Today we’re talking with Jay Luke, author of When Coal Was Queen. It seems writers have a wealth of creative talents sometimes, and this is certainly the case with Mr. Luke. Like many writers, he also has talent for artwork and music. He tells us about his inspiration for writing, favorite writers, and how he came to pen his latest work. I know you’re going to appreciate his advice to other writers as well.

Enjoy this interview.

Tell us a bit about yourself. Where are you from and how long have you been writing?

Hello there, my name is Jay Luke. I’m a lifelong resident of Throop, PA. I’ve been writing for almost as long as I can remember.

What types of writing do you do?

Most of my earliest stuff developed from poetry, then to lyrics for songs I wrote. After awhile I got around to putting ideas together for a novel I’d been kicking around in my head. Somewhere in between it all I wrote about the history of my neighboring town Olyphant.

What’s the best thing about writing?

To me, writing is a great form of expression, and therapy as well. I think just like with music and art, it allows me to vent and get things off of my chest whereas other people might get into trouble trying to vent in other ways. It provides a safe escape to let steam off, and keeps me out of trouble.

Share some of your writing goals.

I think my goals depend on what I’m writing. If I’m writing song lyrics, my goal is to make the words thought-provoking while fitting into a melodic soundscape. For the book I just wrote on Olyphant’s history, my goals were to do the best documentation I could of this coal mining town. Writing about history is supremely challenging as it requires tons of fact checking. Someone who may have documented an event long ago might clash with another person’s documentation of the same event. So there were many dates that needed to be thoroughly researched as well as name misspelling. I suppose what I had in mind was to tell the story of the town’s rise to fame through the famed anthracite industry. Today’s generation has no idea what really took place and how important the mining in this area was for the town’s formation. The main goal was to accurately educate those who want to know how the town developed from its earliest days.

Is there a specific time of day you like to write?

With me, I write when I feel inspired. There’s no ritualistic time for me to write. Inspiration hits me at sporadic times and it sometimes gets to a point where I may be at a restaurant and have to jot ideas down on a napkin. I think there’s a certain magic to the spontaneous inspiration. It makes it less contrived and more true to the heart.

What’s the most interesting book you’ve ever read?

Ever since Dan Brown released the Da Vinci Code and Angels & Demons I fell in love with his blend of story lines mixed with history lessons. I think it’s a really beautiful concept. I like stories with twist endings that you never see coming. Mixing those ideas all together create a way of almost tricking the reader into learning, which is the best way to truly retain the knowledge. It makes it an adventure, which is how I think it should be.

When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?

My writing aspiration stemmed from my musical influences. I always wanted to be a musician/songwriter and I quickly got into writing songs. Looking back at
some of my earliest efforts, I find them to be almost laughable but without them I would never have developed. You have to start somewhere so from there I kept writing more and more. I stuck with it and never gave up. Eventually I realized that in writing songs I was often trying to tell stories. So when I got to writing without having to rhyme lines it really made things easier for me and I found it to be a great outlet for ideas without the trappings of having to sing and make them fit to music. So as soon as I looked at things in that light I think that was when I realized writing was something I could do. The key to a good writer is to write about things you know well, or things you’re interested in. Otherwise it will always feel halfhearted, which is20something I don’t believe in. If I don’t feel a passion for the subject matter or storyline then I’d rather not be involved.

Favorite authors?

I have so many but I can try to list a brief few here. Dan Brown, Kurt Vonnegut, Friedrich Nietzsche, Ian Caldwell, Dustin Thomason, Randy Pausch, Edgar Allen Poe, and many more.

Book you’re currently reading.

I’m the kind of person that needs to have a million things going on at once to maintain normality, as weird as that seems. Idle time is my version of hell. So I usually read 3 books at a time. Currently those 3 are Nietzsche’s Beyond Good and Evil, a music bio called Morrissey & Marr: The Severed
Alliance, and one called Forbidden History.

Any type of writing ritual you have?

When I write I like to burn a candle, have any necessary research information that I may need handy, perhaps some atmospheric music in the background and have a comfortable chair. Sometimes I might be without all of the above – as I said before, inspiration strikes at odd moments.

Do you believe in writer’s block? If so, how did you get past it? If not, why not?

I can see how certain people may get writer’s block. If I get bogged down on something I’ll take a break and do something else until the next idea hits. I might start writing a new music piece, or work on a painting. I like to always keep active with art of any sort. I feel it keeps my creativity flowing.

What’s the measure of a successful writer?

A successful writer has to have a passion for what he or she is writing about. When you write about things of interest it convinces the reader as well. I think with most forms of art the public can spot a fake, therefore sincerity is, to me, the mark of a great artist in whatever field they choose to express themselves in.

Advice for other writers?

Find what interests you, or something you want to know more about. Keep notes, do your research. Make it an adventure to find your material and then after accumulating your knowledge let it spill out of your mind onto the page.

Where can we learn more about you?

I have a few networking pages:
www.myspace.com/jaylukedesigns
www.myspace.com/jayluke
www.facebook.com/JayLukePage

Anything else you’d like to add?

I’d just like to encourage readers out there to follow your dreams, whatever they may be. They only seem unachievable if you restrict your thinking. Focus on the positive thought and let negative thoughts bounce right off of you. With persistence and determination anything is possible. Never give up.