Author Interview with James Wade

Who are you?

James Wade
​

Where do you live?

Austin, Texas

---

What’s your home life like?

I live in a 144 sq ft travel trailer with my wife and our bulldog. We spent the past year and a half on the road, traveling America; but recently returned to Austin to be closer to family. 

via GIPHY

---

What genre(s) to you like to write? To read?

I've found wonderful books and authors I like in every genre. One Summer I read Stephen King, Nicholas Sparks, and Barack Obama back-to-back-to-back. My favorites to read are literary fiction, historical fiction, and southern noir. Those are also what I tend to write. 

---

Why did you start writing?

I wrote a "book" about the Alamo when I was four or five years old. Growing up I was always working on some sort of writing project: Indiana Jones fan-fiction, a horror script after watching Scream, something hopelessly romantic to impress a girl (it never did). 
​I gravitated away from fiction in high school, focusing on journalism instead. I worked for a daily newspaper in East Texas for five years as a reporter. 

via GIPHY

In 2015 I was in Austin, Texas, working a job I hated for a boss I hated. I fantasized about writing for a living and never going back to that office. I wrote a short story which was published and received positive feedback. I decided to write another one. And another one. And so on. By the end of 2016 I had 20 short stories published, and had garnered a few awards, including winning the Writers' League of Texas Manuscript Contest, and being named a finalist in the Tethered by Letters Short Story Contest. 
​
I love telling stories. I love bringing issues into focus through complicated characters and situations. I appreciate the therapy of reducing much of the world to a sheet of paper. Those are all reasons I write. But I doubt I'd be where I am now without one particularly shitty boss. ​

---

What do you do when you’re not writing?

This is always my favorite question, because there are so many writers I admire and each one of them has a unique set of hobbies or interests. 
I love to hike. Much of our cross-country trip was spent trekking through wilderness or up mountains. 
I enjoy weightlifting. There's an instant accomplishment factor with lifting a certain amount of weight. In that way, I suppose it's the opposite of waiting on a story or book to be published. 
I like to grill, go to the ballpark, play trivia at the bar. 
Movies are a must. There's not a genre of film I don't dig. 
I'm actually a certified expert at holding wine up to my nose during a tasting and nodding my head as if I know what's happening. 
Playing dominoes and drinking beer is probably the best way to spend an evening. 
And, finally, the right music and the right girl can quiet the demons; even if it's just for a moment. ​

---

Where do you like to go when looking for a new book to read?

I prefer old books, and there are still so many I haven't read. But when I'm feeling modern, I start by shopping local. In Austin, we're fortunate enough to have a treasure chest full of incredible writers. It's tough to find time to read the books my friends have published, let alone anyone else's. Still, I try to stay up-to-date with the literary world by reading debut authors, buzz-worthy best-sellers, etc. Owen Egerton's "Hollow," and David Joy's "Where All Light Tends to Go," are two recent novels which really stood out to me. 

---

At what point do you call it quits when reading a new book?

Never. Maybe that's why I don't have as much time as I'd like? If I start a book, I finish it. There's always something to be learned as a writer-- even it's what not to do. 

---

Are you independently or traditionally published?

Traditionally. Although, technically, I'm not published yet. My debut novel, All Things Left Wild, was just bought by Blackstone Publishing in a three-book deal brokered by Mark Gottlieb at Trident Media Group. I'm expecting a late 2019, early 2020 release.

---

How many books/stories have you published so far?

I've published 20 short stories, and one poem. My current publishing contract is for three novels, and hopefully there will be many more to come.

---

What book/story are you currently promoting or working on?

My debut novel, All Things Left Wild, gets the promotion.
​
My second book, Freedom, Come Find Me, is currently in the late stages of writing, and is threatening to turn into an actual manuscript soon. 

---

What’s the elevator pitch?

All Things Left Wild brings a literary style and pacing to the traditional western, exploring elements of race, religion, and human nature through a panoply of difficult decisions and deadly encounters during the turn of the 20th century.

A botched robbery leaves a young boy dead and sets two men on conflicting journeys across the untamed landscape of the Southwest. 

It's a story of revenge, but the characters make it difficult for the reader to label anyone as "good" or "bad."

---

How long have you been working on it?

I wrote it in the Spring/Summer of 2018. 

---

When will it be available to buy? Where?

I'm hoping for a late 2019, early 2020 release date. But that will be determined by the publisher. 

---

How can readers find you?

---

What inspires you to keep writing?

“If a story is only what it seems to be about, then somehow the author has failed."
​Edward Gorey

"You can't wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club."
​Jack London

---

Anything you’d like to add?

Thanks for the time. I appreciate all you do for words and the people who write them. 

---

---

Many thanks to James for taking the time to participate in The Laughably Inane Blog. I wish him great success with his upcoming debut novel, its sequels, and all his other personal and professional endeavors.

Sincerely,
​

Nicholas Adams

Just a small-town boy with an overactive imagination.