An Interview with Riassat Karim

Riassat Karim, the author of Junky Font and the Hero’s Journey, was born in the city of Berlin, Germany on July 8 in the year of 1988. At present, he resides in Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh.

Karim holds a PUP degree from the Perdana College of Malaysia, Dhaka, Bangladesh. A born creative, he had also been a singer-songwriter during his youth with a solo album to his name (Esho Bhalobasha) which was released nationwide in October 2012.

Although Riassat had written poetry and short stories from a very early age, it was not until the age of twenty-seven that he decided to dedicate his life to writing at a professional level and, later on, to writing fantasy novels with rich characterization, profound philosophical insight, crisp pacing, and a rather unorthodox and most unique plot structure and progression.

Junky Font and the Hero’s Journey is the very first book in the Font trilogy, the other books being Junky Font and the Conquest of Bongosland and Junky Font and Otherwordly Hopes.

As of March 2025, Karim is working on a dark fantasy novel called Lucenia.

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

To be most candid, the fictional character called “Junky Font” is one that has resided in the subconscious psyche of Riassat Karim since his early childhood.

A ‘pseudonym’ for the man himself, Riassat Karim has always pictured the anomalous entity of Junky Font, a supremely gifted and one of a kind thirteen-year-old boy living in the fictional land of Bongosland, as a ‘lone wolf’ bohemian figure who, propelled by daunting life circumstances, embarks on the mythical Hero’s Journey after having responded affirmatively to his individualized call to adventure at the age of thirteen when he transitions from his primary school, Nep Yalp, to Akitsalohks, the most renowned and much vaunted high school in the entirety of the land of Bongosland.

How did it feel when you first saw your book cover? Or when you first held your book in your hands?

It was an absolutely awesome experience seeing the book cover of my book, Junky Font, for the very first time!

At this point, I would like to siphon off some time to specially acknowledge the ingenuity and artistic iridescence exhibited by the prodigiously gifted Ronaldo Alves of Atmosphere Pressand his magnificent visual arts team for their pivotal role in creating an absolutely mesmerizing art cover.

A huge shoutout to Ronald and his most talented team for kicking the ball out of the park regarding the book cover of Junky Font!

Kudos, guys…couldn’t have done it without you!

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

Prior to becoming a full-time author, I was a singer and songwriter with a pop/rock album to my name that was released in October 2012.

I also own a YouTube channel, comprising mostly of the music videos of the songs from the album as well as some on-air performances of these songs that aired on television from the years 2014-2017.

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

Having been a musician myself (and, if I may add, being an avid connoisseur of hard rock and hair metal), I possess a strong penchant for the music of the legendary German rock band, Scorpions, as well as the American hair metal band Poison.

If my book had a soundtrack, some of the songs that would be on it are “I’m Leaving You” by Scorpions and “Talk Dirty To Me” by Poison.

How was working with Atmosphere Press? What would you tell other writers who want to publish?

I must state…working with Atmosphere Press was truly a joy!

Each part of the publishing process was conducted with the utmost assiduousness and care with the most amicable publishing crew members one would rarely discover elsewhere.

Hence, I would most highly recommend aspiring authors to team up with Atmosphere Press in fructifying their literary gifts onto the grand stage—whether it be in the form of fiction (such as my novel, Junky Font) or the non-fiction category.

Atmosphere Press…a true 10/10 when it comes to publishing!

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