Author Interview: Jim Murdoch

In the interview seat today we have the lovely Jim Murdoch. Jim comes to us from Belfast, Northern Ireland. At one point in time in his life, Jim faced a paradigm shift which gave him a new world view. He views everything and everyone being connected. A path of self development studies followed where he delved into many subjects including metaphysics and, yes, dragons.

With his wife, Katharina, he co-authored their self-help story Wings of Change. This got him thinking about writing fiction instead of boring self-help books. Taking inspiration from The Alchemist and The Celestine Prophecy, he waited for the inspiration. Pursuit is the result which has developed into the “Dragons and Visions” series which is visionary fantasy. Jim lives with his wife in Switzerland. Find more about Jim from his Facebook page, maybe follow him on Twitter, G+, and the FB fan page for Dragons and Visions.


Hello Jim and welcome to Booky Ramblings of a Neurotic Mom
Was there anything particular that inspired you to start your journey of being an author?
Other books were my main inspiration to be a writer. I have been an avid reader since I learned to read. When I was ten I started to write a story and then at 26 I made another attempt. I guess I lacked the right inspiration and ideas then. It wasn’t until I was 59 when my first novel was published, although my wife and I published a self-help book, Wings of Change, a few years earlier. The inspiration for the novel, Pursuit, came from a dire situation which I described in a short analogy called “Jane and the Dragon”. This gave me the idea for a greater story and the ideas followed.

What would you say is the hardest part of writing/publishing a book for you?
The hardest part in writing a book is being disciplined enough to do it. I work as an IT Coordinator in a small company in Zurich. My writing happens in my free time. I recently moved home which means a longer train ride to work. This gives me now a good time twice each working day to do some serious writing. Setting the time aside for writing can be difficult amongst all the other stuff of life, but having a dedicated space and time like on a train is ideal.

If you could only read four books for the rest of your life, what would they be?
To have only four books to read would be a very sad world indeed. I can’t choose. I like to discover new stories and new authors. So I would probably pick four books I have never read before and which promise to be both entertaining and inspiring.

Do you and your main character share any personality traits?
A little, I guess. Pat is rather reserved and held back. He is cautious and does things by the book. Later on he learns to break out and face his fear and becomes a stronger character. Yes, that reflects somewhat my own experience.

If you could live in any book what book would it be?
The Narnia books. To talk to animals and trees is a very fascinating concept and one which may have some truth from our forgotten and distant past. There are those today who claim to be able to telepathically communicate with animals.

Where do your ideas for your books come from? Dreams? Music?
Usually they just pop into my head. A story may be prompted by some event or other. A recent dream though will become part of my next novel. It was so unusual and had such interesting elements and characters it was like something I downloaded in my sleep. That is how I feel about my writing, it is as if the stories are downloading as I write. Downloading from where is the question. I have heard many other authors say something similar. The stories seem to come from outside of me, I am merely a channel.

Any advice for aspiring authors?
Stop aspiring and start writing. The world is full of aspiring ideas from people who never take the first step towards their fulfilment. Get a pen or computer and start now to write. Stop making excuses. Either you want to write or you don’t. Start writing or shut up talking about it. Many would-be authors think they need a language or literature degree before writing. Others think that the story must be complete in their heads before beginning. But these are simply excuses by procrastinators. As a writer I know that my writing does not need to be perfect. That is what editors and proofreaders are for. Editing is the process after the book is complete in which spellings and bad structure are all corrected to make your story a joy to read. So, my fellow future author, start writing and when you have completed chapter one you can call yourself an author.

Pursuit: A story of dragons, dreams, discovery and destiny (Dragons and Visions) (Volume 1)

Do dragons exist? Do our dreams become part of our reality? Einarr, a young warrior, follows a riddle from his father to find the treasure of his life. Gaby, a little girl and passionate reader, makes an amazing discovery within the pages of an antique book. Pat climbs a mountain to escape overwhelming changes in his life and his sick pregnant wife. Set in three different time periods, we accompany the protagonists and their individual stories through the challenges and discoveries that change their lives forever. Although separated by time, their adventures and encounters are intricately intertwined across the years. What all of the characters in this book have in common may change your life forever. The mystery, adventure and discoveries in Pursuit will have you claim your very own destiny. --- The legends of Mount Pilatus mentioned in this book were taken from the Pilatus official website and other sources. Believe them or not. It is the authors conviction that such legends and myths have originated with some story or other. Do dragon’s exist. Let the reader decide.

Amazon US  /  Amazon UK