Josh Jackson

I grew up mostly in Spokane, WA (from eight years old on). There’s a park on the south hill, Lincoln Park, where I spent as much time as possible. It remains my favorite place in the world. I even got married there.

My time in the army gave me knowledge about battlefield tactics and logistics that I was able to apply to New Elbestran. I also built relationships with people of all races from all walks of life that I otherwise would never have met. The army also introduced me to 90’s R&B and hip hop, which I enjoy to this day.

As a kid, my family didn’t really have money for those kinds of toys. My current collection began in 2007, when the first Transformers movie came out. I’ve been collecting ever since; proof that autistic hyperfixations can be a lifelong thing.

Ironically, it was a conversation I don’t remember. I was once on a 24-hour duty with someone who was facing a fairly severe punishment. I remember the shift, but I have no recollection of what we discussed. Years later, I saw the man. He’d been promoted three times. He credited his talk with me as the thing that helped him turn things around for himself. Although I still have no idea what I said, it showed me my capacity for using words to heal and bring about more good in the world.

That book took me four years to write. The sequel, by comparison, was done in a year. Writing New Elbestran was incredibly taxing, even though I knew the story I wanted to tell. I wanted to write to the very best of my ability and soon discovered that that meant far more than putting words on paper. Of all the effort I put into the book, maybe 15-20% of it was actual writing. The rest was research, world building, and planning. I also had several bouts of writer’s block.

I mean, I know how the story ends.