Terry Brooks is prolific, known especially for his fantasy. Even though I interviewed him on his Star Wars: Episode 1: The Phantom Menace, Angel Fire East, and The Voyage of the Jerle Shannara: Book One: Ilse Witch, it was his book on writing that caught my heart.
Sometimes the Magic Works: Lessons from a Writing Life hit my mailbox just about the time I was imagining my memoir, which, in those days, seemed a collection of random bits of inspiration. These thoughts that sparked in my brain appeared more blogs than book. Only problem was, blogs hadn’t been invented yet.
I didn’t know yet how to celebrate the wisdom I’d received from authors – often after the interviews – but I did know their kind and patient words helped me heal. As a kid, books saved my life, giving me hope that the terror that surrounded me didn’t have to be forever. And now, it seemed that my books had come alive, with their authors spilling wisdom to again save my life.
Terry Brooks gave me hope that my words could reach an audience. He told this little New York City girl that he – living in a small town in the Midwest – forged ahead with blind confidence that somehow it would all work out. He had no idea of the competition in writing fantasy. He just wrote. And it did work. Mostly. Terry said that sometimes the magic doesn’t work, which means multiple rewrites and pages thrown away.
About his book on writing, Terry told me that he hoped Sometimes the Magic Works would inspire and encourage other writers who are trying to get to the published stage with their material. Deeper, he said that he wanted the stories to be personal and deliver the lessons he had learned along the way.
“It’s the times that the magic didn’t seem to work for me that taught me the most important lessons,” Terry said.
I tried that on. That there were no mistakes in the life I had had. And I got that I learned my most important lessons from authors who stepped into the roles of wizards and friends.
Terry Brooks said the most important line in Sometimes the Magic Works was the close: “Writing is life. Breathe deeply of.”
I clicked off the recorder. He smiled and said, “I always love doing interviews with you. You always ask questions nobody else asks. And after hundreds of interviews, that’s so refreshing.”
For me, every author interview I do, I get my life back.