Young adult author Joshua Lange is chatting with me today about his new YA historical fiction, With God We Burn.
During his virtual book tour, Joshua will be giving away a $10 Amazon or Barnes and Noble (winner’s choice) to a lucky randomly drawn participant. To be entered for a chance to win, use the form below. To increase your chances of winning, feel free to visit his other tour stops and enter there, too!
Welcome, Joshua. Please tell us a little bit about yourself.
I grew up and still live on Long Island, NY, and though I initially wanted to be a movie director, I quickly changed focus and started writing when I was 18. I had an agent on my first book, and have since written six more. My third book, With God We Burn, is being published on December 5th!
Please tell us about your current release.
With God We Burn is a modern re-imagining of Romeo and Juliet, set in the First Crusade. It follows a young Christian boy who initially goes to war believing he’s doing the right thing, but a Muslim girl shows him the error of his ways, and the two fall in love.
What inspired you to write this book?
This story comes from a very special place for me, as I was in a relationship with a Muslim myself, and though things didn’t work out the way we planned, she still means a great deal to me.
Excerpt from With God We Burn:
The water glittered on this sunny day, and this new perspective sparked my adventurous thoughts. Who’s coming from the west? I wondered. Is there anyone from France? I wonder if I could go outside the gates to meet them…
I reflected on my view from the other side, when I had first arrived about a year ago. Constantinople had looked like a giant monster sprouting out of the sea, and the gates were like its massive jaws. I couldn’t imagine how anyone could topple this place.
Alexios and his guards stopped about a hundred feet away from those jaws, under the protective range of the towers. Archers above pulled back their bows and notched their arrows. I heard the strained bowstrings. I didn’t notice this detail at the time, but Alexios had called the soon-to-be visitors ‘guests,’ yet his army had prepared to fight.
In the meantime, the Byzantine soldiers, both outside the city and within, waited patiently with shields held high. Then, a pair of men appeared on the horizon, and raced towards us on horses. They were Byzantine, marked by their armor, and they approached the emperor to relay some news. I couldn’t hear what they said. Minutes later, as the anticipation had my body wound up tightly, I thought I heard distant thunder.
And then, the horizon darkened.
It was an army.
What exciting project are you working on next?
I am currently planning out my fifth science fiction and fantasy book, which is part of the series I call Civilization Zero. The series follows a young astronomer who discovers a government conspiracy involving UFOs/UAPs, and she teams up with an advanced race of ETs to take down a secret organization lead by a human tyrant.
When did you first consider yourself a writer?
Probably when I finished my first book.
Do you write full-time? If so, what’s your workday like? If not, what do you do other than write and how do you find time to write?
I can’t quite say full time, as my day-to-day job is in pharmacy at the moment. But I write often after work, every other day, and my dream is to become a full-time, successful author!
What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?
Good question — I might say that I use the word “though” a fair bit!
As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
I definitely planned to be the next Steven Spielberg. When I realized that I usually prefer to be alone, and not on a movie set screaming at people, I reconsidered that option.
Anything additional you want to share with the readers?
I did want to share a bit of advice, even if I’m not normally an advice person. This is for any aspiring writers: trust your vision. Keep it close to your vest, and write as much as you can on your own before sharing it with others. Once you do, I find that people want to change it; everyone has an opinion, of course. They don’t mean anything negative by it, but, they will have many suggestions for you. So, again, authors: trust your vision!
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Thanks for hosting today.
I like the cover art. Looks great.
This sounds like an interesting book and I also like the cover.
Great interview, thank you for sharing