Reality in Question
1) The first question is pretty basic. What is your Author name; use your Pen name if you have one?
Jens Budinger.
2) What inspired you to become a writer?
I just have an innate urge to tell stories and particularly the story of my books. I enjoy seeing the delight of people who enjoy things I made whether it’s a book, a piece of art, music or a well-cooked meal :). What’s the point of creating anything if you can’t share it?
3) Which character of yours was the most challenging to write and why?
Lilith will remain the most complex because she skirts the edge of humanity and deity. It is difficult to empathize with such a person who has such a close relationship with both nihilism and the divine. That being said, she’s also the most interesting to write as she offers unusual perspectives to life which would simply never surface otherwise.
4) Do you prefer writing dialogue, action or other scenes?
Hmmmm. I enjoy writing dialogue more. It’s more fun and seems to flow better. A close second is action scenes.
5) Do you attend or participate in Cons or literary fests? If so, which ones?
Not really. I’m based in Malta which is an island in the Mediterranean and it’s not easy to organize such events when you have to haul stock and other stuff overseas to set up a stand. That being said I am attending the Maltese National Book Fair in October, so if you’re in Malta come by!
6) Have you ever taken a course on writing or advertising? If so, which one(s) and how would you rate them?
Neither. I’ve simply binged hundreds of hours’ worth of YouTube content from existing self-published authors. It’s better to just hear this stuff from the horse’s mouth.
7) What gives you the most satisfaction in the writing process?
Hmmmm. I would say closing part of the story in an elegant way that is right in terms of pacing, timing, ending and most importantly having a clear vision of what comes next.
8) What is the most difficult challenge you face in the writing process?
Sticking to a limited word count coupled with delivering a multi-faceted story in as concise a manner as possible without losing the interest/intrigue of the plot. It’s very easy to fall in the trap of overdelivering in terms of length, especially if you have multiple plotlines that span over different time periods. This doesn’t mean it can’t work but you narrative and book need to be super tight to pull that off. It’s not easy but with enough effort, editing and patience one can pull it off elegantly.
9) Where is your favorite place to read?
By the sea in the morning after my first swim whilst I have a coffee.
10) Which book villain would be the hardest to defeat?
Can’t think of any in particular that stand out but I can tell you which qualities they must have above all others: conviction, resilience and most importantly patience.
11) What is your favorite book turned T.V. show/movie and why?
Can’t say favourite book, but the movie really made it shine beyond anything Tolkien could have possible done with his words – The lord of the rings ofc.
The new Dune movies are also in that category. Harry Potter then is good on both fronts.
12) Name one book that you have reread several times.
My own – haha. The editing process is insane. I generally don’t read books multiple times.
13) What is the name of your book/series? Tell me a little bit about them.
The Chronicles of Lilith is a Metaphysical, Dark Fantasy/Sci-Fi series that explores many deep existential themes and ideas as well as the nature of reality. It is a story within a story within a story.
At its core the Chronicles are a series of books about the origins and the end of creation, the meaning of life and whether it out to continue. It is a story witnessed through multiple realities and timelines by a host of supreme deities known as the Greater Immortals who together uphold the very fabric of existence and reality, whether they're aware of it or not.
As this deep narrative slowly unfolds the reader joins each character as they slowly discover themselves and their roles in the mystery that is life as well as their own humanity, or lack thereof. Readers who embark on this long journey will travel across realities following a number of complex and interesting characters as both endure a riveting, heart-wrenching adventure about finding hope, meaning, love, courage and beauty whilst facing the struggles of life, death, suffering and the true face of nihilism.
"Ideal for" audiences:
This series is suitable for adult audiences which enjoy high-action narratives with multiple concurrent plot lines in a carefully curated world/setting. People particularly interested in philosophy, mortality, spirituality, metaphysics, understanding of existence and human nature will enjoy this story in particular through its elegant story-telling without having to endure unnecessary and lengthy exposition which often occurs in such books. As a dark-themed series, the book contains some degree of violence, explicit language and death which whilst present does not carry the same degree and frequency of grimdark or horror genres.
As of now, I have released Books One and Two entitled, The Queen of Shards and The Darkness Within respectively. You can find the links below:
https://linktr.ee/snice666 - more stores here.
14) Do you have a website? If so, what is it?
15) Where can we find and follow you? (Name your social media platforms.)
https://www.instagram.com/authorjensbud
16) If there anything important that you would want my readers to know about you?
Thanks for the opportunity and I hope some of you are interested in picking up a copy of the books. If you would like a free preview of the books, you can visit my website at www.jensbud.com and subscribe to the quarterly newsletter to receive the download links. Beyond that I hope you enjoy it and if so, do leave a review on amazon, Goodreads or whichever platform you prefer :)
