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Multi-genre, multi-volume author, J. D. Edwards introduces us to his science fiction story, “The Phantom Seer”: Sam’s future lies in the past but like Sisyphus, changing history is a punishment he must continue to pay. When Sam discovers a timepod containing a cryptic note from the future, he chooses to fulfill his destiny and restore the timeline rather than allowing the government to confiscate his discovery. After failing to change the course of human events on a grand scale, Sam crisscrosses time to modify historical events on a smaller scale. Earning the moniker of “The Phantom Seer”, Sam discovers that even the smallest stone can create a broad ripple in the ocean of time. For Sam, a single choice can save the lives of millions but endanger his own. How much is a single life worth? Science fiction is my favorite genre, stories about time travel are at the top of that list also. This story was completely entertaining and dealt with historical events in a gentle manner. The author did a marvelous job of incorporating events and themes from the Bible. No spoilers from me! I give this story 4.9 stars. You can buy this book:
https://www.amazon.com/Phantom-Seer-J-D-Edwards-ebook https://www.goodreads.com/book/-the-phantom-seer I reviewed another book by the author: Indomitable: The Story of Eliza Harris by J. D. Edwards - Word Refiner You can follow the author: https://twitter.com/FaerieRealms https://www.facebook.com/FaerieRealms https://www.linkedin.com/in/twyrch https://www.wattpad.com/user/FaerieRealms https://www.instagram.com/twyrch https://www.pinterest.com/twyrch https://www.tiktok.com/@faerierealms Copyright © 2022 Mark L. Schultz except for the author’s introduction
49 Comments
Jeremy Edwards
9/26/2022 07:44:32 am
Thanks Mark! I'm glad you enjoyed the story. It's an example of how old creative writing papers in high school can be turned into something much more exciting.
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Mark
9/26/2022 08:03:53 am
I love that, Jeremy! I didn't realize that the story went back that far.
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Jeremy Edwards
9/26/2022 08:12:11 am
Yes, the story was originally a 5 page flash fiction I wrote in high school for Creative Writing class. I called it The Quest For Truth. Over the years, I wanted to expand on the original concept and explore more pivotal moments in history. So many times, I read stories where Hitler is stopped or the assassination of Lincoln or Kennedy is stopped. I wanted to take a fresh approach and start out with major events but show that minor events can lead to a large impact. In our own lives, so many want to change the world but don't realize they can do that with a single kind word or action.
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Mark
9/26/2022 11:06:44 am
That story goes back a long way for you. I was not a writer in high school or any other time. All I wanted to do was read. I fulfilled the writing assignments as quickly as I could so I could get back to reading a book.
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Jeremy Edwards
9/26/2022 01:21:45 pm
I was surprised to learn how long ago paper was invented and used, but also the origins of Latin being fairly obscure until it became a dominant language. We still use Latin terms in science, medicine, and many of our English words are derived from Latin.
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Mark
9/26/2022 01:31:19 pm
Paper has been around for a long time, no doubt about that. I think even the ancient Egyptians made paper from the reeds that grew along the Nile, I think. Don't quote me, I didn't look it up.
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Jeremy Edwards
9/26/2022 08:23:32 pm
Yes, paper was originally made from reeds called "rag paper" in 104 A.D. in China. I think the multiple languages influencing English words is what causes so much of the problems in grammar, syntax and spelling.
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Mark
9/27/2022 09:44:44 am
Thanks for that information.
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Jeremy Edwards
9/27/2022 11:45:34 am
I love that meme! It's so true! I was like you with MS OneNote while writing The Faerie Chronicles but my boss suggested OneNote so I tried it and I found it easier to organize my thoughts. I'm a planster, so while I have lots of ideas and plans, I don't always use them all. Sometimes I steal the ideas from a previous book to use in a different book. OneNote helps me organize my random ideas better and I'm using it for the Faerie Chronicles special edition.
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Mark
9/27/2022 01:09:10 pm
It sounds like the OneNote is working well for you. I will try it out for organizing ideas sometime. I think using old ideas is wise, I believe in recycling.
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Jeremy Edwards
9/27/2022 06:13:02 pm
I believe stage fright is more common than people believe but the key to overcoming stage fright is to face your fears.
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Mark
9/27/2022 08:07:40 pm
Stage fright and public speaking are very commonly at the top of a list of fears for many people. I took a Dale Carnegie course in Public Speaking many years ago. I learned a lot that helped me overcome my fears. Probably the most important thing I learned is don't speak about something in public unless you are an expert.
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Jeremy Edwards
9/27/2022 11:40:28 pm
Those are brilliant suggestions for local marketing and publicity. I'll have to add some of those into my new promotional marketing strategy.
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Mark
9/28/2022 07:20:31 am
I am glad that some of those ideas will be useful for you. Some can be used at almost any time others restricted for one reason or another.
