Jon Sprunk

Today I wanted to share some of my favorite books.

My all-time favorite novel is Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert Heinlein. I discovered it when I was in high school and since then I think I’ve read it about ten times. Every time, I am enthralled by Heinlein’s rich futuristic world that somehow encapsulates the nuances of the 60’s (at least, how I envision the 60’s). For me, the book is also special because it marks the first time I was able to see, as someone who aspired to become a writer, how a book could contain a powerful universal message without sacrificing the story.

Next on my list a two-way tie for second place, between J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings and The Black Company by Glen Cook. These two novels are the bookends in my fantasy pantheon.

Tolkien’s epic opus is a piece of remarkable scope. I’ve heard it said by professionals in the industry that a book/trilogy like LotR couldn’t be published today. It’s too ambitious. Too different, or it was at the time of its publication. And yet, nearly every fantasy author I know claims it as an important influence. I try to read the trilogy every few years. It’s almost like a pilgrimage. While I don’t write anything like the late Mr. Tolkien, I can appreciate the richness of his language, and the dedication to devote such a large part of one’s life to an imaginary world.

The Black Company, by contrast, is a series of such grit and nastiness that it can almost be considered the anti-Tolkien. I call it fantastic realism, and it’s a school of thought I follow with vigor. On the surface, TBC is almost simplistic. The names of the characters (Goblin, Croaker, Silent, Lady) and setting (cities such as Opal and Charm) are so plain as to be descriptive, but deep currents stir beneath the surface. Intrigue plagues the Company from start to finish and you can never be quite sure where anyone’s loyalties lie, which makes for a delicious read.

That’s it for today. Stay posted for some of my favorite (and least) movies.

Edit: I forgot one of my favorite books from outside the genre.

In Anna Karenina (better than his more-famous War and Peace in my humble opinion), Tolstoy explores themes of marriage and fidelity. His command of language and pure human emotion is out of this world. It’s really a book that a writer has to hate on some level, because you realize as you’re reading it that you will never write anything half this good. But then, Tolstoy is a master.

Howdy. I’m transferring all the blog entries from my website (www.jonsprunk.com) to this page. This is the very first:

Hello, folks!

First, I’d like to thank everyone for tuning in. For this first post, I don’t have a long spiel, except to say that I feel very thankful to be finally breaking into the ranks of published authors. I have been reading fantasy/scifi since I was quite young. I started with novels like ‘The Hobbit’ and ‘Kothar and the Wizard Slayer’ (thank you, Gardner Fox). I suppose my writing is a natural extension of my love for those early books. I often dreamed of publishing my own stories, but it wasn’t until a small press by the name of Fantasist Enterprises accepted my short story, ‘The Artist,’ that I got my first taste of professional credit. I published two more stories with FE, and a couple elsewhere, but the entire time I yearned for the real prize: a novel.

I’d written three books before ‘Shadow’s Son.’ I pitched two of them at conventions to various agents and publishers, got some inklings of interest, but always the inevitable rejection. (The first book I ever wrote to completion is, as they say, the book of my heart. I don’t know if it will ever see publication, but it’s passages and themes are never far from my thoughts.)

Anyway, when Lou Anders (Pyr Books) offered me a tenative deal for ‘Son,” I was over the moon. I’d dreamed of that day for so long, I didn’t really know how to react. Except to thank Lou profusely, and then call my wife at work to share the news. She cried.

After that, events proceeded at a whirlwind pace. Before I could blink, my agent (Eddie Schneider of JABberowkcy) had negotiated a three-book deal for the entire Shadow Saga. Lou was talking about some artists he was considering for the cover art. There was the dreaded Author Questionaire to fill out for the PR department.

Then came the rewrites. I won’t lie. Upon submission, some part of me considered ‘Son’ to be complete as-is; perfect in every way. I suppose most authors must feel this way. Otherwise, how could we ever send our babies out into the cruel world? But once I read the publisher’s notes (and my agent’s notes — he had some ideas as well), I understood what they were saying. So, I dug in. Fortunately, it wasn’t as painful as I had feared. The changes didn’t require me to rewrite the entire book from front to back. And, as I worked, I found a few other places that could use improvement. Finally, my work completed, I submitted the new and improved manuscript to Eddie, and he passed it along to Pyr.

That was a week ago. I’ve heard that Lou is reading it between his many other projects (the man is a machine). So what now? Well, I’m back to work, working on the next book. The pressure is on. Writing isn’t just a hobby now, it’s a profession, and one I intend to perform well.

Anyway, that’s enough for now. I’ll try to keep this blog going on the regular. Feel free to drop me a line and let me know what you think.

— Jon