Today's Stop: Author Interview with J.L. Burger
Hi J.L Burger and thanks for stopping by! :)
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Where did you get your inspiration for writing this book?
Secrets of the Alchemist was actually my
daughter's idea. I had never actually intended to write a book at all,
but one day she came home from school with an assignment that read: If you could write a book about anything you wanted, what would you write about?
At first glance it seemed like a typically boring assignment from a typically insipid 4th-grade
English teacher. I think my daughter took less than five minutes to
dash off her answer. But her terse little response was dynamite enough
to… well, to change my life.
She wrote: I would write a book about two children who travel back in time to the Middle Ages. Their names are Nora and Tomik.
As
soon as I saw her answer, my head began to fill with colorful little
images of two modern-day kids, unexpectedly inserted into a world of
castles, banquets, knights and wizards. These images were soon replaced
with burning questions. “So they go back in time. Who do they meet?
How do they react? How do the people from that time react to them?”
Presently, my parental pride got the better of me. I said to myself, “You know what? Let’s write this book!”
After
that, I came to realize just how much has to go into a book, and there
were many other inspirations for me. As it happens, I am well-connected
in the realm that was once known as Bohemia (now known by the
much-less-romantic name of The Czech Republic), so I knew that the story
would take place there. Anyone who has spent time in Bohemia knows of
Rudolf II, arguably the most superstitious monarch in history. His
court was full of swindling alchemists and misguided astrologers – the
ideal place to throw a couple of poor, unsuspecting kids from the 21st
century. A little more research unearthed a colorful cast of
characters for the novel -- all of whom really existed, by the way.
I
was also heavily influenced by some books and movies relating to the
themes in my novel. Most important of all was a Czech children's movie,
The Emperor and the Golem, which takes place in Rudolf's court.
For further inspiration regarding how to handle time travel, I read
through Mark Twain’s A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court, Michael Crichton’s Timeline, and Linda Buckley-Archer’s The Time Travelers, and I watched the hilarious time-travel movie Just Visiting, which I highly recommend.
So, as you can see, many things went into
Secrets of the Alchemist. But if it hadn't been for my daughter and her English teacher, it never would have happened!
What do you think makes a good story?
The things that are most important to me are a good
plot and a healthy injection of humor. I especially like it when the
plot has lots of little twists where things that happen early on turn
out to be important later on in the book. That happens a lot in Secrets of the Alchemist.
If
there are things in the book that aren't integral to plot or character
development, that's okay with me -- as long as they make the reader
laugh, smile, or at least scratch her head.
So that's how I always try to write.
How important are names to you in your books? Do you choose the names based on liking the way it sounds or the meaning?
Almost all of the characters in Secrets of the Alchemist are real
historical figures, so I didn't really have any choice in selecting
their names (except for the main characters Nora and Tomik, whose names
were chosen by my daughter). In other things that I've written, the
selection of names generally depends on the type of story. I usually
just choose a name because it sounds right to me, not for any special
meaning. But if I'm working on really lowbrow humor, then I'll try out
some name humor. One short story I'm working on right now features a
King Oderouss of the Kingdom of Landfille. I guess it doesn't take much
imagination to figure out where that came from or what it means...
Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
I like to travel back in time 50-100 years each year. So 10 years from now I'd hope to be somewhere in the 13th century, hanging out with Genghis Khan and his cronies.
I
also hope to keep writing at a good pace. It would be nice to have
written another 10 books by then, as well as 500 short stories.
Okay,
I realize the part about the 500 short stories is probably impossible.
But at least the rest of it should be pretty doable. I hope Genghis
likes Earl Grey Tea, I'm planning to bring a couple of packets with me.
Is there one subject you would never write about as an author? What is it?
There are many subjects I wouldn't write about. I write for fun, so I
wouldn't touch themes that are no fun -- like politics, business or
religion. Those are just things grown-ups like to argue about. I'm no
grown-up and hope never to be one.