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Jeremy Edwards
9/28/2022 03:15:02 pm
I bring in the readers after I’ve finished all changes from the Beta readers feedback. My editing employs a 12 step process where Beta Readers are step 12. All beta readers receive an electronic copy of the book.
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Mark
9/28/2022 03:43:28 pm
That is easy and well organized. I like it.
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Jeremy Edwards
9/28/2022 05:46:27 pm
For the beta readers, I look for honest feedback, so I don't ask them specific questions at first. I want their impressions without undue influence on my part. I don't normally compensate beta readers with anything but a finalized ebook.
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Mark
9/28/2022 06:10:48 pm
Many authors do the same thing, they let the beta readers provide whatever feedback they want to. Many authors also provide a finished copy of the e-book to the beta readers, just like you.
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Jeremy Edwards
9/28/2022 08:42:00 pm
Unfortunately, I've never been involved in a writing or critique group. I was going to join one, but a mother in my son's Boy Scout troop blackballed me with the group because I wouldn't violate BSA rules to fast track her son's eagle rank. It's ok, though. I may not have a writer's critique circle but I still have my integrity.
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Mark
9/29/2022 08:09:20 am
That was a frustrating experience. You made the right choice.
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Jeremy Edwards
9/29/2022 12:56:35 pm
In my opinion, new writers should temper their expectations. So many times, new writers expect their first draft to be gold and find a prominent publisher immediately after they start querying. They expect to be famous, do book signings at premier locations and earn millions of dollars. That is a pope dream. New writers need to understand that writing a book is a marathon not a sprint.
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Mark
9/29/2022 02:51:27 pm
You nailed that! Writers can have delusions of grandeur as easily as anyone else. Especially if their family and friends keep telling them how great the writing is when it is not in reality. We both know that a perfect first draft has never been written, nor will it ever be.
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Jeremy Edwards
9/29/2022 04:54:40 pm
I write mainly YA fantasy but my Historical Fiction and sci-fi are more New Adults. I have a large vocabulary which many YA readers have issues with. For my fantasy novels, I thing teens and anyone who enjoys Fantasy would like it. For the Sci-fi, anyone who likes sci-fi adventures would be my target. For Historical Fiction, it's a mixed bag of readers. I can't please everyone and will kill myself trying so I go for Historical accuracy mixed with excitement and fast-moving scenes. I enjoy many different genres, so I end up writing in many different genres and I gear my book toward an audience based on the subject matter.
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Mark
9/29/2022 06:52:12 pm
Very good, that makes sense. I have seen the term YA quite a bit, but NA is pretty recent for me. What is the difference in your mind between these two categories?
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Jeremy Edwards
9/29/2022 08:12:19 pm
I believe the YA is for ages 13 - 18 and the NA is for ages 18 - 25. Also, the NA group deals with more adult situations and themes.
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Mark
9/30/2022 08:15:21 am
Good article, that makes sense.
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Jeremy Edwards
9/30/2022 10:24:28 am
Yes, I have published several pieces on Wattpad. I have two horror flash fictions: Satan Santa and Sister Axe. I also have a collection of my poetry on there as well.
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Mark
9/30/2022 02:23:07 pm
Congratulations on that success on Wattpad. That is wonderful.
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Jeremy Edwards
9/30/2022 03:29:07 pm
I write under the pseudonym or nom de plume of J. D. Edwards because it's my initials. I did this for many reasons, but one main reason was the name familiarity with J. D. Edwards Financial Services. Another reason is many of my favorite authors use their initials: J. R. R. Tolkien, C. S. Lewis, J. K. Rowling, e. e. cummings, L. M. Montgomery. I also did it because, as a child, I loved the Dukes of Hazzard. While many people like the Duke boys, Daisy or Uncle Jesse as their favorite characters, I liked J. D. Hogg. It's something that stuck with me from a young age, and I knew if I ever wrote my imaginary stories into a book, I'd want to be J. D. like Boss Hogg.
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Mark
9/30/2022 05:53:23 pm
Those sound like excellent reasons to me. Lewis and Tolkien are a couple of my favorite authors also. I haven't read the others. The Dukes of Hazzard was a fun show.
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Jeremy Edwards
10/1/2022 09:29:01 am
Last year, I helped Shenae Chase, a member of the Twitter Writing Community, with the editing of her novel. What I didn't realize was how different the rules were for Romance than they were for Fantasy. While many of my writing rules still applied, I quickly realized that some adverbs should be allowed in Romance. In fantasy, I take adverbs out of all narration. Also, in fantasy, you want to limit your narrative description to avoid data dumps and keep the action going in the story. In Romance, much of the action is in the narrative description. Working with Shenae, we found a way to tweak my editing rules to fit Romance.
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Mark
10/1/2022 11:45:22 am
You make a good point about readers' expectations in different genres. Romance does rely upon description pretty heavily, especially in the steamy and explicit stories.
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Jeremy Edwards
10/1/2022 11:54:56 am
Reading and watching movies helps get the creative juices flowing, but music allows the words to flow without distraction. It allows me to quiet all the other ideas in my head and focus on a single task.
