1.- Could you introduce yourself to Jamreads’ readers?
Hey there! I’m Joshua Walker, the author of The Song of the Sleepers series. I’m an Aussie who loves all things story, brewing beer, and hanging out with my friends and family.

2.- Why did you start writing?
Writing is something that’s always been a kind of compulsion for me. I can remember several touch points in my life where writing has taken the highest priority. I wrote my first ever comic book series at the age of eight, ‘publishing’ them with my friend at school. We would do photocopies, staple them, and hand them out to other kids to read, just like the characters in Captain Underpants. I also remember dedicating a lot of time that should’ve been otherwise allocated to studying for my high-school finals to writing, and listening to lecture after lecture from Brandon Sanderson.
In addition, my father has always had a great love for reading, and injected that into all of us from young ages. The Hobbit was the first thing I remember reading by myself at his recommendation, and over the years he guided me through a number of good books, which not only shaped my character but grew my love for literature. This is ultimately what caused me to pursue English teaching in my professional life, as well as writing books.

3.- What made you choose self-publishing?
I love the way you asked that question because the most important thing about going indie is understanding that it is a choice first and foremost. Initially, I was kind of boxed-in to the notion that one should write, query, fail, and repeat until a publisher picks up one’s book. But after years of devoting myself to that ordeal, I discovered that I actually had the knack for things like formatting, social media, etc. that I needed to build a career as an author for myself. I liked the creative control I had when I had pursued music too, years ago. Then, during the pandemic, I came across Ryan Cahill’s work around the time he released Of Darkness and Light, and I found myself not only enthralled by his world, but also by his work ethic and approach to publishing. Feeling refreshed by his experiences, I decided to commit fully to indie, and have never looked back.

4.- How was the inception and the first ideas for the Song of the Sleepers?
The inception of the series is actually several different inceptions. I’ve been interested and in love with trees and nature having grown up in the Blue Mountains region in Sydney, Australia. Alongside this, I’ve also been obsessed with bioluminescent life for years, especially after experiencing glow-worms and the like in the area too.
In regards to story, I genuinely think there is no fundamentally better story on a technical level than Toy Story, and I wanted to capture the mystery element of that film with the trope of getting lost/found again, and exploring the dynamics of character personalities in the context of this conflict. And being a massive fan of traditional epic fantasy, it seemed like the perfect place to start!

5.- The concept of Aobia is quite interesting. How did the idea for them appear? How did it changed from the start?
Aobia itself is broken into three parts, the Heart, the Mind, and the Soul. In the story, these are provinces within the tree, which people live in and do different types of work. This idea came from my study of Plato and his Theory of the Soul. Our soul, in Plato’s thinking, is an eternal part of who we are, and exists with us even after death. There is a mystical (as well as scientifically plausible) connection between the original people of Q’ara (the Aobians and the Hidden Ones) and the land itself, as well as another plane of existence in which they can interact with their people from afar. We haven’t seen much of that yet, so I’ll say nothing more …

6.- How would you say being Australian has influenced your own writing?
The Aobians are the embodiment of true stewardship of the earth, and were partly inspired by our beautiful indigenous people here in Australia, who share mutually exclusive relationships with the earth. There’s a lot I could say about it, but it hugely inspired the way I wrote the Aobians versus the humans in the story, and therefore also recalls some conversation in the series about the impact of colonialism on culture, which is a dichotomy modern Australia still continues to deal with today.

7.- An Exile of Gold and Water is a quite extensive novel; which challenges did you find while writing it?
Continuity was a big one. I’ve written several works in the past that were much more limited in perspective than this book. But for this one, I needed multiple perspectives to interact on the page in order to show the breadth of scope in the series. The hardest part was definitely trying to make everything work like a well-oiled machine, especially because I like to discovery write my way into a novel. As an example, I think I rewrote the first thirty/forty thousand words of the story three times!

8.- In particular, which part of Q’ara that we haven’t seen yet you are dying to show the readers?
I love this question. There’s a whole ‘luminous world’ I want to show people, but I’m really excited that there are two stories coming out in 2025 which will tackle both the far north and south of the continent. The first one is the second novella in the series and is called The Child of the Greenwood. It’s partly inspired by feudal Japan/Polynesian culture, and sits somewhere between Tarzan and Mistborn. 

9.- Which part of the whole publishing process do you find more challenging?
The publishing process is definitely a difficult beast to tame, but the part that has caught me off guard again and again is the social media marketing in the lead-up to a launch. It’s certainly tricky to find the line between being too quiet and not talking about your book enough, or being so loud that you annoy people and push them away from your book before it even releases. It’s definitely still a learning curve for me and one I’m eager to improve on.

10.- You also have a prequel novella, The Rest to the Gods. Where do you recommend the readers to start?
Readers could start with either book. My goal for the novellas is to focus on one single character and really deep-dive their mentality during important continental events in Q’ara’s history. As a result, the novellas can be read in any order, and can also be read before or after the mainline books in the series. I’m open and keen to hear from readers on this though. I’d love to know the difference between reader experiences for those who do or don’t begin with The Rest to the Gods.

11.- What does Joshua Walker like to do in his free time?
One of my biggest hobbies is brewing beer. I think one day I’d like to open a brewery/bookstore hybrid. I enjoy the science of fermentation, the creativity of recipe creation, and the fundamental value in seeing something come from a radically different set of ingredients it started with.
I also love music, and feel music very closely and deeply. I’ve played guitar since I was about six years old, and am also a vocalist. I spent years either between bands or recording, releasing and performing my own stuff, and from time to time dabble with the idea of releasing more music in the future. For now though, it’s a quiet and private hobby for me, and one that is necessary for me to function healthily. 

12.- What can we expect from Joshua Walker in the future?
The future is bright for Q’ara! I’m hoping to release a novella and another secret project in 2025, as well as Book 2 of the series either towards the end of the year, or early 2026. After that, we’ll see. But this is only the beginning, and I can’t wait to take the journey further with you all along for the ride! Thanks for having me, Jamedi!