J.J. Johnson, Jason C. Joyner, and Steve Rzasa, co-authors of Interstice Undone: An Epic Crossover
The Creative Council
Welcome to The Creative Council, where I interview creatives about their lives and work and the ups and downs of being a creative soul.
Today’s interview is with J.J. Johnson, Jason C. Joyner, and Steve Rzasa, who’s co-authored novel Interstice Undone is coming to Kickstarter 6 May!
Allow me to introduce them:
J.J. Johnson is an award-winning author who loves comic books, coffee, and writing fun adventure stories. After giving up his dream of becoming a professional wrestler, he settled in Edmond, Oklahoma, with his wife, their two boys, a hyperactive dog, a cat who hates him, and a bunny who nibbles.
Jason C. Joyner is a physician assistant by day where he helps patients. By night, he torments his characters and watches too much Star Wars. He’s the author of the YA superhero series Rise of the Anointed, including the award-winning LAUNCH.
Steve Rzasa doesn’t slay monsters, but he defeats word count goals. He’s the author of several dozen novels, novellas, and short stories of science-fiction and fantasy. When he’s not writing, he’s reading ... or planning the next adventure.
The Interview
Hi guys! I’ve never done an interview with three co-authors before… Let’s see what happens!
· When did you start creating? Do you remember what pulled you in?
Jason: I got back into writing stories around 2005 after I started reading fan fiction and tried my hand at writing it. I had taken some creative writing in high school and fell back in love with telling stories. When did you guys start writing?
Steve: My mom sent me a page-long short story I wrote in 3rd grade and submitted for an assignment. It’s about two guys in a spaceship having an adventure. I’m pretty sure I had built the spaceship out of LEGOS. Anyway, that’s the first recorded story. From there, I wrote a few short stories throughout my younger years and even a novel in high school.
J.J.: I started in high school, around ’95 or ’96. A lot of short stories. But after I got into college, I stopped. You know, college life and everything. Around 2004, I started getting back into both reading and writing.
· When did you start pursuing your current craft for real? As in, when did you begin to take yourself seriously as a creator?
Jason: In 2012, I decided I wouldn’t be that guy that said he’d write a novel and never do it. There was a writing conference I wanted to go to that fall, so that was my motivation to get it finished. I managed to finish, do an editing pass, and was even bold (naive?) enough to pitch it to agents at the conference. That’s when I first heard about Steve Rzasa, by the way.
Steve: I had self-published a space opera novel in 2000, when I was fresh out of college. So-so story, bad cover, but it was a tremendous experience. I spent the next few years mulling ideas before finally coming up with what would be the plot for Commissioned, a huge space opera novel I started writing around 2003 or 2004. I worked on it in fits and starts while I was a journalist. Let me tell you… When you get home from work after writing articles all day, typing your own fiction is the last thing you want to do. But then I got fired and could really focus on the book.
J.J.: Around 2011, my family experienced a tragedy when my younger brother passed away. I started thinking about the things I wanted to do but had never done. I had started and stopped dozens of stories and had more than one first chapter to dozens of books. But I hadn’t finished anything. So I joined ACFW (a writing group) and started writing again with a goal of just finishing something.
· How long did it take you to complete your first work?
Jason: It took me seven years to finish my first novel. For me, I had to learn how to turn off my internal editor so I could keep going even if I was writing crap.
Steve: I tell people it took me 5 years to write 1/3rd and 9 months to write 2/3rds. (I’m a lot faster now.)
J.J.: It took me about a year to write and finish a novel about 50,000 words long. That thing is saved on a flash drive and no one will ever see it. Yeah, it was that bad.
· How long does it generally take you to complete a work?
Jason: If I can get in a writing rhythm, I can get 50,000 words in a month. It usually takes me longer than that to complete a novel though. Doing a focused writing month with daily goals really helps. Of course, I’m not near as prolific as Steve.
Steve: Typically, I can write an 80,000-word novel in two months. That’s if I’m moving fast. I prefer to take three or even four months.
J.J.: I can pound out a good 40,000 words in a month. That’s if I’m focused solely on that. During that time, I push all distractions aside. No TV, no gaming, no reading, etc. Just writing.
· Of all the milestones you’ve reached thus far, what has been your favourite?
Jason: There was a Saturday when J.J., another friend, and I did a 10,000-word day. That was draining but very satisfying to hit that level.
Steve: I honestly can’t remember if I did a 10,000-word day. I think I might have. Regardless, my favorite other milestone was writing the Deception Fleet six-book series, because it’s actually the only series I’ve ever completed.
J.J.: I’ve done the 10,000 words in a day, the same day Jason did his. It was exhausting and I don’t think I wrote for a week after that. My biggest milestone is finishing the first draft of my first middle grade novel in four weeks. That’s the point I really found my voice, and a story I felt was different enough to be effective.
· When was the last time you celebrated a creative milestone?
Jason: Steve, J.J., and I finished our novella, smashing together our story universes, in October 2023. That was a project we had worked on for over a year.
Steve: I briefly celebrated finishing the fourth book of the upcoming Galaxy Bridge series before moving on to the fifth book. And, of course, ditto to the celebration with Jason and J.J.
J.J.: Like these guys said, writing the crossover project was huge. It’s a different collaboration than you normally see. So I think that’s what allows it to be exciting.
· What was it like to collaborate? What did you learn about yourself and your co-authors? Would you do it again?