What is your favourite book and why?
I'm going to give you three answers to this
question. The reason for this is that, when it comes to reading, I have
three distinct personalities (does that make me trizophrenic?).
I read aloud to my wife and to my kids, as well as to myself. In each
case, I read a different type of book and have different favorites.
For my kids, where we read mostly fantasy books, I'd be torn between Lord of the Rings, which I think is the greatest story ever told, and Terry Pratchett's The Color of Magic, which made me laugh more than anything else we've read. In the end, however, the winner would have to be Jonathan Stroud's Lockwood & Co.
It has an incredible mix of suspense, humor and excellent
storytelling. I've read over 100 books to my kids, and they're all
great, but my children have never responded to a book as
enthusiastically as to Lockwood & Co.
For my wife, to whom I read a mix of thrillers and historical fiction, the top book we ever read was Shogun.
What a masterpiece! The level of historical detail is stunning, the
presentation of the cultural conflict between Europeans and Japanese is
mind-blowing, and the manner in which Michener presents the political
machinations of the Japanese elite is pure genius. The fact that the
book is about 1,000 pages was actually a bonus. We never minded that it
seemed to never end!
For myself, I mainly read the classics. I think the book I enjoyed most in recent memory was
The Brothers Karamazov.
I really like the juxtaposition of the three brotherly personality
types and the corresponding way in which they lived their lives. I
wasn't particularly happy with how he had them end up, but the book
itself presents a lot of food for thought while simultaneously keeping
you on the edge of your seat.
For your own reading, do you prefer ebooks or traditional paper/hard back books?
I read both ebooks and traditional. If I'm relaxing at home, I still
prefer to hold a book in my hand. But ebooks have made it much easier
for me to read everywhere I go -- it's wonderful being able to have a
couple of hundred books in my pocket! I can never understand how
everyone in line at the post office is just staring at the ceiling. I'm
somewhere off traveling in time, reading a book about distant times and
faraway places on my Kindle App. I get a few rude stares when I reach
the front of the line and my head is buried in my phone, but generally
what I'm reading is just a lot more interesting than buying stamps...
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Title: Secrets of the Alchemist
Author: J.L. Burger
Genre: Middle-Grade Fantasy Adventure
Length: 391 pages
Release Date: April 2014
ISBN-13: 978-0615984827
Imprint: Mythos Press
SYNOPSIS: What are Nora and Tomik to do? They’ve been transported 400 years back in history, and have no clue how to get back home. The members of the Royal Court refuse to let them leave – everyone believes that the children are wizards, come to save their struggling empire.
Well, not quite everyone. The wicked chamberlain wants to toss the children into the castle’s deepest dungeon. The crazed, witch-hunting duke is starting to look at them funny. But worst of all is the emperor’s prized alchemist. He just wants them dead – and has a bag full of sinister tricks to make it happen.
It looks like the only way out of this predicament is to save the empire, after all. But how? Nora will have to come up with some magic of her own, and fast – for his next trick, the scheming alchemist is planning to make the children disappear… forever!
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It was at an early age that J.L. Burger discovered the secret to traveling in time. Since then, he has scoured the universe, searching for the deepest mystical knowledge, sowing discord and trouble along the way. He was most recently sighted in ancient Troy, making tasteless jokes about the hole through which the Greeks exited the rear of the Trojan Horse. His most horrific stunt of all, however, was grossly overcooking s'mores in his microwave last summer. Unfortunately, there are some mysteries that are not meant to be solved...
When not traveling in time and space, he resides in New Jersey with his lovely wife, two mostly-charming daughters, and two mostly-smelly dogs. He spends his summers in Europe, inspecting the most recent advances in medieval torture devices.
Book Page
Website
Find Secrets of the Alchemist at:
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Maritza Brikisak plays Death in “The Cursed Man.” COURTESY PHOTOS
