CBI: Where were you born and raised?
Jaime: I was born in Kansas City Missouri. I was raised in Puerto Rico and Gary Indiana and rural Missouri. My upbringing was basically in the Midwest and those are the values I keep. Hard work, fair dealing and honor are the values that I aspire to.
CBI: Tell CBI about yourself…
Jaime: I am married and have a son. I am handicapped, but living my best life. I lost my right lower leg and left toes due to an infection. The infection put me in the hospital for six months last year. Some doctors said I would not survive and wanted me to go on hospice. I did survive and I am thriving because of the love and support of family and friends. I have a prosthetic leg and I’ve learned to walk again through a year of tough physical therapy.I am working on a couple of projects for Lucky Comics and a graphic novel for Markosia Enterprises. I like football and watching sci-fi shows with my son.
CBI: Have you had any formal training in writing?
Jaime: I have had some writing classes, but I am mostly self-taught. I study the seminars of Brandon Sanderson. There are great resources online if a writer wants to learn the craft. I have also had great mentors like Ron Fortier and Derrick Ferguson who have spent time helping me to hone my craft.
CBI: Who are your writing influences?
Jaime: Hemingway, Frank Miller, David Michelinie, Shakespeare, Phillip Dick and many others! There is a technical, poetic rhythm that these writers use and finding your own voice is so important. I have spent a lot of time trying to get in touch with that voice and staying true to it. Great writers have unique voice and vision and that is how you tell great stories.
CBI: How did you break into writing novels?
Jaime: I began by writing short stories and getting them published. I eventually broke in with the New Pulp movement. Social media has been invaluable for networking. I had a publisher who only communicated through social media and that forced me out of my shell so to speak. If you can write a short story, you can write a novel, the approach is similar. Outlines and notes serve as the best tools.
CBI: What is the first novel you remember reading?
Jaime: I think it was a book called “Me and Ernie.” I was an avid reader though, from a young age. My mother took me to the library a lot as a child and she made great recommendations on books. My mother was an avid reader and had a great eye when it came to choosing books. I grew up reading Tolkien and C.S. Lewis and Robert Howard as well as Bova, Harrison, Poul Anderson and Heinlein. Reading is the key to knowledge!
CBI: Do you read any of the new books that are being published today?
Jaime: I read Teel James Glenn and Nancy Hansen and Wayne Carey. I also read a lot of current New Pulp writers as well. I like a lot of comic books and graphic novels as well. There are a lot of interesting comics coming out of Russia these days. Good stuff!
CBI: Print versus Digital. Your thoughts…
Jaime: I like both, but with my poor eyesight digital is my preference for the most part. Although I still get a sense of satisfaction when I see all the books on my bookshelf. Books in any format are important and should never be canceled, or banned or burned. That’s pure ignorance.
CBI: Writer’s block. How do you get around that creature?
Jaimie: I take a break and read or listen to music, when I have high energy, I just push through and remind myself that professional writers have to keep going and the schedule I have is important. When you’re not feeling creative, you have to motivate yourself regardless. I don’t normally have a problem.
CBI: Do you research your story ideas? If so, how?
Jaime: It depends on what I’m writing. For comic book stories I research what I’m doing by looking at back issues and histories on the internet. When I’m writing a prose story, I am high on world-building so I spend my time constructing the elements. The character-building has always been easy to me, but world-building takes time and energy.
CBI: What is your writing process like?
Jaime: I’m disabled so I don’t have a full-time job. I get up at 5:00 A.M. I eat and bathe and take my pills, check emails and start writing about 10:00. I sit at the computer and edit the previous page as a warm-up. I then jump into the new stuff and write through lunch-time. I have the benefit of seeing my son get home from school and we chat for about an hour. I then write until dinner and then have dialysis. My total writing time for the day is only a few hours, but I try to make the most of it.
CBI: Do your stories carry a message?
Jaime: My prose stories are twisted with people trying to overcome adversity. I’m big on this because I have survived some very difficult health issues. How you handle adversity shows the type of character you have. Characters in stories need to be put under threat and that creates interest. No threat of dramatic resolution disappoints readers. So your theme is important to the overall product.
CBI: Do you feel more comfortable with writing prose or comic book sequential storytelling?
Jaime: I am comfortable with both. Prose writing is creative and addictive, comic book is more technical but you have to find ways of establishing a poetic presence in your stories. There are a few elements that are needed in any writing and those elements are needed for both. I get great pleasure writing both really.
