INTERVIEW WITH E. K. JOHNSTON:

 

How did you get started writing?

When I went to university, I was able to spend a lot more time on the internet. This was just as The Lord of the Rings movies were taking off, and I discovered that people were writing their own complementary stories to go along with them. So I did too.

Who influenced you?

Obviously, given my last answer, JRR Tolkien! But also a couple of professors I had at university, my friends in various online communities, TV characters Helen Magnus, John Druitt, and James Watson, and author Jo Graham.

Do you have a favorite book/subject/character/setting?

 

Yes. Yes I do. ;)

My favourite book is THE HOBBIT, my favourite subject is music, my favourite character is Helen Magnus, and my favourite setting is Tortall.

What advice do you have for someone who wants to be an author?

 

Read the first 100 pages of David Eddings' THE RIVAN CODEX. He's funny, he has good practical suggestions, and he also tells you to ignore the things that don't work for you.

Where is your favorite place to write?

 

The Woods, which is a family cottage on Georgian Bay. It's quiet and relatively isolated, so no one can see me or complain when I play really loud music on my dance breaks.

What else would you like to tell us?

 

My life was different before Pacific Rim.