Today we’d like to introduce you to Joseph Nassise.
Joseph, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I wrote my first novel long-hand on a bet in college to win a case of beer. (Bass Ale, for the curious.) I wrote it on legal pads, stuffed it in shoebox, and went on with life. 11 years later my wife found that shoe box and asked to read the novel. She though it was pretty good, so in 2001 she convinced me to type it out on our Brother word processor (no personal computer at the time) and submit it. Simon & Schuster’s paperback division, Pocket Books, acquired it. It went on to nominated for both the Bram Stoker Award and the International Horror Guild Award, the two highest awards in horror fiction, for best first novel.
In the 26 years since, I’ve written upwards of 75 novels for publishers such as Simon & Schuster, Tor Books, Harper Voyager, Gold Eagle, Droemer Knaur, and more. I’ve hit the New York Times, the USA Today, and the Der Spiegel bestseller lists. I also put out works under my own independent imprint, Harbinger Books.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
In April of 2020 I caught Covid. Once I recovered from that, I discovered I was one of those lucky people who developed Long Covid as a result. Of all the symptoms (dizziness, nausea, cough, extreme fatigue, muscle cramps, etc) the one that impacted me the most was the brain fog.
I would have a difficult time finding the right words to finish a spoken sentence and my ability to write was severely impacted. I went from writing a few thousand words a day to write a few words a day. Getting a complete sentence finished was a major milestone.
This went on for three straight years. I was under contract to deliver several books to various publishers and I couldn’t write a sentence. (Thankfully, they were all very understanding.)
I began to suspect my writing career was over.
And then, out of the blue, I had a stroke
Doctors say the Long Covid likely caused a number of mini blood clots. Those blood clots travelled through my system, got together, and had a party, resulting in my stroke.
I lost some use of the right side of my body, had to learn to walk and talk all over again. Spent a number of weeks in rehab.
But lying in that rehab bed one afternoon, I discovered something amazing. The stroke had fixed whatever was wrong in my head – I could write again!
It was slow at first – I used to write 4 or 5 books a year. It took me about a year after rehab to finish the book I had been working on before the Long Covid issues, but finish it I did. And things got better (and faster) from there.
Writers the world over suffer self-doubt, writer’s block, poor sales for extended time frames, and so on. I’ve dealt with all of those myself. But thinking I would never write again and thanks to a fluke medical emergency, finding I could, was a rather unique experience to live through!
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I write gritty urban fantasy and supernatural thrillers. Basically, it is fantasy with supernatural elements set in a modern setting. Wizards in Chicago, federally licensed vampire hunters, witches in the hollows of the Deep South – those are all examples of urban fantasy.
My most popular series is the Templar Chronicles, in which modern Templar knights defend mankind from supernatural threats and enemies. Book one – The Heretic – came out from Simon & Schuster in 2003 and I have been writing the series ever since. It is now up to 14 books, including a series companion that acts as an encyclopedia for fans for all of the creatures, organizations, mystical artifacts, and characters that have shown up in the books. A spin-off series, The Jeremiah Hunt trilogy, focuses on a minor character from the Chronicles and gives her stories of her own.
I’m proud of the fact that after 26 years I’m still working as a professional writer. So many of those I started out with are no longer doing so. Publishing is not an easy business. I hope I can keep writing stories and entertaining readers well into the future.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.josephnassise.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/josephnassise/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/joseph.nassise
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/josephnassise/
- Other: https://www.curios.com/creators/josephnassise-MPA2ZJ
