Multi-Genre Author DJ Butler Q & A

‘Sup, nerd! Our interview with DJ Butler of the Witchy Eye novel is coming soon. While you’re waiting, here’s a bit of Q &A we had with the author before our recording.

Hey, DJ! Why don’t you tell SFN about yourself?

I grew up in Chicago, New York, and New Jersey, but mostly in Utah. I’m a securities lawyer by education. By day, I am a corporate trainer in business acumen skills. My wife Emily is also a novelist; we have three kids and live in a rambling old brick house in the town in Utah where I grew up (trivia: it’s actually the original Sandra and Stephen R. Covey house, and Stephen’s office is now my office, unremodeled). I’ve been writing seriously since 2010.

  • You write in an array of different genres! A lot of people believe that readers only stick with authors who write in only one exclusive genre. I assume that has not been the case for you?

Each book launch has been bigger than the one before, which tends to suggest that readers are following me. I want ultimately to cast a wide enough net to catch people who are realistic thriller readers, or only read YA, or whatever, and get them to read my epic fantasy or steampunk because “well, I don’t normally read this stuff, but I like what Dave Butler writes…”

  • You just recently published a novel through the publishing powerhouse, Baen, called “Witchy Eye”. Tell us a little about that and its main protagonist, Sarah. 

Sarah is a witch. She’s talented, smart, funny, aggressive, loyal, paranoid, xenophobic, and mean. And on the day of the Tobacco Fair in Nashville, a Yankee army chaplain and wizard tries to kidnap her because she has a secret history even she doesn’t know. Sarah is the daughter of the dead former empress, Mad Hannah Penn, and her uncle, the living emperor Thomas Penn, has learned of her existence, sees her as a threat, and wants her killed.

  • One reviewer described Witchy Eye as “A brilliant Americana flintlock fantasy novel set in a world of Appalachian magic that works.” What exactly is Appalachian magic?

I am very weary of fake systematic magic systems modeled on card games. Fantasy is the literature of spiritual what-ifs, and loses its power the further it gets away from the real world; I think artificial magic leads to glib stories that are merely the husks of the epics they could be. So Witchy Eye (and Witchy Winter, the sequel I am writing now) uses real charms (including some from Greco-Roman antiquity), real magico-spiritual practices (like reading the Bible to grain to make it grow better), real grimoires (The Long-Lost Friend, The Magus), and so forth.

  • SFN strives to connect readers they may have never heard of, so you’re going to extend an exclusive offer to our subscribers? Tell us what you’re offering subscribers to SFN.

Witchy Eye is full of songs, and I’m recording an album. I’m offering a free early download of one of the tracks.

  • How do you go about connecting to readers who enjoy your stories and ensure that you’re giving them the stories they love to read?

I’m pretty active on Facebook. I hate the politics, but it connects me with people. I’m also active on Twitter, but have a smaller presence. I travel to popular culture (i.e., “comic con”-style) conventions and writing conventions frequently — some twelve times last year, and probably about that many again this year. I love talking to readers and to other writers.

  • Listeners at SFN are readers who love various other forms of media for storytelling besides the classic novel. Do you currently have any favorite shows, movies, games, etc. that the geeky community might be following as well?

I just gave up on The Blacklist, in the middle of season two, when the romantic subplot became the main plot. I just want James Spader. I’m anxiously waiting for more Longmire. I think the Hell’s Kitchen stories Marvel has done with Netflix are the best part of Marvel’s film project, hands down, Jessica Jones being the very best. I was modestly disappointed in the second half of the first season of Luke Cage (Powerman was my favorite superhero as a kid); once Cottonmouth was dead, the whole thing lost direction. I’m nervous that Iron Fist might be bad. I really wanted to like Shannara, but man, all the actors except Rhys-Davies were pure Underwear Model. I’m watching Midsomer Murders, which is an English detective show about a town-based cop who solves murders in the surrounding villages. I lived in England for five years, and love seeing those little hamlets.

Be sure to listen to our first podcast EpiXode of April for more questions and answers from Butler!

Raphyel M Jordan

When drawing fanfic graphic novels was no longer fulfilling enough as a teen, Jordan ventured to greater adventures in storytelling. Now, when he isn’t busy saving the world through the trusty arsenal called “video games,” the author fancies spending time writing about exciting worlds untouched by man. Jordan writes Young Adult science fiction and fantasy. For more details on characters and art, visit RaphyelMJordan.com

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.