By CHERYL ROMANO/YachatsNews
For almost five years, customers at the Yachats Mercantile store have been used to seeing only one side of Jay Chambers — the side that works the cash register, helps them find things and orders hardware. Now, though, the world is getting a different view — Jay V. Chambers, book author.
He’s the writer/illustrator of Mistaken Magician, a tale of magic and fantasy aimed at the teen-and-up audience. It follows the adventures of eighth-grader Frederick Phalen, who falls into a magic land where it’s a crime — punishable by death — to be a magician.
“My much younger self believed I would have to move to New York, wear an elbow patch blazer and look serious” before becoming a published author, Chambers said. “I was raised going to libraries. Authors were my heroes.”
Born and raised in the San Francisco Bay area, Chambers, 64, lived in Hawaii and New Mexico before moving to Yachats sight unseen with his wife, Eileen. “Someone sent us a video of the La De Da Fourth of July parade. We saw the slogan ‘Home of the world’s largest ocean’, read the city vision statement about the community values, and just went for it.”
He chose to write a book rooted in magic because “Magic is fun … it’s a happy escape.” Signed copies of the work are available in Yachats at Books and More, Toad Hall, The Drift Inn and the Mercantile.
How did you come to write Mistaken Magician?
I started 10 years ago on what would become Mistaken Magician. I was taking an online creative course while I was living in Hawaii, and writing the first chapter was part of an assignment. I started writing for one hour every night, and then sent the result to some friends. They all wanted to know “What happens next?” Over the years I would polish it up from time to time. Then last year, someone I met through my wife asked “When is your book coming out?” That kind of set a time limit for me, and I finished it up.
How did you get the book published?
I went through Amazon.com. They have a service that actually prints the book for you, and sells it on their website. You write the book, put it in a certain format with a cover (which I created), and upload it to them. They review it to see if it meets their standards, and if it does, then it’s on Amazon. Amazon charges a printing fee, then takes a cut of whatever you sell. They print on demand as orders come in. Technically, the book is published by Light Tale Books — that’s just me and Eileen. We thought, “Let’s have our own little publishing thing.” We’re just having fun playing around. Eileen is also working on a children’s book.
Why did you self-publish the book?
I wanted control on it; to do it myself, instead of the traditional route where some publisher says, “Oh, that type of book is not in style now” or some such thing. I had a couple of people do some editing. It gives you a wonderful sense of freedom to publish this way.
What’s been the reaction to the book?
Very positive. We have 5-star reviews on Amazon, mostly from older readers. We got a letter from one 12-year-old girl who said “This book is my new favorite.” That made Eileen cry. It isn’t just kids who like the book — a couple of folks at the Drift Inn, 20-somethings, read it and said they liked it.
Will you write another book?
Actually, I’ve got the bones built for another book for middle-school ages and up, also featuring the adventures of Frederick Phalen, the eighth grader in Mistaken Magician. I’ll probably publish this one through Amazon, too. A lot of adults read these young adult, or “juvenile”, books, because they’re tired of depressing, angry books.
Tell us a secret
I enjoyed story-telling when I was a kid, but spelling was such a challenge it took the fun out of writing. I came up before personal computers were the norm. Having to write essays in class in high school and college, while looking up words, was nerve-wracking. (Not to mention the type in those books was small even for young eyes!) Spell-check is a modern miracle to me. Now I can just focus on the story.
- Mistaken Magician is available at Yachats Mercantile, Books and More, Toad Hall, The Drift Inn, and from the Yachats Library. It is also available in hardcover, paperback and Kindle formats through Amazon.
- “5 Questions and a Secret” appears every other week on YachatsNews. Have a suggestion for a subject? Send your idea to YachatsNews@gmail.com
Thanks for making a key for me the other day. I hope your book kicks butt – I could tell that you were not a typical counter clerk – that there was a lot more to you.