CBI: Talk about your current writing project “Golgotha”…
Jaime: I created this city in Wisconsin called Golgotha. Golgotha in the Bible was the place outside of Jerusalem where Jesus was crucified. My city is founded by French Apostate monks. The city is dark, gothic and noir. I set my main character there, his name is John Normandy. John is as fractured as the city is. He’s a celebrity psychic who works occasionally for the police and gets in all sorts of trouble. I have opened the world of Golgotha to other writers to set their characters in with John being a unifying character.
CBI: Where did the idea come from?
Jaime: I wanted the city itself to be a character in the story and I did research on the real area called Golgotha. You got to imagine that a city built upon the place where Christ was crucified must be pretty abysmal. That’s where I began. From there I did the world building and a friend of mine constructed a map of the city districts. That was a great visual aid and detail for the project.
CBI: What future Golgotha projects are in the works?
Jaime: I am working on the sequel at this time and supervising my other writers on their stories. They are creating new and interesting characters in the world that I built and I couldn’t be happier with their progress. I plan on doing a few new stories a year and seeing where that takes us.
CBI: Are there other writers interested in scripting stories for your Golgotha universe?
Jaime: Yes I have six writers working on stories as we speak. It will be interesting for me to see their interpretation of my vision and what they add to the universe.
CBI: Where can fans get a hold of your books?
Jaime: Let’s see, Amazon as well as Lucky Comics.com.
CBI: How can fans and publishers contact you?
Jaime: I can be reached on Facebook under my name or [email protected]. I can also be reached through my publisher at Lucky Comics, John Helmer.
CBI: Anything else you'd like to mention that we haven't covered yet?
Jaime: I have enjoyed writing for Lucky Comics and my other publishers. I am currently working on a three issue story arc for a public domain character called The Flame. Public domain characters are full of back-story and they have very interesting histories. They need to be resurrected and given some love, so please check out issue one when it drops.
CBI: Jaime, CBI appreciates your time! All the best!
Jaime: Thanks for the time and interview. I think that these types of interviews give creators the chance to reach out to potential readers. Have a great day!
Discovery Jamie Ramos's projects here:
The Flame #1
https://www.drivethrucomics.com/product/396833/The-Flame-1a?manufacturers_id=7565
Golgotha Novelette
https://www.drivethrucomics.com/product/385672/Golgotha-City-of-Skulls?manufacturers_id=7565
Jaime: I was born in Kansas City Missouri. I was raised in Puerto Rico and Gary Indiana and rural Missouri. My upbringing was basically in the Midwest and those are the values I keep. Hard work, fair dealing and honor are the values that I aspire to.
CBI: Tell CBI about yourself…
Jaime: I am married and have a son. I am handicapped, but living my best life. I lost my right lower leg and left toes due to an infection. The infection put me in the hospital for six months last year. Some doctors said I would not survive and wanted me to go on hospice. I did survive and I am thriving because of the love and support of family and friends. I have a prosthetic leg and I’ve learned to walk again through a year of tough physical therapy.I am working on a couple of projects for Lucky Comics and a graphic novel for Markosia Enterprises. I like football and watching sci-fi shows with my son.
CBI: Have you had any formal training in writing?
Jaime: I have had some writing classes, but I am mostly self-taught. I study the seminars of Brandon Sanderson. There are great resources online if a writer wants to learn the craft. I have also had great mentors like Ron Fortier and Derrick Ferguson who have spent time helping me to hone my craft.
CBI: Who are your writing influences?
Jaime: Hemingway, Frank Miller, David Michelinie, Shakespeare, Phillip Dick and many others! There is a technical, poetic rhythm that these writers use and finding your own voice is so important. I have spent a lot of time trying to get in touch with that voice and staying true to it. Great writers have unique voice and vision and that is how you tell great stories.
CBI: How did you break into writing novels?
Jaime: I began by writing short stories and getting them published. I eventually broke in with the New Pulp movement. Social media has been invaluable for networking. I had a publisher who only communicated through social media and that forced me out of my shell so to speak. If you can write a short story, you can write a novel, the approach is similar. Outlines and notes serve as the best tools.
CBI: What is the first novel you remember reading?
Jaime: I think it was a book called “Me and Ernie.” I was an avid reader though, from a young age. My mother took me to the library a lot as a child and she made great recommendations on books. My mother was an avid reader and had a great eye when it came to choosing books. I grew up reading Tolkien and C.S. Lewis and Robert Howard as well as Bova, Harrison, Poul Anderson and Heinlein. Reading is the key to knowledge!
CBI: Do you read any of the new books that are being published today?
