Please Welcome my fellow Gypsy Shadow Author, Julian Adorney
For more about Julian, stop by his Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Julian-Adorney/261486503861813
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Who first introduced you to the love of reading?
That would be my 3rd grade teacher, Ms. Hughes. She recommended I read Terry Brooks’ The Sword of Shannara. It was a thick book, but from the first chapter I was hooked. Terry’s world was so layered, with distinct cultures and exotic creatures that somehow felt as real as history. I remember reading for hours, letting the outside world fade as Shannara—the homey city of Culhaven, the abandoned grandeur of Paranor—swept me up. I finished the book in about a week.
Who influenced your decision to become a writer?
K.A. Applegate, who wrote the Animorphs series. I remember being struck by how real her characters felt: she used first-person, and she got in her characters’ heads so well that you could pick up any one of her books, flip to the middle, and figure out who was narrating, just by reading a page. Those 6 characters came alive for me, until I almost felt like they lived outside her books. I realized that I wanted to create characters like that, people I cared for. Even when I write today, I try to make my characters come alive.
She also taught me about the magic in the world. Animorphs was bursting with the unexplored: new creatures the kids could morph into, new alien species, new environments. Some other aspects of the books weren’t that amazing, but K.A. Applegate definitely made me see the magic of the unexplored. When you write, you have a blank canvass and no limits except your imagination, and there’s no freedom like that. I realized early on that if I truly wanted to explore everything—not only this world, but others; not only the 21st century, but ancient civilizations—than I needed to write.
Finish this thought. “If not for--------I would be-----------“
If not for Ms. Hughes, I would be a businessman. I’m good at business, and there’s definitely money there. I think I’d run marketing campaigns for a small firm, make good money and be fairly happy. I still would have adventured, and tried to see over the next horizon like I do in my writing. But adventure wouldn’t have been my career.
On that all important DEDICATION PAGE who did/will you thank?
My dad, Thom Adorney. He was my biggest supporter even in middle school. He edited my first novel, let me relax during summer instead of working so that I could write, bought me books on writing for my birthday. When I finally publish a novel, I’ll dedicate it to him.
For more about Julian, stop by his Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Julian-Adorney/261486503861813
Or you can go to
I also was influenced by Terry Brooks--his Kingdom of Landover series. I love sci-fi and magic, and look forward to exploring your works! Nice interview.
ReplyDeleteNice to meet you. I only recently started reading Terry Brooks. Rosemary Sutcliffe was my big favorite as a kid--I wanted to write like her.
ReplyDeleteGreat interview! I enjoyed reading it. That support from our parents in the writing endeavors can really go a long way. My mom was HUGE on all of us 7 kids doing chores, but whenever I sat down to write, she would not push chores or anything on me. In fact, she even kept my siblings from interrupting me while I wrote! And my dad handled the business aspect of things until I was old enough to understand them. He also bought me writing magazines. I'm glad your dad supported you. Thank you for sharing.
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