tome one and two when completed will be around four
hundred thousand words which I may in time just make one large book?
As
for your question about 1400 pages! The sequel to Zachania, called Kalitash is
well on its way to surpassing that, again I have it handwritten and I am trying
to ‘entice’ my thirteen year old daughter to type it into a word document for
me. She can type around four times faster than me or judging by the way she
text’s her friends on her cell phone she could probably type the whole thing in
a week or so! ‘The Diaries and Chronicles of Talon the Zararhakzar’ is also
being worked on which as the title explains is a small subsidiary book about
Zachania’s main character.
I am also trying to get the
second instalment of ‘The Krays Not Guilty your Honour’ completed and published.
www.krays.org That is just a notebook
full of ideas at the moment and at least six weeks of really hard work away. I
was hoping to get the second book published by Christmas but that was hopelessly
optimistic! It is not just putting the time in, but finding the correct frame of
mind as the Kray’s series of books are crime books that need a hell of a lot of
creative flow.
DEBORAH: More than 1400 pages! I find that utterly amazing and confess at this point in my life, I wouldn't have the paience to do that. You'll have to let me know what your daughter decides to do!!
As a prolific author, I'm sure it's impossible for you to read novels, but if you were to sit down with a paperback or a Kindle to read, would another genre interest you? Maybe a vampire series by, hum, let me think. ME? LOL
Deborah, if I could find the time
to read, then your new novel would be top of the list!
Reading??? I am just looking at
my bookcase and it filled with many different genres. I would say the majority
of the novels are autobiographies from the London crime scene and lots of sports
books, mostly boxing. I have three bio’s Obama, Alan Sugar and the Apple guy and
have not yet got round to reading them.
It is
also funny, that even though I have books published on kindle, I do not own one
yet! My eldest son has saved his money and wants a kindle fire Hd so maybe he
will give me a go and get me hooked, then I can find some time to read a bit
more.
After
Christmas I will also be working on a new project that I own the rights to. We
have just accepted and finalised the script for a new film about the life of a
relative of mine Joey Pyle.
We
are very excited at the moment with this and have some big name actors showing
interest. Ideally we want to make a UK version of ‘Once upon a time in America’
which starred Robert DeNiro.
Whatever really happens in the
future is never certain, only that somewhere along the way, there will be
surprises. But I am having fun at the moment and looking forward to the rest of
2012 and the releasing more novels in 2013. Who knows? This illiterate boy from
the ‘Bandit’ streets of South London may one day become a full time author, now
that would be something I would have laughed my head off about in a different
lifetime a few years ago.
Thank you Deborah for
giving me the chance to introduce myself and answer your questions and I hope
people enjoy my novels and some of the crazy worlds I have crashing around my
head .
JH
DEBORAH: That is very exciting news JH! I wish you supreme success and a happy journey! I'm glad we met and had the opportunity to do this, JH. You're an interesting man full of wonderful ideas and thoughts and stories. When your next book Kalitash is released next year in 2013, I'd love to do a cover reveal for you! Until then, you've given us 4 books to read, filled with adventure and fantasy! Thank you Joseph Henry Gaines of the UK for joining us from across the pond! Let me leave everyone with a synopsis of Zachania.
SYNOPSIS OF ZACHANIA TOME ONE
Pronounced 'Za-Kane-e-are' in the English language
An Epic tale of revenge filled with secret realms, heroism,
wizardry,
witchcraft, romance and chivalry.A 'coming of age saga' for its main character: Talon of Tallasian.
Talon born in the Imperial land of Kratos is a descendent
of the Zachanian's, the once fearless fighting men from Zachania who for
centuries were the nemesis of the empire until they were hunted and conquered
into extinction. Talon's parents fearing for their family's safety, live by a
strict rule where they guard and hide their heritage. Tallonus, Talon's father
having lived his entire life in fear of his true identity, vehemently refuses
to hand down this knowledge and burden to his sons.
Endeavoring to disregard the root of his lineage, Talon is
enlisted by his father to be a soldier of the Empire where he excels on every
level. As the years pass, he slowly begins to uncover his origins and begins to
understand his secret Zachanian powers. Now a soldier, he rises quickly up the
chain of command where one day he stumbles upon an ancient secret and prophecy.
A secret the Empire has guarded for centuries. He discovers their terror and
the atrocities they have committed to hide this truth. What happens next is the
story of a man who finds himself in a world surrounded. Haunted by his past and
hunted in his present, he has two choices. Remain a soldier in the Empire and
live a life in the shadows, or risk everything to discover who he truly is and
the truth of his ancestral history....
FOLLOW JH GAINES
Thanking Deborah Palumbo for taking the time to be a friend.
ReplyDeleteYou're a great author and great person Debbie.
God Bless and the best of luck.
Joe
Sounds like a great book, I will definitely put on my wish list.
ReplyDeleteJoe, I feel the same; right back at you!! And Cara my blogger friend, thanks so much for stopping by and putting Joe on your TBR!!
ReplyDelete