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Mark
10/1/2022 03:35:37 pm
Many writers concur that reading, watching TV or movies and listening to music help them in one way or another.
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Jeremy Edwards
10/1/2022 05:51:30 pm
I really enjoy reading Dystopian Fiction like The Hunger Games, The Maze Runner or The Divergent series. My guiltiest please though is vampire stories. Not just Anne Rice but Stephanie Meyer too.
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Mark
10/1/2022 07:02:47 pm
Dystopian fiction is interesting, like sci-fi there are many subsets within the genre. Not the first dystopian fiction but the one I remember the best is Divinity Bureau by Tessa Clare. I think it was the first book I had reviewed that was written in first person POV present. I enjoyed the book tremendously! I have reviewed a few vampire books, some were better than others. But they were all better than Abraham Stoker's Dracula. I read that a few years ago and it fell rather flat for me. I read Shelly's Frankenstein about the same time and it was much better than Dracula for me.
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Jeremy Edwards
10/1/2022 11:28:45 pm
Yes, I would agree that suffering makes a good writer. We suffer when we have to edit and delete parts, we thought were good but didn't resonate with readers. Some suffering is self-inflicted, like joining a vanity publisher, not reading contracts carefully, or querying a book when it's not ready. Even with those types of suffering, if you learn from it, it makes you a stronger writer.
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Mark
10/2/2022 08:22:30 am
If only suffering was fun, more people would embrace it. Suffering comes in many different forms and flavors, as you implied some of it is self-inflicted, whether voluntary or not.
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Jeremy Edwards
10/2/2022 02:16:55 pm
The best money I ever spent to enhance my writing career was on Grammarly Pro. I would be lost without it. I actually don't have time for magazines, newsletters, blogs and podcasts, as a rule. As you can tell from our conversations in Twitter, I have a hard time keeping my head above water as it is these days. I do enjoy Revision Division, when I get a chance to listen to it.
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Mark
10/2/2022 04:16:23 pm
Grammarly Pro is pretty good, but I am sure you know that any software is not even close to being right all of the time. The contextual subtleties of the English language are so wide and varied. When word processing software first came out for personal computers, I thought that my days as a proofreader were over. It didn't take me long to realize I had nothing to worry about back then. I still don't even today.
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Jeremy Edwards
10/2/2022 05:06:00 pm
I would love to use a famous person's voice for a character. I can imagine James Earl Jones, or Morgan Freeman voicing parts of my book. They have distinctive voices.
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Mark
10/2/2022 07:24:20 pm
Both of those gentlemen have great voices. They have a large body of work so even if they pass away tomorrow, their estates could choose to license their voices and people would pay a premium for the opportunity.
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Jeremy Edwards
10/2/2022 08:15:37 pm
Yes, my genealogical work was the foundation of Indomitable. In fact, it was through my genealogical research that I discovered Eliza's story and how my family assisted in her flight to freedom.
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Mark
10/3/2022 05:53:27 am
I love the sharing of Eliza's story.
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Jeremy Edwards
10/3/2022 09:31:53 am
I base my characters on personality traits. When I did AD&D, we would fill out character sheets of strengths, abilities, attitudes and motivations. Every character had strengths and flaws. I do sometimes design a character like someone else though, as the need arises. For example, in the Scions of Faerie, Kai was modeled after Michael Dorn’s character, Worf, on Star Trek. Likewise, the character Deverell in the Sould Stones of Faerie was patterned after John De Lancie’s character, Q, on Star Trek.
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Mark
10/3/2022 01:12:55 pm
I forgot about your background with Dungeons and Dragons. You have a lot of experience with character creation. You may not need this information but one of our visitors to the interview may find it useful. Rick Hall created a website that utilizes several different psychological tools and many examples from history and different forms storytelling to help authors develop characters that are true to their psychology: https://www.wordrefiner.com/guest-blogs/character-creation
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Jeremy Edwards
10/3/2022 08:02:39 pm
It depends on the book, but for Phantom Seer, I wanted to illustrate just how messed up our history is and where we could be if we worked with each other instead of against each other. The Faerie Chronicles deal with racism and breaking down cultural barriers and Indomitable shows us a perfect picture of love, forgiveness and redemption.
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Mark
10/4/2022 08:41:40 am
If more people worked together this world would certainly be a different place.
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Jeremy Edwards
10/4/2022 08:43:41 am
Thanks for having me, Mark. It's been a pleasure, as always, and I look forward to our next interview together.
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Who am I?An avid reader, typobuster, and the Hyper-Speller. I am a husband, father, and grandfather. Archives
June 2023
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"I'm very pleased with all your efforts. Twitter promotion and proofreading were beyond what I expected with a book review. Your suggestions throughout the process of refining both books helped me immensely. I look forward to working with you again." A.E.H Veenman “Dial QR for Murder” and “Prepped for the Kill”
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