An Interview with Jacob Mical

Jacob Mical is an author, reader, and avid Arsenal fan. My love affair with literature began, like so many others, by reading The Lord of the Rings. Storytelling is second nature to me and hearing others’ stories has always inspired my creative tendencies. My published work includes: The Death of Kale, Into the Ink, and Invia. If just one person feels the wonder and magic my favorite stories have inspired in me because of my work, then my literary journey will be worth every moment.

What inspired you to start writing this book?

My entire literary adventure can be traced back to Tolkien’s masterpiece The Lord of the Rings. It was there I discovered to power of the author’s pen to so inspire. It fascinated and thrilled me to understand that everyone is a creator. Anyone could manifest such beautiful things from their own mind to relate them to the world around us. This work is the marriage of those concepts. The awesome power of the author’s pen combined with the wonder of what it would be like to adventure to these creations ourselves. As I’ve worked on this project over the years, I have come to understand that the creator of said stories has a responsibility to their creations. The impact tales and stories can have do not happen in a vacuum. So, the idea that authors should protect their stories was born and who wouldn’t want to be able to travel to their favorite tomes and hang with their most beloved characters?

Tell us the story of your book’s current title. Was it easy to find, or did it take forever?

Enter Zarnum has only recently been found as the title of this work. I was well into the creative process by the time the idea came to me. It fits this novel perfectly in many ways. The title is literal, but it also represents the beginning of something extraordinary, the revelation of a world building project years in the making. So, it is a fitting title for the work itself as well as an invitation to the reader to enter my world, a world with infinite possibility and even more stories to tell.

Describe your dream book cover.

My covers always detail a certain scene in the novel. At the very top, probably behind the title itself, would be the upper torso and face of a wizard looking character, wizened and white haired. The angle of his gaze would be down as if observing the scene below. The scene below would be the red dragon and the phoenix facing off within the tornado of fire. The phoenix would be depicted with long tendrils of fire protruding from it trying to batter the dragon out of the air. Below, on the ground, the army of the flame would be marching towards the river where the heroes await their demise.

If your book had a soundtrack, what are some songs that would be on it?

This one is pacey and action-packed, thus I would say any of Vivaldi’s more dramatic pieces would be appropriate. Perhaps, some Iron Maiden “Run to the Hills.” There are also some moments of pure bliss and serenity that could be accentuated by say Bob Marley’s “Three Little Birds.” Just like my tastes, the roller coaster this one is would require an eclectic soundtrack.

What books are you reading (for research or comfort) as you continue the writing process?

I’ve had my nose in innumerable works for research but whilst doing so, I do not read the entire novel. I have, however, read the entire Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan during my work on this project. Also, the most recent trilogy by R. A. Salvatore entitled The Way of the Drow. Another series that has somewhat influenced many of the passages involving dragons is The Age of Fire series by E.E. Knight. Laura Resnick created a world in the works In Legend Born and The White Dragon that I have looked back through for inspiration a couple of times as well. As this has been a long running project, I have been able to consume plenty of others’ work simultaneously with my writing.

What other professions have you worked in? What’s something about you that your readers wouldn’t know?

I produce a podcast about the world of soccer (football). I am an avid Arsenal fan in the English Premier League and have been doing The Cup Chasers podcast for almost two years now. I played soccer for 20 years as well before injury ended all hopes of being Leonel Messi.

Who/what made you want to write? Was there a particular person, or particular writers/works/art forms that influenced you?

As ordinary and typical as it sounds, The Lord of the Rings was the first story that really grabbed me and it has never let go. I tried to read The Fellowship of the Ring in the 4th grade and couldn’t get through it. A few months later I found The Hobbit and absolutely loved it. That meant I was ready to tackle the big haus and I have never looked back.

Do you have any writing rituals?

I am not a fan of silence. I have to have some kind of music playing but I do not like lyrics while writing. Classical symphonies or something intense and dramatic. My musical tastes are wildly diverse meaning that there is no telling what exactly I will be listening to on any given day. Usually, it’s dark and dramatic, intense and pacey. I have always connected to music innately and intimately and I can draw energy and focus from it and so I do.

What is one thing you hope readers take away from reading your book? How do you envision your perfect reader?

The main overarching purpose and lesson to be learned in this one is the relative nature of each of our stories. We are all characters experiencing our own tales. The secret is that you are also the author of your novel, the maker of your own destiny. Reality is our own to create.

Are you a writer, too? Submit your manuscript to Atmosphere Press.