Guest Author: Jack Regan

Today, I’m excited to introduce everyone to a new author, Jack W. Regan.  Jack takes us to a new world with T’Aragam:

Young Max Ransome watched his father die, killed by marauding phantors as they swept through T’Aragam at the bidding of the evil wizard Zadok. Barely escaping with his own life, Max is thrust into a whirlwind journey as he races against time to save T’Aragam, the world he loves, from a dark dominion. Can Max overcome the horror of his father’s death and save T’Aragam from the grasping talons of its enemies?

Woven with a charming mix of zany humor and genuine danger, T’Aragam immerses the reader in a world of original characters and tightly-woven plot. Young Max leads the cast and is ably supported by, among others, a faithful medgekin friend named Gramkin, two monster brothers named Doom and Gloom, and an equuraptor named Dresden.

Coupled with quirky supporting characters, such as mercenary Captain Baggywrinkle, Lord Stench, and a perpetually hungry sea serpent named Bob, this cast of characters steps from the pages and pulls the reader into the story.

Make sure you stick around as we’re giving away a copy of T’Aragam to a lucky commentator.
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Writing Away Your Demons

Writers through history have been known to struggle with various personal demons. Depression, addiction, paranoia, or hysteria. There was even one writer (not me) who suffered from an inexplicable attraction to Jeremy Piven. (This poor soul has since dropped out of the literary field altogether and now lurks around Niagara Falls selling hand-painted bowties to naïve newlyweds.)

Regardless, it is apparent that angst and art (for I believe writing to be an art form) have long traveled hand in hand. The list of loony writers is long and distinguished. What is it about writing that causes such distress? Or does writing, by mere reputation, attract these types of temperaments?

I must confess to experiencing at least the temptation of lunacy while writing. I’ve had many different jobs in my time, but writing is by far the most difficult. Writing sessions, particularly those of the marathon variety when I’m rushing to meet a deadline, are physically and emotionally draining. In the dark of night, with thousands of unwritten words ahead, life can look bleak and one is easily convinced it is all in vain.

Oxymoronically, writing is also my life’s greatest joy. If I couldn’t write, then I would certainly turn to other, possibly more harmful, pursuits in search of fulfillment and solace. And maybe there lies the key. There is the account of one famous author who drank in order to “enrich his creative juices.” In other words, when he couldn’t write, he drank. Then it became necessary to drink while writing. So he drank to start writing and drank to keep writing. Before long, he was drinking all the time. Obviously, no one can maintain this lifestyle for long and he came to a tragic end.

Yes, writing can be a cruel taskmaster. The key, of course, is to control your writing and not let it control you. Set specific times for writing and use the rest of the time to lead a “normal” life. Plan ahead to avoid deadline crunches. If you feel yourself being drained, take a hiatus from writing and do something entirely different, like a new hobby or maybe just spend more time with family and friends. Try to think of writing as a hobby, as something you do for fun (not easy if it’s the only thing putting food on the table). Perhaps use your writing time as an escape from the outside world—make it a quiet time. In other words, don’t allow your demons to control your writing. Instead, use writing to drive your demons away.

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Jack W. Regan is the author of T’Aragam, book one in the Max Ransome Chronicles, a new fantasy adventure series for tweens. Visit his website at www.taragam.com for more information.  Jack can also be found on Facebook.

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Thank you Jack for visiting Literary Escapism.

Contest Time! We’re giving away a copy of T’Aragam to a lucky commentator and it’s very easy to enter. All you have to do is answer one of these simple questions (or all of them your choice): What kind of demons do you have?  What would be the oddest demon you’ve come across?  If you could create your own “personal demon”, what would it be like? Remember, you don’t have to answer all of the question, but you do have to answer at least one. The contest is open to everyone, so everyone overseas can join in the fun as well.

As always, if you want more chances to win, you can post about today’s contest on your blog, social network, or anywhere you can. Digg it, stumble it, twit it (#litesc), share it with the world. Wherever you share it, make sure you add a link to it along with your answer (all in the same post please). The more places you share it, the more entries you get.

For more entries, purchase any novel through LE’s Amazon store sometime during this contest and send a copy of the receipt VIA email for your purchase to: myjaxon AT gmail DOT com.  Each purchase is one entry and it has to be through the LE Link.

Join the Literary Escapism Facebook page and you’ll get an additional entry. Make sure you leave a comment so I know that’s why you’re joining. Only new readers to the group will be considered.

For an additional entry, subscribe to Literary Escapism’s newsletter in the sidebar. This is for new subscribers only.

I’ll determine the winner with help from the Research Randomizer. All entries must be in by midnight on August 11th.