I.M. Solomon is a former U.S. Army veteran, photographer, videographer and the acclaimed author of the fantasy Fate of the King series. Ahead of the release of the fourth book in the series, What We Reading sat down with I.M. Solomon to talk about everything from the development of the series, his love of Percy Jackson and his hopes for continuing to entertain his readers in the future!
Thanks for speaking with us, I.M.! First off, tell us a bit about yourself and what led you to the world of writing.
Greetings, I.M. Solomon here. I am a writer and author. I’ve so far, at this point, published three books. I am way further in writing my series. I am trying to get to the twelfth manuscript by the end of the year so that I can take a break. More about me, I am a U.S. Army veteran. I served for eight years in the active army. I was a photographer/videographer. It was through the lens and video editing that helped me establish my eye for detail. I have been writing since I was a kid, and I gradually evolved my craft into my series today. What started with a small project to write a book that my teacher read to my class, was only the spark to the flame that became my passion for writing.
Talk to us about Kings And Queens. What is it about and how does it fit alongside the other books in your series?
Kings and Queens is the third book in my Fate of the King series. Book three follows the main character, Westley Jameson or West. He won the King of the Round Table Tournament. He walked the Path of the King. Now, West is back with his court as they prepare to face the King of Woodsforge, Ivan Richards, to decide the fate of Baronune. West must first journey to the remaining Kingdom of Dragon’s Guard to align with their king and train to control his Hand of Fate blessing. Divinity will be channelled, the Hellsfire Generals of Chaos are on the rise, as it all leads to an epic battle that will be decided by, Kings and Queens.
Kings and Queens fits alongside my other two books because it’s the third in this, New King, saga that’s pretty much West’s coming-of-age story. In book one, The King of the Round Table Tournament, you find out how West ends up with the title of king. In book two, The Path of the King, West learns along with the reader about this world, the history and the magic that’s called Divinity. Also discovering the dark secrets that still linger as the truth has been kept from the remains of this world. Where book two is about West’s transition and discovery, book three is where he’ll discover his confidence to lead, and finally be the king that his people need.
What is the number one goal you want your work to have with readers?
My number one goal is entertainment first, and any other emotions my readers experience along the read are a bonus. There are impactful moments that happen to West as he grows, but first and foremost, I want my readers to come out enjoying the aspects of the story they read. Even if it breaks their hearts at points.
What do you think makes you stand out as an author?
I, like my character West, am inexperienced in this world of being an author. So what makes me stand out is that I may not follow the usual norms of being an author or a writer. I’ve been told how I describe my scenes are different coming from my background in photography, and as a fantasy writer, I feel I don’t follow the rules of writing fantasy at all. Mainly because a lot of fantasy stories and books haven’t interested me, but it offers the best space to craft the world I envisioned. Therefore, I choose to play in that sandbox. Not sure how well I answered that one, as you can read, I am an unorthodox writer.
What would you say has been your biggest success so far?
Nothing professionally, yet. If anything, just having accomplished my goal of publishing three books with the fourth on the way, has been my biggest success, and that still feels like I’m at the bottom of the hill so there’s still a hike and a climb to make.
If you could go back in time to one book you read for the first time, what would it be and why?
Thinking about this, I would have to choose the first Percy Jackson book, Percy Jackson the Lightning Thief. I say that because when I started the series, it was after I saw the first movie. I chose rather than to start with the first book to treat it as a prequel and continue with the second book forward since I had seen the movie. I didn’t realize how much was changed in the movie until I read the second book and noticed the difference. So when I finished the series, I went back to read the first book and after that, I hated the movie. So, I would choose to go back and just start the series with the first book.
What’s one tip you would give your younger self if you had the opportunity?
The one tip I would give my younger self would be to start building a following early. Whether that meant writing smaller stories and posting them, sending them out, and doing whatever was possible to get as many eyes on my writing as possible, do it now. Now when I was younger I’d be giving this advice to my younger self. Probably high school since that’s when I was getting more well-known, around high school anyway, for my writing.
And finally, what do you hope the future holds for you and your writing?
Like I said, I feel I’m only at the bottom of the hill when it comes to my success. So as I continue to climb, I just want more people to find something about my work that they appreciate and proceed to share with others so they can do the same.
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Check out our interview with Stephanie Denne
Part-time reader, part-time rambler, and full-time Horror enthusiast, James has been writing for What We Reading since 2022. His earliest reading memories involved Historical Fiction, Fantasy and Horror tales, which he has continued to take with him to this day. James’ favourite books include The Last (Hanna Jameson), The Troop (Nick Cutter) and Chasing The Boogeyman (Richard Chizmar).
