An Interview with Author J. Von Tobel
This month J. Von Tobel joins us to discuss his current release, Curse of Flame (The Wild Rose Press, September 25, 2024).
J. Von Tobel began writing cheesy horror stories in high school when not playing Dungeons & Dragons. Initially a fantasy writer, he finally figured out he wanted to write more romance. He shifted to writing romantasy and hasn’t looked back. A member of the Chicago Writers Association and Chicago North Romance Writers, he lives in Chicago with his wife and two overly-excitable dogs.
Welcome! Let's dive right in.
What inspired you to write Curse of Flame?
Curse of Flame is the story that brought me back to writing. After writing a short story anthology with a friend around 2017, I walked away from writing for a while. It wasn’t until 2021 that the yearning need for storytelling caught up with me.
This story is about that spark inside of you that won’t go away. It’s a tribute to anyone who’s had something inside of them that they cannot let go of. I wanted to write a story that would introduce the world. It’s the first book in the setting. However, it quickly became a story about family, sacrifice, and the battle to be true to ourselves.
Could you give us an overview of your process for worldbuilding?
Worldbuilding is one of my favorite things. I tend to create a world and then find the interesting stories within. It all starts with a central idea. For this novel, it was the antagonistic forces being physically opposed rather than just morally. Flame and Shadow cannot exist in the space as the other. From there, I build a map (getting deep into currents, wind patterns, biomes, etc.) and then figure out where civilizations would likely start. What issues would they have based on their locations? How might they develop? What do they need that isn’t available nearby?
It takes me about a month to work through a new setting to a point where I can start writing inside of it. Development continues as I write. The setting of Curse of Flame has already evolved much farther than it was when I started the first draft. I could talk about worldbuilding all day. I’ve got a whole talk I’ve given to writers’ groups about it.
Without giving too much away, what can you tell us about the history of the “Shadow” from Curse of Flame, and the mages who worship it?
This antagonistic force is as old as time. It wants nothing more than to quiet all of existence once again. However, it eventually figured out that it needed to cooperate with these humans who began wielding other magic as well. It was falling behind in the “arms race” between elements. It targeted the people of the Pescan desert (chafing under the blistering sun) and the mages of Naelan (who were acquainted with the deep rifts and caves of the sea) as allies.
There is no chance for peace or co-existence with Shadow. Devotees believe that power awaits them, but only those truly acquainted with it understand that oblivion is the only outcome. While its human surrogates praised its power, it wove a weapon for them: void magic. An aggressive magic that cuts through anything. It was only the direct intervention of Flame, and the inception of True Flame magic, that stopped Shadow from achieving its aims. In the centuries since, Shadow has been persecuted and pushed to the edges of civilization. Obviously, the remnants of its cult still survive. One devotee in particular, Faldir Hramza, is in a position to influence the shape of the future alongside Olivia Seers.
What is the most important lesson you learned while writing Curse of Flame?
Just finish the draft. I know some people insist on editing as they go, but I think powering through to the end is critical to finishing a first draft. Even when I swerved from the outline, I could see that going back and reorganizing the outline would be a bad idea. The closest thing to real magic in our world is editing. The first draft is a lump of clay and editing is the tool that will turn it into a sculpture.
What surprised you the most while you were writing it?
I was surprised at the conflict that came from Olivia and Faldir. The more I wrote, the more I realized they were two sides of the same coin. Their arcs were opposed progressions towards the same goal: power. It wasn’t in my mind when I started, but I drew that conflict into sharper clarity as I went back to edit it.
Faldir also surprised me. People love her. Even the earliest beta readers pointed out how obsessed they were with her. She’s just such a fascinating, deep character and people want to know more. I knew that I had created something really intriguing. Not only did she get more page time in subsequent drafts, but she took on a larger role in the arc of the story and what happens in the sequel.
Were you a young writer, a late bloomer, or something in between? What advice would you give to others who took up writing at a similar phase of life?
I wrote my first story when I was sixteen. Not the youngest writer ever, but writing has been a part of me for decades. My writing habits and chosen genre have shifted over time, but I am stronger for it. I feel like I see people worrying about “being too old to write.” There’s this romanticized idea of the twenty-something author who breaks out and get published.
Everyone’s writing journey is different. When you finally break through and achieve your goals, it will happen because of the writer you are that day. I’m one of those people who was once convinced I had to break out in my twenties. I’m so glad that I didn’t because of who I’ve become in the meantime. If it happened for me back then, I’d be stuck writing horror when I really want to write romantasy stories.
Can you give us a sneak peek into your upcoming 2025 release, Fated to be Monsters?
I’ve been obsessed with this book for a while. If you liked Curse of Flame but wanted to see the scarier side of the world, this one is for you. It is my first step into romantasy as it follows Anca Sulia. A member of the Hunting Households, an order of feudal monster hunters, Anca has been a tool of oppression since she was a child. She despises her life. Her chance to usurp the cruel system of laws arrives with one condition: she has to hunt a rampaging beast alongside the most reviled man in the nation. She quickly finds that she has more in common with him than her so called allies. However, he has more secrets than she can imagine.
This book is about taming your inner monsters while fighting the ones around you. There were parts of myself in the last book, but I poured my soul into this story. It’s House of the Dragon meets The 13th Warrior.
What’s next: Can you share what you’re working on next, and what readers can expect from your future books?
After Fated releases, we will be turning back to Olivia and company. I’m currently working on Shadow & Sand, the sequel to Curse of Flame. I’m not sure when it might come out, but beta readers have said that jaws will drop when you get see what happens next. It’s a full turn towards romantasy, but not with who you expect. Without spoiling anything: the stakes are higher, and Olivia faces more danger than ever before. It’s about trust, redemption, and what we will give up to protect those we love.
About Curse of Flame
She shunned her own magic. Now it’s killing her. Olivia rejected her magic after she was nearly sacrificed to the primeval elements for the power they offer. In the years since, she dedicated herself to the family farm, surrounded by wind-blown ruins, and will assume ownership within days. Her magic is a distant memory until a mysterious war relic afflicts her with a fiery curse that will kill her within weeks. Thrust out of her familiar world, Olivia’s problems have only begun.
Until next time,
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About the Author
Award-winning author, Joie Lesin is a life-long fiction writer and poet. She is most recently the author of The Passenger. She has long been fascinated by anything otherworldly including mermaids and ghosts. Joie writes character-driven, emotional, atmospheric tales about heartache and hope.