Guest Author Interview with Jami Fairleigh
I recently had the opportunity to interview fantasy author Jami Fairleigh, author of The Elemental Artist series. I hope you enjoy our Q&A! –AJ
Hi, Jami. Thanks for giving me the opportunity to interview you today. Can you introduce yourself and your book(s) to our readers?
Thanks so much for having me on, A.J.!
I write fantasy, and right now I’m obsessed with the idea of art-based magic. The Elemental Artist Series features Matthew Sugiyama, a talented artist who can alter reality through his art. The series follows him as he searches a friendly post-apocalyptic world for his birth parents. Along the way, he finds much more than he expected. The series explores privilege, family, and gender equality while poking at our current idolization of politics, religion, power, and money.
Would you like to talk a little about your writing process?
I’m still refining my process, but what works best for me is to storyboard my novel. I write the main event in each chapter on a mini sticky note; usually one line. That gives me enough of a framework to write the novel without spoiling the surprise of what happens. My note might say “finds dead body” but I don’t know who the body is, or how they’re connected to the story, until I write the scene. As needed, I can rearrange the sticky notes (or add brand new ones!) so my storyboard outline never feels restrictive.
In your Elemental Artist series, the main character, Matthew, has a very unusual talent. He can paint/draw on a canvas and make changes to the real world around him. I think it’s a very interesting concept. What was your inspiration?
Blame Bob Ross. As a child, I watched him churn out happy little trees, mountains, clouds, and buildings with fascination. Watching his landscapes—little worlds—appear on his canvas was magic. My seven-year-old self was convinced that if he could create out of nothing, then improving what already existed had to be easier. My undergraduate physics and chemistry courses didn’t dissuade me—there is something there in quantum physics. It’s just beyond reach, but whoever can learn to flick their finger or a paintbrush or a keyboard key stroke to change the whirling bit of subatomic energy will (and should) change the world.
It was very clear to me as a reader that you’re either very familiar with painting, or did a lot of research ahead of time. Can you explain what you did to prepare for writing Matthew’s character in that regard?
Because Matthew is an artist, it was important to me to see the world through his eyes. While I sketch and play with watercolors, I haven’t taken any art lessons. So, to understand what they had trained him to do in the abbeys, I read a lot of books and watched art tutorials. I also follow artists on Instagram who specialize in the mediums the books focus on.
Oil and Dust focused on oil painting, Graphite and Turbulence focused on graphite, Charcoal and Smoke focuses on charcoal, and Ink and Waves will focus on sumi-e which is Japanese ink painting.
Matthew has a few loyal animals that accompany him on his journey, but I think Charcoal (his dog) was my favorite. Would you like to comment on his animals for the readers, and explain the significance of their names?
Unlike my human characters, many of the animal companions in the books are based on my pets. Charcoal is my dog Taro’s best self. Oxide and Magnesium are based on two of my horses, Tate and Emmett. Matthew named his version of my pets after the pigments he used to paint them. An ongoing joke in the series is “Donkey” who doesn’t have a formal name because Matthew hasn’t painted him… yet.
There was a fairly large cast of supporting characters between the first two books in your series. Personally, Akiko was my favorite (she’s hilarious.) As the author, did you have a favorite side character, and what made them your favorite?
Ugh, you’re not kidding. Charcoal and Smoke has 59 named characters in it, though many of these you’ve met before and some are animals. For an introvert, I seemed to have densely peopled my books… perhaps something I should investigate!
Picking a favorite is giving me heart palpitations. I enjoy writing about everyone in Matthew’s found family, and after finishing three books, they feel like real people to me. So, I’m going to take the easy way out and pick Charcoal. Side note: At one point, I considered telling Matthew’s story through Charcoal’s point of view.
Do you have any upcoming releases you’d like to talk about?
My next release will be Charcoal and Smoke, the third book in the Elemental Artist Series. Its scheduled release date is 3/23/23 because, palindrome!
What project(s) are you currently working on, and can you share anything about them?
I’m a quarter of the way through drafting Ink and Waves, the last book of the Elemental Artist Series. I haven’t decided on a release date yet because I want to take my time and ensure I wrap up all the story threads in a satisfying way. Here’s a secret—the thought of finishing this series is terrifying! I know how it ends… but I so want my readers to find the ending inevitable yet surprising.
Luckily, I have several more books planned that I’m itching to write (all with art-based magic too!), so I’ll use them as the incentive to get me past my anxiety about ending this series.
Besides being a writer, what do you like to do in your spare time?
Oh boy. I hope you’re not paying by-the-word for this website because I’ve taken to saying my hobby is collecting hobbies.
I garden, sea kayak, hike and backpack, sketch, watercolor, and am into photography and DIY home improvement. I read, cook, ski, and I’m a horseback trail rider. I’m into training dogs, parrots, and horses, and trying new restaurants. I’m an enthusiastic sourdough baker, and love to can, pickle, and ferment foods. I travel, snowshoe, I’ve tried stone carving, and I ride on and off-road motorcycles. I’m a licensed skydiver. Next month, I’m getting certified to scuba dive. I’m currently learning how to make digital art. I’ve played with snowboarding and competitive mounted orienteering. I want to learn how to weld, make furniture, cross-country ski, and get into dressage and maybe mounted drill team. With any extra time, I’d love to learn how to make small talk, play polo, and play the guitar I bought on an enthusiastic whim.
Do you have any parting thoughts you’d like to share?
Read books. Review books. And if you haven’t already, try indie-published books too! Request your library picks up your favorite books. Tell everyone you know about the books you’ve enjoyed.
Writing novels takes so much time, creativity, energy, and endurance and we do it to share our stories and connect with others. A huge thank you to everyone who has read my books, and an extra serving of dessert for anyone who reviews them. You are why we write.
A big thank you to Jami for taking the time to chat about her books.
The Elemental Artist series is available Amazon.com, or you can learn more about Jami and her series on her website, jamifairleigh.com.