Jaime: I read Teel James Glenn and Nancy Hansen and Wayne Carey. I also read a lot of current New Pulp writers as well. I like a lot of comic books and graphic novels as well. There are a lot of interesting comics coming out of Russia these days. Good stuff!
CBI: Print versus Digital. Your thoughts…
Jaime: I like both, but with my poor eyesight digital is my preference for the most part. Although I still get a sense of satisfaction when I see all the books on my bookshelf. Books in any format are important and should never be canceled, or banned or burned. That’s pure ignorance.
CBI: Writer’s block. How do you get around that creature?
Jaimie: I take a break and read or listen to music, when I have high energy, I just push through and remind myself that professional writers have to keep going and the schedule I have is important. When you’re not feeling creative, you have to motivate yourself regardless. I don’t normally have a problem.
CBI: Do you research your story ideas? If so, how?
Jaime: It depends on what I’m writing. For comic book stories I research what I’m doing by looking at back issues and histories on the internet. When I’m writing a prose story, I am high on world-building so I spend my time constructing the elements. The character-building has always been easy to me, but world-building takes time and energy.
CBI: What is your writing process like?
Jaime: I’m disabled so I don’t have a full-time job. I get up at 5:00 A.M. I eat and bathe and take my pills, check emails and start writing about 10:00. I sit at the computer and edit the previous page as a warm-up. I then jump into the new stuff and write through lunch-time. I have the benefit of seeing my son get home from school and we chat for about an hour. I then write until dinner and then have dialysis. My total writing time for the day is only a few hours, but I try to make the most of it.
CBI: Do your stories carry a message?
Jaime: My prose stories are twisted with people trying to overcome adversity. I’m big on this because I have survived some very difficult health issues. How you handle adversity shows the type of character you have. Characters in stories need to be put under threat and that creates interest. No threat of dramatic resolution disappoints readers. So your theme is important to the overall product.
CBI: Do you feel more comfortable with writing prose or comic book sequential storytelling?
Jaime: I am comfortable with both. Prose writing is creative and addictive, comic book is more technical but you have to find ways of establishing a poetic presence in your stories. There are a few elements that are needed in any writing and those elements are needed for both. I get great pleasure writing both really.
CBI: Talk about your current writing project “Golgotha”…
Jaime: I created this city in Wisconsin called Golgotha. Golgotha in the Bible was the place outside of Jerusalem where Jesus was crucified. My city is founded by French Apostate monks. The city is dark, gothic and noir. I set my main character there, his name is John Normandy. John is as fractured as the city is. He’s a celebrity psychic who works occasionally for the police and gets in all sorts of trouble. I have opened the world of Golgotha to other writers to set their characters in with John being a unifying character.
CBI: Where did the idea come from?
Jaime: I wanted the city itself to be a character in the story and I did research on the real area called Golgotha. You got to imagine that a city built upon the place where Christ was crucified must be pretty abysmal. That’s where I began. From there I did the world building and a friend of mine constructed a map of the city districts. That was a great visual aid and detail for the project.
CBI: What future Golgotha projects are in the works?
Jaime: I am working on the sequel at this time and supervising my other writers on their stories. They are creating new and interesting characters in the world that I built and I couldn’t be happier with their progress. I plan on doing a few new stories a year and seeing where that takes us.
CBI: Are there other writers interested in scripting stories for your Golgotha universe?
Jaime: Yes I have six writers working on stories as we speak. It will be interesting for me to see their interpretation of my vision and what they add to the universe.
CBI: Where can fans get a hold of your books?
Jaime: Let’s see, Amazon as well as Lucky Comics.com.
CBI: How can fans and publishers contact you?
Jaime: I can be reached on Facebook under my name or [email protected]. I can also be reached through my publisher at Lucky Comics, John Helmer.
CBI: Anything else you'd like to mention that we haven't covered yet?
Jaime: I have enjoyed writing for Lucky Comics and my other publishers. I am currently working on a three issue story arc for a public domain character called The Flame. Public domain characters are full of back-story and they have very interesting histories. They need to be resurrected and given some love, so please check out issue one when it drops.
CBI: Jaime, CBI appreciates your time! All the best!
Jaime: Thanks for the time and interview. I think that these types of interviews give creators the chance to reach out to potential readers. Have a great day!
Discovery Jamie Ramos's projects here:
The Flame #1
https://www.drivethrucomics.com/product/396833/The-Flame-1a?manufacturers_id=7565
Golgotha Novelette
https://www.drivethrucomics.com/product/385672/Golgotha-City-of-Skulls?manufacturers_id=7565
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