Check out this author spotlight for T. Norman!
You can find all his links furthest down the page, and don’t forget to check out his books!
1. Hi! Welcome to my humble blog of all things bookish! I would like for us to start by getting to know you. Give us a short bio, please!
T. Norman, self-published author of the Ascent Archives, grew up in small town Minnesota where his passion for reading and immersing himself in to the fantasy worlds of his childhood grew in to creating and writing his own stories. T. Norman’s series, the Ascent Archives, was first formed during his childhood playing toys with his brother, and now it is set to become a four part series. With experience in a variety of fields, writing has become his passion. T. Norman currently lives with his wife, two children, and dog in southeast Wisconsin.
2. To get to know you just a little bit better, I’d like to ask you some this or that questions. Answer 5 of these and explain why you chose this or that, or maybe an entirely different alternative!
Winter, spring, summer or autumn? Easily Autumn. In Wisconsin it’s the one time of the year that isn’t too hot or cold outside. Sitting by a campfire in the Boundary Waters on a crisp autumn morning drinking a cup of freshly brewed coffee is unbeatable.
Cat or dog? Dog, easily. I have a 9 year old chocolate lab named Barney who is just a big teddy bear.
Tea or coffee? Coffee. Freshly ground made in a French press if you want to be technical.
Morning or evening? I used to be an evening person but I’ve easily transitioned to a morning person. I feel most productive when I am up early working.
Library or museums? Library. I love browsing books at libraries and bookstores.
Hunter or gatherer? Hunter, any excuse to use a bow and arrow I will take!
Witches or wizards? You’re a Wizard Harry! Yes, I grew up reading and loving Harry Potter, I often dreamed of getting my letter to Hogwarts.
Ninjas or pirates? Easily Pirate. I spent a month during college sailing on a schooner in the Virgin Islands. After that, I fell in love with sailing. Any excuse to get out on the water I will take.
Mountains or beaches? Mountains. 1) Colorado is absolutely beautiful and 2) Does anyone actually like finding sand in their clothing for months on end?
Plotter or pantser? Plantser. I start with a soft plot, I essentially decide where the story is starting and a rough ending. I make a few beats that I want to hit within, and then I just start to write. Oftentimes I’ve found myself diverting drastically from my original plan, which honestly makes the process more enjoyable.
Pen and paper or computer/phone? Phone, then computer. I actually use voice memos to “dictate” my writing first, and then when I transcribe it on my computer I do an initial edit as well.
Standalone or series? Series! I love reading long interconnected stories that go off on tons of different adventures and side stories. The more characters the better!
Book or ebook? I read almost exclusively audiobook right now. I drive a lot for my day job, so I have a ton of time in the car. I also love to fall asleep listening to ebooks. I will also read ebook, and I only buy paperbacks of my absolute favorite books. After moving a handful of times I got sick of carrying heavy boxes filled with books.
Hero or anti-hero? A morally gray hero. I want my hero to have depth and flaws, but I think it’s different from the traditional anti-hero.
3. When you look for books to read, what trope or type of story will always catch your attention?
One of the stories that pulled me in to epic fantasy was Lord of the Rings. I’ve always loved the “band of misfit heroes” trope. If you have a group of heroes travelling and working together to defeat a giant evil, count me in.
4. What do you write? Tell us about your current projects and the latest happenings!
I write epic fantasy! I just released book 5 in The Ascent Archives. The story starts out following an unlikely group that has their life turned upside down in the first chapter. From there, they travel across a nation avoiding danger at every turn. As the story progresses more characters are introduced, along with an ancient evil looming in the background. Our heroes, and villains, encounter numerous challenges and face off in multiple epic battles. The main series concludes in book 4, and book 5 is a collection of short stories set in the same world. Now that my main series is done, I just started writing a follow up series. At the end of book 4 a group of characters set off a new adventure, and this new series follows their story. I don’t want to give too much away, but I only started writing it about a week ago and it is going really well.
5. What is your most recent release? Give us a short presentation, cover, and a link for where to buy it!
The Ascent Archives: Lost Lore of Draxos. This is a collection of 11 stories set in my main world. These are all characters you meet in the main series, but many of them have backstories only teased at. This is the chance to learn their truth. Here is a link to purchase: https://books2read.com/u/3JpWeK
6. What real-life inspiration do you draw from, and what are your primary fictional sources of inspiration (books, authors, films, music, etc.)? Name a few!
Lord of the Rings was a huge inspiration for me. Honestly I draw a lot of inspiration from reading books and watching tv. I’m a huge TV and movie fan, so I’m constantly exploring and watching new shows/movies. There isn’t one movie/show/book that really stands out above the rest.
7. What is your writing routine? If you have one, give us the run-down!
So I start with a basic outline of the story I want to tell. When I start each writing session I review the previous chapters those characters were involved in, just as a refresher. From there I dictate the chapter on my phone. Once that’s done, I will transcribe it out on my computer. During this transcription process I also do a soft first edit of the writing. Once I finish the entire book I give it a first pass of a self edit, then I send it off to my alpha reader. I normally take a break to breathe at that point in time. Once it’s back from my alpha reader, I perform a second edit before sending it off to my editor. Then it comes back and I give it one final pass before it gets formatted and ready for publication.
8. If you could go back and give yourself one piece of advice as you started out on the path to becoming an author, what would it be?
Write at a pace that works for you, not what the industry tells you. When I first published book 1, book 2 didn’t come out until 9 months later. At that point, I was nowhere near complete with books 3 or 4. I focused on writing those, and then 4 years later relaunched books 1 and 2 while releasing books 3 & 4 shortly after. I know there is no way I can rapid release, so I have come up with a schedule that works for me.
9. Last but not least: where can we find you? Drop those links!
You can sign up for my newsletter on my website (www.jntpress.com). I send out two emails each month, on the 1st and on the 15th. You can also find me on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/t.norman.author/) and on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/t_norman_author/).
