Meet Jon Wasik | Fantasy and Sci-Fi Author

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jon Wasik and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jon, let’s talk legacy – what do you want yours to be?
I hope for readers to curl up with one of my novels and lose themselves in it like they might a conversation with an old friend. I wish to inspire, to bring hope or joy or love into the lives of readers, to spark their imaginations with visions of distant, fantastical lands and exciting adventures or intriguing people. I want my readers to think and feel, to wonder and imagine. I want to be remembered as that writer that gave them a story worth remembering for the rest of their lives!

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I’ve been a writer for 26 years, but in May of 2015, I finally took the plunge and self-published! The decision was not an easy one, but I was determined to make my way into the market. I was not prepared for the amount or the various types of work involved, such as cover design, manuscript design, or most of all, my Achilles Heel, marketing (dun dun dun!) Researching self-publication is one thing, but actually doing it is something else entirely! Particularly if you want to do it right, and that is why, after countless lessons-learned, I rebranded and relaunched my flagship series, the Sword of Dragons, in 2018, with considerably better reaction from readers! I have since continued to write and publish more novels within the series, while working feverishly on a new urban fantasy series. My journey has just begun, and I’m excited to share it all with the world!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Aside from locally-owned coffee shops (303 Coffee!), one of my favorite places in Denver is the Botanic Gardens, particularly the enclosed jungle environment! I can just FEEL the life there, and it is always so relaxing. In contrast, I love Sixteenth Street, and particularly as a writer always looking for new and interesting character traits, it’s a great place for people watching. My wife and I usually visit the Science and Nature museum once a year, and we keep an eye out for interesting exhibits at the art museum. Oh, and we’re geeks. Like, major geeks. So we frequent several conventions, but our favorites include the steampunk-themed Whimsy Con (spiritual successor to Anomaly Con) and the sci-fi themed Starfest. We also usually visit the Colorado Renaissance Festival two or three times each summer, picking different themed-costumes for each visit! Maybe I’m biased, but having visited numerous festivals throughout the country, I think Colorado has one of the best!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
A shout out to all of the fine, and exceedingly patient, persons who have beta-read my stories or have endured endless hours of rambling on about story and character ideas. In particular, my wife Beck, my best friend Nick and his entire family, my friends Wayne and Danielle, and my parents and my family. More than just helping me with my craft, they all have continually believed in me!

Website: https://www.theswordofdragons.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kataar2002/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorjonwasik/
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/Kataar
Other: WordPress Blog: https://kataar.wordpress.com/

Image Credits
Wayne Adams, Beck Wasik