BookView Review

Welcome to BookView Interview, a conversation series where BookView talks to authors.

Recently, we interviewed Jareth Z. Navratil about his writing and his recently released debut novel, Into The Seventeen Towers, a wonderfully entertaining story of love, family, courage, and self-realization. (Read the review here.)

The concept of Into The Seventeen Towers is a unique one, where Page-Walkers can enter into and live through existing stories. How did you come up with this idea? For example, is it something you have daydreamed about doing?

A story centered around a character who can literally enter the pages of books began percolating in my brain about a decade ago — at the time just existing as an empty folder in my computer, titled The Page-Walker Chronicles. However, the true origin of this idea can be traced back to the beaches of Lake Erie during the summer of 1996. I was an awkward eleven-year-old battling depression while wrestling with the onset of puberty. Also suffering from a severe case of body dysmorphia, I found myself for the first time not enjoying my family’s annual beach vacation — taking my shirt off in public was an action less desirable than self-flagellation by my adolescent estimation. But with little to occupy my time at the beach since I was unwilling to swim, I begrudgingly picked out a paperback book from the convenience store next to our motel. It was a copy of Stephen King’s The Gunslinger. I immediately found myself lost in its prose. It was as if I was Roland of Gilead, The Last Gunslinger, desperately pursuing The Man in Black. Up until that point I had read a Goosebumps novel here and there, but never considered reading as a reliable form of entertainment and escape from reality. But I had truly fallen into that book, and from that moment on, I was addicted to the sensation of diving into stories and walking their pages.

Are any of your characters based on real people you know?

Annoyingly, I must plead the fifth to this question 😉

Which scene or chapter in the book is your favorite? Why?

I had so much fun with so many scenes that this is a really difficult question for me. I suppose If I must choose, I really enjoyed writing the book’s climactic ending. For years I have been desperate to write a scene that evokes the feeling of hope when all was thought to be lost. Scenes that are capable of filling readers with that glorious emotion are some of my favorites. It was that feeling we all got when Gandalf arrived at Helm’s Deep after mustering the exiled Rohirrim, rescuing the besieged King Theoden. That feeling when Neville Longbottom pulled the sword of Godric Gryffindor from The Sorting Hat, reigniting the fervor of resistance in the few battle-weary witches and wizards remaining in opposition to Voldemort during the battle of Hogwarts. It was the feeling in our hearts when the Millennium Falcon joined the fray, Han Solo defying his baser instincts to risk his own life and give Luke Skywalker the opening needed to take out the Death Star in the aptly titled, A New Hope, entry to the Star Wars saga. Only my readers can be the judge, but I humbly think I may have successfully tapped that well and it was damn fun doing so.

Into The Seventeen Towers blends whimsy with heavier themes. Throughout the book, how did you strike a balance so that it didn’t lean too far in either direction?

I really want to take credit for this, and I briefly considered fabricating an explanation. The truth is that I am delighted you felt there was an appropriate balance, but I assure you that happened purely by accident. I wrote this book on pure instinct, giving zero thought to theme and balance as I let the prose flow.

What are your favorite fantasy novels?

My wife has sagely advised me not to answer this question fully as I would most certainly earn your ire through the sheer number of books I long to reference. If forced to limit my list I would say Warbreaker by Brandon Sanderson, The Gunslinger by Stephen King, The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster, The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern, and Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss are a few of my all-time favorites.

What ultimately inspired you to pen your own fantasy novel?

Becoming a published novelist has been my dream for as far back as I can remember. I suppose that summer of 1996, when I fell into the pages of The Gunslinger, was when my fate became sealed. Realizing there were those capable of writing such compelling prose that a reader could become literally lost in a tale, I desperately longed to join their ranks.

What is the biggest challenge you’ve faced as a writer?

Imposter syndrome!!! Each time I sit in front of my laptop to write, my inner demons of inadequacy begin screaming their disapproval in my subconscious. To those reading this who suffer similarly, I wish I had better advice… But you just need to tell those demons to kindly f*ck off, then force yourself to accomplish whatever you fear yourself incapable of.

What one thing would you give up to become a better writer?

If the literal devil rose from a newly formed fissure in my office floor right now and handed me a contract that would guarantee my writing would be remembered for ages to come, I would not even bother reading the fine print before hastily scribbling my signature.

What’s next for you?

Another excellent question! Sadly, I must disappoint in my response… I don’t know. Into The Seventeen Towers certainly won’t be my last novel; however, for now I am going to take some time off from writing and focus on my family.

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