Meet Award Winning Author, J.S.Burke.
J. S. Burke is an author, artist, chemist, teacher, and marine biologist, She lives in Georgia, USA.
With all these titles to her name, she can tell many stories but in this interview, we will focus on her career as an author and her current work: "The Dragon Dreamer series" Her second book in the series "Dragon Lightning" recently won the Pinnacle Award for Best Science Fantasy.
It is an absolute pleasure for our Culture and Creativity blog to feature an interview with J.S. Burke.
With all these titles to her name, she can tell many stories but in this interview, we will focus on her career as an author and her current work: "The Dragon Dreamer series" Her second book in the series "Dragon Lightning" recently won the Pinnacle Award for Best Science Fantasy.
It is an absolute pleasure for our Culture and Creativity blog to feature an interview with J.S. Burke.
Your current book “Dragon Lightning” is the second book in a series, how did the whole dragon universe come to life?
First, thank you for inviting me to be a part of your wonderful blog! What inspired me to write The Dragon Dreamer? It all started with a bowl. I was admiring my ocean-blue ceramic bowl with its lumpy crystal, and suddenly I knew this was a dragon’s nest. Then I imagined dragon life and legends. I began writing a book about this dragon world, and Arak was born. He crashed at sea. I was surprised when an octopus shape-shifter appeared to save him! My marine science background flowed into the book, and the Dragon Dreamer worlds were born.
How do you see the series unfold in the coming books?
Arak, Scree, and Drakor will continue to be important in the story. Other characters, including Arwina and new dragons, will have a larger role.
You are also a teacher, a chemist and a marine biologist when did you find out you had the talent and the passion to become an author?
A marvelous teacher published our poems in third grade. My research papers are published in science journals and my educational Crystal series is used in school systems. I began writing science fantasy about ten years ago, for fun and as a challenge to learn a new way to write. Writing novels allows me to tap into everything I know and wish to learn. It’s fun to see the world through the eyes of a dragon,
or an octopus!
How have you managed to balance multiple careers until now?
They overlap, but I don’t accomplish as much as I’d like. I’m inventing a wormhole to go back in time and reuse the hours. I think this could be even more exciting than writing! If only I can make it safe . . . J
5.How do you feel you, as an author, can make a difference through your writings?
Words are powerful. I’ve written letters that convinced city personnel to fix safety issues and even move the planned placement of a road. My Crystal book/kits are used in public and home schools to help teach geometry and chemistry. This hand-on approach with beautiful crystals, shell slices, and a huge fossil shark’s tooth makes science real and fun. Understanding science is crucial to appreciating the many serious consequences of global warming, pollution, and other environmental problems. I recently found my Dragon Dreamer books on an ecology site!
The Dragon Dreamer books are science fantasy adventure. These are written to be a fun, immersive escape world with the ultimate diversity: dragons and octopuses. We can benefit from our differences. There are themes of ecology, communication, acceptance, “connectedness”, and more. I want to write interesting, layered books that can be read on many levels by people of all ages.
Do you have other creative skills, you like to unfold and explore?
I’d like to spend more time painting. I painted the pictures for my book covers and drew fantasy snowflakes for the chapters. I’d love to learn computer programs to help me create the painting that is so clear in my mind, but very complex. I want to complete a mixed media painting and insert several of my other drawings into this.
If you could pick any book out of the blue, you wish you had written, which one would it be?
I’m content to have written my books; authors write what is right for them. I’m amazed by the variety! There are many I love: The Velveteen Rabbit, The Elvenbane, Pip and Flinx, The Secret Garden, Left Hand of Darkness, and more. I also enjoy The Martian and books by less famous but equally talented indie authors I’ve met online. Their creativity is astounding!
Of all the characters you have ever created, who resembles you the most?
I love all my characters, even the ornery ones; all are precious to me. Scree, my philosophical octopus Healer, is the one I would most wish to be like. I love the sea, love diving, so an octopus would be perfect for me. But Scree is better than I am.
Where do you hope to see yourself in 5 years, in terms of your writing?
I’d love to finish a few more Dragon Dreamer novels, short stories from Dragon Dreamer early years, and the illustrated children’s book I’ve been working on. Thank you so much for allowing me to be part of your beautiful blog!
Thank you to J.S: Burke for taking the time to do an interview.
If you want to know more about J.S. Burke and her life and career and how to order her books, you can visit the following links:
MEDIA LINKS:
BOOK LINKS FOR THE DRAGON DREAMER:
BOOK LINKS FOR DRAGON LIGHTNING:
(Interview by B.J. all photos are borrowed from J.S. Burke)
Lovely interview.
ReplyDeleteMusic to a safety engineer's ears, too, to hear someone say, "If I could only make it safe." Too many assume progress has to go hand in hand with danger.