Author Talks – JSH Writes: Episode Four
By J.S. Harman
Previous Author Talks
We were delighted to catch up with J.S. Harman yesterday, following the much anticipated launch of Dark Skies, the third and final installment in his much talked about Darkworlds Saga.
Here's what he had to say:
Last time we spoke, you were preparing for the launch of the third and final book in the Dark Worlds Saga, Dark Skies. How did it go?
The launch for Skies was such a fun day. Thank you for coming, and filling out a table! So much hard work went into writing and publishing these novels, and there has been a lot of hardship behind the scenes in 2026, so it was just amazing to have such a healthy, warm crowd in to help me celebrate my first instance of my 'life's work' come to fruition.
How are you feeling now that it's finally out there?
This is probably the first time in my journey where I've felt a true sense of satisfaction - I just adore how these three books look together, and I know that each one was written and produced to the maximum of my capability at the time. It is just a small step on the road to a bookshelf, and hopefully a career, but a super fun moment nonetheless.
You've done three launches now – what has evolved? Have you picked up any important tips or tricks you can share for a successful launch?
I think you've been to them all, so I'd love your thoughts on this, actually! I'd absolutely say it's been a case of refinement, but something that came through a lot more in this third one, both in the preparation and execution, was a focus on making it as engaging as possible for the attendees. Biz (E.C. Cardey) is an author I have a lot of time for and was a wonderful co-host, and it was great being able to back-and-forth as much as we did. Another change was forsaking the traditional 'reading' (given it was book 3, I didn't want to give away spoilers!) and focussing more on the trivia, where each table broke out into little groups and got to have a chat and a laugh in between the presentation. I liked how this broke up the 'me talking at people' aspect of the day, and contributed to the most relaxed atmosphere I've seen across the three launches. I'm going to think about more/similar games I could bring into future editions!
As for 'tips', I still don't see myself as an authority or advice-giver, but there's a few things I'd always impress.
1) plan for it to take longer than you think it will.
2) involve your audience where you can.
3) try to enjoy yourself, but also, stay mindful of the experience of your guests. They are here to support you, but the better they feel doing so, the more likely they are to come again.
4) let your passion and enthusiasm show, as this is something people will gravitate towards, but know when you've answered a question thoroughly enough!
And finally, at the launch you mentioned your next project and it sounded wonderful, and a little chaotic haha! Tell us a bit about it!
I cannot speak too much on this one, yet, but here are the tidbits I can share for now. It's going to be a trilogy, and it's going to have a fantasy setting... but don't worry, we're going to have all of the emotional unconventionally-heroic characters we're used to, as well as the same dire lack of plot armour or safety for all of our protagonists. And it may feature more than a few representatives of some pretty awesome species of times past...
That will do us for today, I think! Thank you again for your time and all the work you're doing with the Cereal. 😄
If you’d like to check out my books, you can find them on my website, here:
https://jsharman.com.au
Or on Amazon, here:
The Darkworlds Saga
My best social media platform is Instagram - @j.s.harman.author, but I also keep the lights on over on Facebook and Tiktok, under the same handle.
