I had the absolute pleasure of interviewing esteemed publisher and author of the thrilling new fantasy novel in a series of seven, “The Beasts and the 4 Demigods”, Jonathan Gatsby takes us on a journey into our ancient past and weaves a suspenseful tale of the fallen angels and their struggle for dominion over Earth. With the balance of human civilization in the throes, an unlikely group of humans are put to the ultimate test of their powers, endowed by the Creator, to battle the dark forces and save mankind. In anticipation of his June 1 release, we took a moment to learn more about the motivation behind his passion to create a story of such epic proportion and a glimpse into the life of a budding publisher eager to show other authors the keys to a successful career as a writer.
Rachel Dares: Can you give us a background on where your literary passion began?
Jonathan Gatsby: My literary passion began in the 5th grade, thanks to my teachers Mrs. Norton from Nordale Elementary, and Mrs. Dolan from Hunter Elementary. I remember being introduced to so many great books in both of their classes.
Sign of the Beaver
Sing Down the Moon
Johnny Tremain
Time Enough for Drums
My Side of the Mountain
Indian in the Cupboard
The witch of Blackbird Pond and much more…
That year, I began to read on my own. I found my passion in reading had greatly grown and I sought out great books at the Noel Wein Library. The Boxcar Children, The Hardy Boys, and The Goosebumps Series were some of my favorite reads.
I later discovered Harry Potter books when I was 17 years old and it was then that I began my writing career. Reading was my only escape from my poor broken down reality. I thought to myself if I can, at least, partially escape the hardships of life through reading…how much more in creating my own reality through writing?
Rachel Dares: Jonathan Gatsby is an incredible name. What inspired you to write under a pseudonym?
Jonathan Gatsby: Part of escaping my reality included the name. I felt that everything had to change for me to reach my true destiny.
Rachel Dares: What motivated you to write your new book series?
Jonathan Gatsby: I have always loved fantasy. My original idea for the book was about Hercules vs Zeus, but as I studied their history more and more, I discovered that Apollo, Leviathan, Orion the Hunter were mentioned in the Bible, then I noticed the Angels in Genesis 6, were doing the same things the Greek and Norse Gods were doing, which was, sleeping with earth’s women and having babies by them, and the Bible said that their babies grew up to be mighty men who would always be known, such as Hercules, Achilles and others. My findings led me to researching other religions, and sure enough, Lucifer is mentioned in Greek Mythology. He is the son of the Titans.
The book has since evolved from Hercules vs Zeus to mixing all religions together using the studies I mentioned above.
Rachel Dares: Do you want each book to stand on its own, or are you trying to build a body of work with connections between each book?
Jonathan Gatsby: I am building a body of work with every book tied into the other.
Rachel Dares: What was your hardest scene to write?
Jonathan Gatsby: None of the scenes were really harder than the other, but what I had the most difficult time trying to figure out was how to kill Leviathan and for Hercules and his group if demigods to free Hades and Poseidon.
Rachel Dares: What did you edit out of this book?
Jonathan Gatsby: I changed the clothes the demigods wore in the Hercules era. I undid some modern words I accidentally put in during the Hercules era and deleted extra descriptions of Hercules.
Rachel Dares: Who would you cast to do the voiceovers for the animation adaptation of this book?
Jonathan Gatsby: It really doesn’t matter to me as long as Catherine Zeta Jones plays Athena, and Scarlett Johansson plays Aphrodite.
Rachel Dares: Where can we purchase your new book?
Jonathan Gatsby: You may purchase the book through Barnes & Noble: https://m.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-beasts-the-4-demigods-jonathan-gatsby/1128722530?ean=9780692109069
Or pre-order on my website: https://gatsbypublishingnoelbooks.com/authors-temp/john-gatsby-temp/the-beasts-and-the-4-demigods/
Rachel Dares: How can your fans and followers connect with you?
Jonathan Gatsby: Feel free to log on to my website at: https://gatsbypublishingnoelbooks.com/ (you’ll find all my social media channels there) or email me directly at [email protected].
