Today I have the distinct honor of interviewing Jesse Giles Christiansen who is the author of Journey into the Mystic and Pelican Bay, an entrancing story of a mystery island and its' inhabitants. You can see my book review for Pelican Bay here.



Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to answer some questions!

What name(s) do you write under?
I only have one novel under a pseudonym. It is a memoir based on a true story, so I'm waiting for the right time to release it in the future. Otherwise, I plan to write under my real name.

Where are you from?
I'm originally from Miami, Florida. I grew up playing around and in the ocean. No big surprise, eh?

What is the name of your most recent book or books and where can it be found?
My most recent book is actually a 3rd edition of the first book that I ever wrote when I was 26 years old. The book was lost and had to be re-written. It's called, JOURNEY INTO THE MYSTIC, and can be found on Amazon. It's partly based on a true story about a summer I spent in Alaska.

What is your book about? What genre is it in?
The genre of JOURNEY INTO THE MYSTIC is metaphysical thriller. Upon its re-release, it immediately became an international list bestseller, outselling LAST OF THE MOHICANS.

Who would you say is your biggest literary influence?
My biggest literary influences, classically, are Jack London and Hemingway. My contemporary influences are Paul Harding and, most of all, Annie Proulx, who inspired my PELICAN BAY novels. I'm trying to contact her right now for a review blurb for PELICAN BAY, Book Two (no easy task!). But good news, I believe she recently liked a poem that I wrote for her on Facebook!

What or who inspired you to begin writing?
I believe that artists are souls who see the world not the way others see it, but the way it might be underneath. These souls simply find the medium that works best for them. I think my best medium is literature, and my second best is singing/songwriting (e.g., I will soon be recording the song for my new book for my current event). I also hope to learn to paint one day. I believe that artists are inspired whenever they catch a glimpse of what their souls' tell them is reality. I started writing when I was twelve years old.

When did you start writing? When did you start writing professionally?
I guess you could say that I began writing professionally when I was first published by my publisher, Imajin Books. But if you define "professional" as earning royalties from your writing, I've been self-publishing and receiving small checks from Amazon since 2010. Before that, it was short stories, songs, poems, journals, etc.

You've recently made the decision to write full time. How do you feel about that currently?
7 months from now, beginning January, 2015, I will be a full-time writer. It's both exciting and scary at the same time. From what I've read, a writer goes full-time when he or she has has at least two bestselling novels, or at least 5 books selling decently. My life situation has allowed me to write full-time. I can't wait!

What piece of advice do you think every aspiring or new author should know?
If you're an aspiring author, basically you have to make the first critical decision. That is whether or not you would like to be a hobby author who submits manuscripts and enters contests, waiting for a big break, or a career author, like me, who, in addition to writing and submitting, is willing to work hard at the promotion end as well. I believe the "armchair author" is a creature who went extinct with the 20th century.

Rumor has it that as of late, strange things have been happening again in Pelican Bay, do you have any thoughts on that?
Ha, ha! Yes! In addition to disturbing sitings and bizarre occurrences turning the poor little bay area into a ghost town, there's now a lawsuit being brought by a Pelican Bay resident against a major social media company for a recent promo being run. Yikes! You can follow all the news surrounding Pelican Bay by liking the Gull Bay Post News Page at: http://ow.ly/xxVSS

Do you have any upcoming events we should know about?
Hmm, yes, I'm running this very unique and fun promo right now in order to celebrate my upcoming book two in the CAPTAIN SHELBY SERIES. By attending the event, you can have your profile picture actually appear in my novel later this year! Also, you could appear in my rock video, "Laura Lie," as well as receive cool prizes such as paperbacks for life, Captain Shelby memorabilia, gift cards, ebooks, and perhaps even a Kindle Fire HD! Come and join now by clicking here or the book below.



Thank you for your time Jesse, it's been a pleasure! I wish you the best of luck with writing full time and the upcoming Tuesday, June 10th event! Congratulations on your success thus far. In closing, where can we find you on social media?

Thanks so much for having me, Aislinn. I enjoyed your intelligent, unique questions. Thank you for all that you do in the literary community!