Jason: We started with a couple chapters that set the stage. Then we would brainstorm the next few story beats, assign chapters, and take turns writing as we went through them. Then we’d brainstorm more as we finished that part of the outline. What we thought would be a short story morphed into a novel.
It was a blast to do, and we had a lot of surprises. One day, Steve and I woke to a message from J.J. that said, ‘I couldn't help it, I had to do it.’ I think we both ran to our computers to see what shenanigans he had pulled – and, sure enough, we were surprised...and had to roll with it! It was give and take, and all of us were generous with each other and had fun playing with each other’s characters. I’d definitely do it again, and I think J.J. is already cooking something up for us...
J.J.: It was crazy fun. I seriously had so much fun working on this project. It went in so many unexpected directions and the best part was discovering the story and small plot points that we never planned. It really helps that we enjoy and understand each other’s voice and humor. I think we learned that each other’s process of approaching a story was a lot more chaotic than I expected. Which was interesting. I think it shows good talent to take chaotic ideas and turn them into a story that flows seamlessly when reading it. And yes. A thousand yes’s to doing it again. Don’t tell anyone, but I may have ten more ideas planned out.
Steve: Working together was an absolute joy. Jason and J.J. are talented authors whose work I’ve enjoyed for years. We’re pals but we’re also fellow professionals who value each other’s input. Plus, we share the same goofy sense of humor – a definite bonus.
I learned that we can tackle any literary challenge thrown our way. Organizing a collaborative story out of three distinct worlds is no mean feat, and these guys kept me on my toes. I thoroughly enjoyed how easy it was for the three of us to go back and forth, challenging our ideas, reassessing the direction of the story, and overall just enjoying the process. I would do it again without question. In fact, the sooner we can do a sequel, the better!
· What do you struggle with most as a creative person?
Jason: Personally, I have to get into a flow to really make progress. I have to get myself set up and knowing where to go for the first few times writing. If I can get that flow going, I’ll be going, but it can be a challenge to get in that zone with the busyness of the world.
Steve: I have the same problem, even though my pals will say ‘But you’re always writing so much!’ But even on projects where I have a soft deadline and need to hit certain goals, I can talk myself down. It’s the same problem I’ve heard famous authors like Harlan Coben have – they doubt their next book will be any good.
J.J.: I have major ADHD. My problem isn’t finding time to write. It’s sticking with one project. I’m pretty impulsive and will jump from one project to the next. My mind seems to wonder and get fixated on things. I can write with noise, on my phone, dictate, etc. It’s not getting into a flow as Jason and Steve mentioned, it’s staying the course and finishing.
· Have you always had that struggle or has it changed over time?
Jason: It’s my consistent monster to slay. That’s the biggest struggle for me. Steve, how do you get past it?
Steve: When I’m on a big project that requires a steady word count, I just hit a day and my brain says, ‘Dude, we need a break.’ Taking a day or two to think around plot and character issues or focus on something else helps get me back on track.
J.J.: It’s the shadow that has always followed me. Eventually, you learn to live with it and control it.
· What advice would you give to creatives dealing with the same?
Jason: I don’t beat myself up when there’s a season that it just doesn’t work. If there’s family or work issues that need to take precedence, I recognize those seasons happen. If I’ve got a deadline or a lot of momentum, I fight against getting out of the zone.
Steve: Agreed. Beating yourself up doesn’t make you want to work on your writing but rather pushes you away from it. Deadlines are helpful to me because then it’s not just about me – someone else is relying on my writing.
J.J.: Beating yourself up doesn’t help. Deadlines, like Steve said, are helpful, but I think you find what works. I hate outlining, and part of that is my struggle. So I try going on a walk and thinking what’s the ending I want to shoot for. I write that last chapter down and then, instead of creating an outline of the book, I write towards that ending. Sometimes it changes. The surprises make the process enjoyable.
· What do you do to stay inspired?
Jason: I’m inspired by my friends and their writing progress. I think having a tribe for your creative endeavours is a huge benefit to help me keep moving.
Steve: I listen to music, watch movies, and bounce ideas off my friends, too.
J.J.: Having a close group of friends is important. Being a part of a community. But trying different approaches inspires me. I like to experiment with things. It’s like tossing noodles against a wall and seeing if it sticks. Sometimes you find things that work, sometimes you don’t. So trying different things inspires me.
· What’s the best creative advice you ever received?
Jason: You can’t edit a blank page. It tells me to get words out there, because I can always fix anything written, but there’s nothing to do for a field of white.
Steve: I’ll echo Jason on this one. There really is no better advice out there.
J.J.: I honestly can’t remember who told me this. But basically, when you find your voice as an author, own it, capture it, keep it. And whatever you do, don’t let anyone push you to change it. It’s hard to explain how to know when you found your voice as a writer. But once you do, you know it.
You can find and connect Jason, J.J., and Steve on their websites:
Their co-authored novel Interstice Undone: An Epic Crossover is a mash-up adventure unlike anything you’ve read before. It takes one part YA superheroes, one part adult urban fantasy monster hunter, and one part zany middle grade paranormal, and it smashes them together in a fun adventure that author Lyndsey Lewellen (The Chaos Grid) calls ‘a mashup that’s equal parts hysterical antics and page turning action’.
The Kickstarter campaign for the novel goes live 6 May and can be backed here.
Are you a creative and would you like to be interviewed next? E-mail me at marielle@mswordsmith.nl and we’ll make it happen!
Thanks for the interview - it was fun!
Thanks for inviting us on! Appreciate it!