Author Interview - Jason Dorough

Hello and welcome to our latest author interview with fantasy author Jason Dorough!

Please tell us a little bit about yourself and your writing.

I'm Jason Dorough, and I am a fantasy author and voiceover artist. I also create content on BookTok and am an advocate for indie publishing. I'm originally from Georgia but now live in the Orlando, Florida, area. I primarily write epic fantasy and am in the process of writing a 9-book series called Teshovar. It's set in a realm where magic exists but is outlawed. The first full novel is Akithar's Greatest Trick, and that's preceded by a prequel novella called The Gem of Tagath.

Who would you say your biggest literary influences are?

Lloyd Alexander is the author who first got me interested in fantasy, but my own writing is usually compared more closely to Brandon Sanderson and Leigh Bardugo. I grew up reading Agatha Christie, and I feel like some of her influence can be seen in the mysteries and twists that are woven into my stories.

How has the history of the middle ages impacted/influenced your work?

I feel like that period of history has impacted nearly all western-written fantasy by making a lot of tropes in fantasy settings pretty common. Having second-world fantasy stories set in worlds that resemble medieval Europe is almost a default for many authors. My own world of Teshovar has a complicated history that has been manipulated by an ancient sorcerer who has influenced the pace and direction of progress across technology, science, and society. While some aspects of Teshovar do still resemble Europe's Middle Ages through architecture, martial focus, and some weaponry and traditions, other aspects of the world have progressed to a level similar to what was seen in the Victorian era in our world.

Do you feel like your writing has been impacted/influenced by Tolkien? If so, in what way(s)?

I firmly believe Tolkien has influenced everyone currently writing fantasy, whether directly or indirectly. My fantasy stories do not focus on quests, and I don't write about non-human races, but I'm still very aware that aspects of Tolkien's approach to worldbuilding probably inspired some of my own approach. I haven't detailed the history and lineages of Teshovar as extensively as Tolkien did for Middle-Earth, but I still made sure to know the broad strokes of what happened thousands of years ago and how those events informed and affected the current events of the narrative.

What do you think the current innovations in your genre(s) are?

Cozy fantasy and romantic fantasy are very big in the fantasy genre right now, but neither of those are in the area where I'm writing. I do think that, even though big series are still the norm for epic fantasy, there is more opportunity for standalone books now than there has been in the past.

What is something in your genre(s) you'd like to see more of?

I'd like to see more cross-genre experimentation. I view fantasy as being more a setting than a genre, even though it's convenient to discuss fantasy as a genre. When I write, I think of my books as belonging to genres that are specific to the stories they tell. For example, The Gem of Tagath is a heist story set in a fantasy world, and Akithar's Greatest Trick is a cat-and-mouse thriller set in a fantasy world. Many other authors are playing with tropes and genres in this way, and I'd love to see that trend growing and continuing.

What is something in your genre(s) you'd like to see less of?

I believe there's an audience for every book, and just because I'm not in the audience for a particular type of story or trope, that doesn't mean someone else won't love it. Because of that, I don't think there's anything that's big in fantasy right now that I'd like to see less of. I do feel like we never need harmful fiction that reinforces negative stereotypes or does injury to real-world people or groups, especially those that are already marginalized or oppressed. Those are things I'm happy to see less of, but they fortunately are not predominant in most widely-read fantasy at this point.

Is there anything else related I didn't ask a question about that you'd like to add?

As background for my own knowledge of and exposure to Tolkien, I first read The Hobbit when I was in elementary school, and I read Tolkien's translation of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight in high school, but I didn't get around to reading anything else from him until much later. I saw the Peter Jackson Lord of the Rings movies when they released in theaters and then read the books shortly after that. I am still daunted by The Silmarillion and haven't ventured into reading that, but I hope to work up the courage one day!

Where online can our readers find you and your work?

My website is JasonDorough.com, and all my books and social accounts are linked at https://linktr.ee/jasondorough . I am most active on TikTok and try to post at least a couple of new videos there every day.

Jason, thank you so much for the interview and sharing your interesting answers with us!