Interview with Author JA Mortimore

Hello everyone! I have a new group of author interviews for the launch of The Expanding Universe Volume 10: A Science Fiction Exploration, a great anthology filled with stories from twenty different authors. It includes my new story, Titan’s Hell: A Black Watch Regiment Story and releases Monday, September 9, 2024 in Kindle and paperback formats.

Joining me today is JA Mortimore, one of the terrific authors from this anthology. She is a space opera/fantasy author with many of her stories offering a romance element. She lives in Gloucestershire, UK and like me, she is a cat parent. Her new story, YGINDA, is part of this anthology. Set in her UNCHARTED series universe, it is a fantastic story.

Let’s get started with the interview:

T.D. Wilson: In a few paragraphs, describe your writing journey and how many stories/books you have written.

JA Mortimore: I was ‘writing’ adventures for my dolls before I could actually write, and once I learned how, I progressed to writing fan-fiction.  This was in the days BEFORE the internet.  I was involved with several unofficial fan clubs.  We used stencils and duplicators to produce our zines to sell at conventions, long before ‘self publishing’ was a thing!  I continued to scribble fanfic for many years.

In the late ‘90s I turned my attention to writing my own fiction, just as a hobby, and accumulated a lot of unfinished stories.  When I retired, I decided it was time to actually finish and even publish some of the many manuscripts cluttering up my shelves.

I currently have short stories in two anthologies – TEU 10, and The Rebel Diaries Anthology.  I have five books of my six-book UNCHARTED series available from Amazon KU, and two fantasy novels written with Penelope Hill, The Vanished Mage, and The Harlequin: the Draper’s Reel (launched at the SF Worldcon in Glasgow earlier this year).  There is an introductory novella to the UNCHARTED series available at my website, jamortimore.com.

T.D. Wilson: Can you provide a brief summary of your story, YGINDA in The Expanding Universe Volume 10?

JA Mortimore: The cover image fitted my UNCHARTED universe so well I couldn’t resist submitting to this anthology.  My Interstellar Union of Planets is linked by ‘substreams’ accessed through gateways.  In this story, set in a different part of the universe to the series, an independent trader’s attempt to rescue a stranded pilot goes very wrong.  It’s first person, whereas the series is third person.  I couldn’t resist including a cat in this story.

T.D. Wilson: In addition to TEU10, do you have any new releases this year? What are they and what inspired them?

JA Mortimore: Book four of the UNCHARTED series was released in February this year, and book five in May.  I’m currently working on the final edit for book six, which concludes the first ‘season’.  I should add that I am not this fast a writer – I have a manuscript backlog!

T.D. Wilson: Do you enjoy writing novel length or short fiction?

JA Mortimore: I much prefer novels.

T.D. Wilson: Why?

JA Mortimore: Short stories actually take me a lot longer as every word needs to count.  Novels I can start on page one and write until the end before worrying about editing.  My normal length for novels is around 76,000 – so I’m not writing door stops.

T.D. Wilson: Do you have any unusual writing habits?

JA Mortimore: I work best in a silent environment as I’m easily distracted!  So no playlist for me.  I am a ‘pantser’, but need time to intellect before setting pen to paper on the setting and characters for the next book.  I am a consistent NANOWRIMO winner, but occasionally write a book at another time of year if I’m inspired.

T.D. Wilson: What authors, or books have influenced you?

JA Mortimore: Although I’ve read thousands of books, my main writing influence is probably 1980s TV SF – think original Star Trek, and original Battlestar Galactica.

T.D. Wilson: What are you working on now?

JA Mortimore: I’m editing book six – the final book of season one of the UNCHARTED series. Although I no longer support NANOWRIMO, I'll still be writing a novel at the end of this year, and I'm intellecting on that now.  It's going to involve archaeologists.

T.D. Wilson: What are you reading now?

JA Mortimore: Non-fiction: The Antidote to Overwhelm: Becca Syme

Fiction: Three Men in Orbit: Sandra Bond.

T.D. Wilson: You write a lot of Space Opera. What elements do you believe are the most important for a writer in that genre?

JA Mortimore: Space Opera is a wide genre.  It covers everything from light character-driven stories to heavy-on-the-tech fiction.  Both military and adventure come under this broad umbrella. 

T.D. Wilson: What do readers look for in Space Opera?

JA Mortimore: Some space opera includes romance, which some readers are looking for and others aren’t (although it’s hard to find an SF book that doesn’t have a romance in it somewhere, even if it’s very low key and background!)  I think the majority of readers are looking for a good story that feels original, with likeable characters and a satisfying ending – but that’s true of all fiction.

T.D. Wilson: What’s the best advice you’ve ever heard?

JA Mortimore: You can’t edit a blank page.

 

T.D. Wilson: What hobbies or activities do you enjoy when you’re not writing?

JA Mortimore: Reading and walking.  Sometimes both at the same time.

 

T.D. Wilson: Lastly, imagine you’re going to be stranded on a desert island and you’re allowed 3-4 books to take with you. What would they be?

JA Mortimore: On the non-fiction side, Making Myths and Magic by Shelly Campbell and Allison Alexander.  It has so much in it!  (Can I also have an unlimited supply of paper and pens, please?)

Non-fiction … I guess Victoria Goddard’s Hands of the Emperor, which I praised on a recent podcast which can be found here: https://beyondcataclysm.co.uk/podcast/the-hands-of-the-emperor-with-judith-mortimore/

Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings trilogy (hopefully asking for a trilogy isn’t cheating!) so I can read my favorite bits.

Finally, Alfred Bester’s Demolished Man.  I’ve always loved this book, and was thrilled to discover it won the first ever Hugo for a novel in 1953, coincidentally … brace yourself … the year I was born.

 

That’s all we have time for today and I want to thank JA Mortimore for her time to give her insights on writing and current/future projects. Remember, The Expanding Universe Volume 10: A Science Fiction Exploration releases Monday September 9, 2024.  Get your copy now and be ready for tsunami of fantastic science fiction stories.  Don’t forget to check out JA Mortimore’s website, jamortimore.com and all her works, especially her UNCHARTED series.