Meet John Fitch V

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Hello Threeundertwo and her bevy of blogosphere readers! I’m John Fitch V, and I’m the author of six novels – soon to be seven released and many more to come. I’ll be answering Threeundertwo’s questions, and of course your questions at the end. I love Q&A sessions!

Tell us about your book
Which book should I talk about first? Hmmm. Well, let me start off with
TURNING BACK THE CLOCK. This is a book for any baseball fan, but what I’ve found recently is that non-baseball fans have also enjoyed it. This novel is about Greg Patterson, a Red Sox fan, and his quest to end the Yankees’ dominance over the Olde Towne Team. He gets the idea to build a time machine after watching the Yankees steal victory from the Red Sox in the 2003 American League Championship
Series. He recruits his friend, Brandon Roy, to go back to 1919 with him to stop
two events from happening: the sale of Babe Ruth from Boston to New York, as
well as the Black Sox Scandal. Greg believes these two events are connected, and
by stopping them, the Red Sox will not go into their 80-plus year funk. There is
also a little love story between Greg and a woman he meets in the past, and a
little twist at the end.

I’ve also written several Lord of the Rings-type fantasy novels – my next release is a fantasy novel – as well as a space opera, Star Wars-type sci-fi novel. I have many writing interests and I like to dabble in a potpourri of genres. I really wanted to be a fantasy author, but… the rest is history.

What inspired you to write Turning Back The Clock?
I was just finishing up my first novel, OBLOERON: THE QUEST FOR THE CHALICE, when a friend of mine said he was going to write a book about two Red Sox fans going back in time to stop the sale of Babe Ruth to the Yankees. It was the same concept, but he didn’t take the manuscript anywhere longer than a few pages, and after a while, he stopped altogether. I kept prodding him and encouraging him to write it, because it was a book I would want to buy and read. By the time I finished my third novel, another year had passed, and it was now 2006. I asked him again how it was coming, and he said he had given up. I then asked him if I
could take over the project; it was coming up on winter 2006, and I wanted something to write during the day and I was out of full time work. He gave me his blessing and I started research on the project. I added the Black Sox Scandal part, added the love interest, looked at old maps.

I basically wanted to tell a fun story and ask the age old question: What if Babe Ruth never went to New York?

Do you have a favorite character?
I think that I enjoy writing every character, but as for a favorite? That’s a hard question to answer. Obviously, Yanos Kingsfoil was the first character I created for OBLOERON, and he’s near and dear to me. Yanos is a halfling (a hobbit, for you folks who know Lord of the Rings in passing), but instead of being a real docile being, he is ready to fight – one author friend of mine said he had the courage of Conan the Barbarian. I also consider Radamuck – the second character created – one of my favorite characters, because he’s such a great leader and has a strong and sturdy countenance about him. In the prequel novels (set to be released beginning this fall), Radamuck is younger and a little more headstrong, but he’s also a tad bit more funny than he is in the original TRILOGY. He serves as foil for Krampel and Lutricia. Lutricia was also a fun character to write, and there is another female character that I can’t talk about as of yet. Maybe in a year-to-18 months I can start talking about her.

Are any of your characters based on people you know in real life?
Most of my characters have some basis in reality. Radamuck, for instance, is the fantasy embodiment of yours truly. Of course, there is also a little bit of me in Grumpet and his grandfather, Krampel. I’ve named characters after friends and my younger cousins and named fantasy towns after friends. It’s always fun to
take a friend’s name, twist it a little bit, and make it look different.

What kinds of things did you research to write your book?
For TBTC, I had to make sure I had the details of the sale of Babe Ruth as well as the events surrounding the Black Sox Scandal to be as true as I could find: the Black Sox Scandal is, in some way, based on hearsay. I re-read EIGHT MEN OUT, watched the movie repeatedly, and also culled information from other sources. I then had to commit a map of Boston, mainly the area surrounding Fenway Park, to memory: even though I grew up in Boston, it was a good idea to refresh my memory. I also tried to gather information on the old telephone exchange system that was in use back in 1919 (think Pennsylvania 6-5000, and
you’ll get the gist).

I have a lot of very creative readers. Do you have other hobbies or creative pursuits besides writing?
I would love to say I still play golf, but I haven’t played in four years. I read constantly, and my “day job” is covering sports for my local newspaper. If I’m not writing, I’m reading, and if I’m not reading, I’m sleeping or watching sports on TV. I’m a Boston sports fan, mainly the Red Sox and the Patriots. But I also support the New England Revolution as well as Arsenal FC in the English Premier League.

What’s on your nightstand (or kindle) right now?
Right now, I have Jim C. Hines’ RED HOOD’S REVENGE on tap, and I’ll also be re-reading the DUNE series shortly in preparation for the next novel. I also read LORD OF THE RINGS every year, so I’ll be doing that probably over Christmas. I’m also a HUGE Star Wars fan – I own all of the books – as well as
Harry Potter. I also read Steven Savile, Vince Flynn, John Grisham, and R.A. Salvatore.

Do you have any upcoming titles you’re working on?
I have a lot of stuff that I’m busily getting ready for publication. This fall, I’ll be releasing the first OBLOERON prequel, and there will be three of those spread over the next few years. I’ll also be working on revisions to the follow-up to TBTC, a mild baseball thriller tentatively entitled LOADED UP, which I hope to have ready for next spring. I have a debut YA novel that I’ll put out next summer, as well as the project and lead female character that I can’t talk about just yet. I’m also brainstorming another sports novel, and
another YA title for 2012. It may mean I won’t write another OBLOERON novel until next year or maybe even early 2012, since the prequels have been backed up for so long.

What else would you like to add?
If you haven’t jumped aboard the digital eBook revolution bandwagon, do so soon.  Prices on eReaders are going down, and the price of books, other than indies, will soon go down. I am sure of it.

Where can we find your book?
You can find my books in trade paperback via Amazon.com (as well as .ca and .co.uk), B&N.com, as well as on Amazon Kindle and on Smashwords.

Any other links?
My web site is johnfitchv.com, and I have a blog on johnfitchv.livejournal.com!
Thanks for the invitation to meet your readers. I’ll be happy to chat here with anyone who has a question for me.