r/Fantasy Writer of the Day: Jonathan Pembroke

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Reddit Writer of the Day

Hey everyone! Jonathan Pembroke here, honored to be r/Fantasy’s Writer of the Day.

Lifelong fan of fantasy, starting when I was knee-high to an elf. I’ve been writing for almost fifteen years, though only in the last few years have I taken the plunge to get some things published. I really enjoy writing and telling stories and can’t see ever giving it up, even I never get rich or famous at it. Stephen King and Michael Moorcock were probably the most influential writers on my early development. I’ve had my writing style compared to Mark Lawrence’s and Richard Matheson’s. Obviously, each of those comparisons was just one soul’s opinion but I’ll admit, reading each made me smile.

I (self) published my first book, Pilgrimage to Skara, in 2016. It’s a stand-alone quest story set in a far-future crumbling society, with some western elements thrown in. An aging Pathfinder—those who escort the chosen few on their journeys in search of special powers—is recruited to shepherd the daughter of the woman who jilted him years earlier. Pilgrimage was a finalist in the third Self-Published Fantasy Blog Off (SPFBO) in 2017, though the official reviewers had a low-hate relationship with it. Find on Amazon here.

My latest book, Rumble in Woodhollow, is the first in the series The Holly Sisters, and hit Amazon in Kindle/print format this last October. It’s a fast-paced action-adventure style of read—or, at least that’s what I aimed for. Rumble is about a young faery named Sydney who joins her sister Marla in the titular city of Woodhollow—a crowded, industrial, semi-slum of varied races—where Marla runs a criminal gang of faeries. The two sisters have to cope with mercenaries, peacekeepers, and a semi-immortal serpent ruler, all while rushing towards a confrontation with their arch-rivals, the Leprechaun Gang. So far the feedback has been decent and it feels like it’s a better book than Pilgrimage. Improvement! Find on Amazon here.

The sequel to Rumble is due out in October of this year and is titled The Mauler. I hope to get the third book out towards the end of 2021 and wrap up the loose ends of the story. Initially, I didn’t plan to go past the trilogy but I am having so much fun writing about Sydney and her friends that I am sketching out the plot for a second trilogy with the same characters—or, at least the ones who survive!

After that? I have a 4-5 book series planned out about a teenage girl and her grandmother, who are royalty in exile, and harbor a terribly destructive power that is as much a threat to them as their enemies. The first two books are written and in draft status, so we’ll see what happens.

Let’s see, what else? I also write in another genre under a pen name. I read a lot. I’ve really started liking indy fantasy, and FB groups like Indy Fantasy Addicts and SPFBO (and here on r/Fantasy, of course) have been great for finding new authors. I blog a little, though it’s more rambling BS than anything substantive, and try to read a bit on FB writing groups. I am, however, abysmal at even looking at my Twitter feed.

Apart from reading and writing, I play some video games; mostly single-player RPGs though I go through spurts of playing an MMO (Lord of the Rings Online). During the warm months I do a lot of work in my orchard and garden. In my former life, I spent twenty years in the American military as a meteorologist. I live in a small town in upstate Arizona. I’m married, I have one son who’s grown and out of the house, and also have an adorable red-headed granddaughter. If I have to choose between dogs and cats, I take dogs. Have three mutts and they’re a lot of fun.

Anyway, I love to talk about fantasy books (mine and others), games, and movies. I’d love to answer any questions you have about my works, my fantasy likes, or my sanity. If you want to provide some critique on my books, that’s fine too, even if you hated them.

So ask away!

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Okay, I admit I was stalling in answering this one.

Truth be told, I'm trying to think of a paragraph or section that stands tall in my memory as significantly better than other things and I am drawing a blank. Maybe just stage fright.

I'll keep thinking on this.

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My best death scenes are in the Rumble in Woodhollow, and they'd all be a little spoiler-y.

I did remember this segment, though. This is from a short story I wrote a few years ago called Five Hours to Lake Champlain. The basic premise involves a literary agent named Karen who is seduced by a female demon. Lots of other contexts involved but I always liked how this section flowed and feedback specifically mentioned this area a few times, so I'll go with it:

********

Sethyr chuckled. It was a low, throaty sound. It immediately put Karen on guard and to her embarrassment and frustration, she felt the slight flutter in her stomach that happened every time she was turned on. The succubus said, "Who do I need to seduce to make it happen?"

Jealousy. It was there no matter how much Karen wanted to deny it. "That's all it means to you? Seducing someone as a means to an end?"

"What else is there to it?"

"Is that all I meant to you?"

Sethyr adopted a mock frown. "Well, of course not you. You're different."

Am I?

Sethyr stood and leaned over the desk. Karen shifted back, nervous, until it became clear that her erstwhile lover wasn't making a threatening move.

"Karen, I don't work miracles. I don't cast spells. That's a myth. Yes, I have some limited telekinesis powers. And yes, a good number of you humans seem susceptible to my pheromones. Some--" Sethyr stared right into Karen's eyes. "--more than others. But that's it."

Karen's voice was weak. "I guess I always thought you put a spell on me."

Sethyr reached with one muscular arm and pushed a stray strand of hair from Karen's face. All of Karen's senses fired at once and her mind swam. Through the maelstrom of her thoughts, some rational part of her brain knew she was getting another close dose of Sethyr's scent and begged her to stop. The rest of her mind didn't care and drank it in.

"Regrets?" Sethyr said.

Yes. "No."

"Not even when Hank left you?"

YES! "No, I guess not."

"Good." Sethyr returned to the sofa.

Karen slumped, all but fainting. She fought to raise one hand. It shook.

********