The Jacob Whaler Interview – The “Stones” Series and Literature

Jacob Whaler Jacob Whaler is the author of the science-fiction series Stones and has taken to writing after spending much of his life gazing down financial documents. A writer at heart, he moved away from the megalopolises he lived in for something quieter, living the author's dream.

Greetings to everyone, today we are taking a little detour from book reviews in favour of hearing the opinions straight out of an author: Jacob Whaler. In our email interview we asked him a few questions about his book series, Stones, as well as a few additional enquires as to his relation to literature in general. Without further ado, the interview:

Do you favor any one of the books over the others?

J.W. - I have to say that I love all of them. I spent the most time working on Stones #1, since it was my first novel ever to be published. All four of them just sort of poured out of me over a two year period.

How did you initially come up with the principal idea that gave birth to the series?

J.W. - The long answer to this is on my website and in my bio posted on Amazon. The short answer is that I found a piece of obsidian rock when I was 6 years old, and it became the idea for the books. I always felt something powerful when I held that rock in my hand, and I finally decided to write a story about it.

Who are your target readers?

J.W. - I would give the books a PG13 rating, so my target readers are anyone 13 and older.

What would you say are the major themes of the series?

J.W. - The major themes are (1) the nature of love, (2) the nature of evil, (3) the origin of life and (4) the purpose of our lives.

Are you trying to get a message across, and if so, what is it?

J.W. - All novels carry messages, and I hope the main message of my novels is HOPE.

Did anyone or anything serve as a notable source of inspiration during the writing process?

J.W. - I thought a lot about Ray Bradbury, who always said you should write just for the fun of it.

Did you regret having to cut any content from the final story?

J.W. - Not really. I had to do some cutting, but that just made it better.

How long did it take you to get it published starting from the first attempt?

J.W. - It took me about six months to publish Stones #1

How important is literature in your life, both in terms of reading and writing?

J.W. - Reading and (especially) writing is a way of discovering truth, so it's very important to me. Creating something is the highest form of human endeavor, and writing (especially fiction) allows humans to engage in the act of creation.

Who are the authors you enjoy the most and why?

J.W. - Again, I'd have to say my favorite author is Ray Bradbury because his writing style is so unique and descriptive. I'm also a big fan of William Gibson and his cyberpunk novels. His writing style is demanding, but rewarding.

Where do you generally get your ideas from when at an impasse?

J.W. - I get all my best ideas when I'm at the keyboard moving my fingers. I usually don't get ideas unless I'm actually writing.

When did you start writing, and did you ever believe you'd become a published author?

J.W. - I started writing stories in high school for my English class. I always believed and planned on publishing novels.

Do you make use of your own experiences when developing a story?

J.W. - My stories are full of my own experiences, in one shape or another.

Are there any recently-published books you really admired?

J.W. - The Peripheral, by William Gibson.

What's next in your writing career, and when can we expect to see it published?

J.W. - I just published a book called LUCA that begins with the discovery of a computer chip buried in 3 billion year old rock. I'm currently working on a trilogy that will focus on the cyber war between the US and China that spins out of control.