The Burning Gem and its sequel wrestle with a fundamental question: “as a species, are we really so unevolved, that when facing existential challenges such as climate change we can only fall back on primitive and counterproductive responses such as tribalism, distrust of the Other, and a demand for simple answers to increasingly complex questions?”
Don Sawyer – 30 December 2024
The Back Flap
The Burning Gem spins from chance meeting of a woman ready for adventure after years in a loveless marriage and a mysterious artisan who will show her another world.
Barbara has always had an uncanny ability to read others, but her full empathic skills emerge only after a part of her soul is crystalized into a flaming red gem. Desperate to escape her soul-crushing suburban life and to reconnect with the mysterious man who made her gem, she makes her way on foot through the terrifying NY subway tunnels to find an abandoned station.
Zoltan is a gem maker who lives an existence of opulent bitterness. Along with a network of other agents, his job is to catch souls and form them into magnificent jewels. He works with referrals only, and how his clients – rising CEOs, ambitious politicians, vainglorious religious leaders — are selected is of no concern to him. He is 110 years old. While Zoltan’s contract with the hideous Mester – who may or may not be human – promises him wealth and extended life, it also prohibits him from touching another person, or even sharing his true name.
Zoltan risks everything to discover the true nature of the sinister cabal he has been part of.
Their base of operations is a long-forgotten 1873 subway terminal, now transformed into the Market, a hidden community of seers, shapeshifters, artisans with extraordinary skills, keepers of ancient knowledge. From here Barbara and Zoltan follow leads that take them to the ruin bars and dark alleys of Budapest in a desperate race to find the truth and neutralize the Mester before he kills them.
About the book
What is the book about?
Zoltan is a 110-year-old gem maker who lives an existence of opulent bitterness. Along with a network of other agents, his job is to catch souls and form them into magnificent jewels. Barbara’s full empathic skills emerge only after Zoltan crystalizes a part of her soul into a flaming red gem. To escape her empty suburban life, she braves the terrifying NY subway tunnels on foot to find an abandoned station – and possibly the mysterious man who made her gem.
Everything changes when Barbara bursts into Zoltan’s life. Together they risk everything to discover the true nature of the sinister cabal he has unwittingly been part of in a desperate race to find the truth and neutralize the hideous Mester before he kills them.
When did you start writing the book?
Nearly 10 years ago! It started as a writing exercise for a writer’s group I was part of in Fairhope, Alabama.
How long did it take you to write it?
I wrote the first two books, The Burning Gem and its sequel, The Tunnels of Buda, as a single manuscript. Off and on, it took me some six years to complete.
Where did you get the idea from?
The Burning Gem is the first book in the Soul Catcher series. I have worked in Indigenous communities for many years and was aware of the resistance some aboriginal people displayed when photographers such as Edward Curtis, who was termed the “shadow catcher,” to having their photographs taken. Whether, as some claim, they feared a part of them remained in the box cameras or that they understood that the photo did indeed steal a bit of their soul and freeze it forever in that instant while their lives and the world around them went on. Their initial unease is understandable. But what if, I wondered, there was an apparatus that really did extract a portion of a person’s soul and instead of transferring it onto paper, crystalized into a gem? A gem that enhanced the character, strengths and values of the owner? And what if that gem was used to promote evil for the benefit of a cabal of shadowy aristoi determined to secure and maintain power in the hands of those meant to rule?
Is that so far-fetched? The Burning Gem and its sequel wrestle with a fundamental question: “as a species, are we really so unevolved, that when facing existential challenges such as climate change we can only fall back on primitive and counterproductive responses such as tribalism, distrust of the Other, and a demand for simple answers to increasingly complex questions?” I find that truly troubling, and The Burning Gem suggests that these reactions may be more than simple limitations in imagination and adaptation but actively cultivated by a cabal of shadowy figures to sow confusion and greed through the use of a wide array of strategies, including using “influencers” armed with their magic gems.
Were there any parts of the book where you struggled?
As mentioned, I wrote the two books as a single manuscript. Understandably, there was not a lot of enthusiasm for a 190,000-word urban fantasy novel by a relatively unknown Canadian author. Deciding to break the manuscript into two separate books – and then actually reworking the entire document into two self-standing novels was a challenge.
What came easily?
Expressing the frustration of a bright woman trapped in a loveless marriage in a hollow house in a sterile suburb. Describing Budapest and the moldering “ruin bars” and capturing their dark and mysterious mood based on a recent visit. Creating the utopian anarcho-syndicalist community of the Market as a template for the kind of society we could create.
Are your characters entirely fictitious or have you borrowed from real world people you know?
These characters are purely fictional, although my insight into their motivations, aspirations, conflicts and world view grows from my years of working closely with men and women from many backgrounds and with wildly different personalities.
We all know how important it is for writers to read. Are there any particular authors that have influenced how you write and, if so, how have they influenced you?
I found this statement years ago and wrote it down. To me it sums up the technical necessity of reading to be a good writer: “Unless you read, you won’t have any sense of what works and what to avoid; what can be powerful and what’s already been done to death; what expectations readers will demand you meet and what surprises will knock their socks off. …It’s not that you’ll have no sense at all, because you presumably have seen movies and TV and so on. You’re not brand new to stories. And yet, prose is a very different form, with a different audience, a different language, and different terrain. You will not blunder your way into greatness, or even competence, by sheer serendipity.”
I would add what to me is an even more critical factor. Only through reading can you develop a passion for writing. Because you have read great books, you know what books can do, how they can transport and transcend. How they can change your world. One of my favourite authors, Ursula LeGuin, once wrote, “While we read a novel, we are insane, — bonkers. We believe in the existence of people who aren’t there, we hear their voices. Sanity returns in most cases when the book is closed.”
It is that realization of the capacity of books to move us, change us, that should be at the heart of our writing as we strive to incorporate the power of great writing by others into our own.
When I consider authors that I enjoy reading and who have influenced me it’s a pretty eclectic crowd. Besides LeGuin, I would include Tolkien, of course, as well as Barbara Kingsolver, Ken Kesey, Neil Gaiman, Margaret Laurence, Anthony Doerr, Bill Bryson, Jim Harrison, Erin Morgenstern, Joseph Boyden, Ray Bradbury and a Pueblo writer who has been largely forgotten, Leslie Marmon Silko. And that’s just to name a few.
Do you have a target reader?
The Burning Gem is an adult urban fantasy that mixes magic, adventure, contemporary issues and romance into a compelling read. Fans of Neil Gaiman and Erin Morgenstern will particularly enjoy this book and its sequels. Young adults will also find the plot-driven adventure appealing.
About Writing
Do you have a writing process? If so can you please describe it?
As a full-time educator for 40 years, I have always written when I can where I can. I tend to use loose outlines as I plot out a story but also know this is going to change as the story unfolds. I learned early on to avoid premature editing. Sure, sometimes I will pause, knowing there is a word I need but can’t quite retrieve (admittedly, this occurs more frequently as I get older!), but rather than spend too much time, I will insert a space so I can come back later and focus on the elusive word. You can and will go over what you wrote. You can and will pick up repeated words or awkward sentences. But do it when there is a natural pause in the process. So I try to write with as much fluency as I can, and when the muse is with me, I don’t interrupt her.
Do you outline? If so, do you do so extensively or just chapter headings and a couple of sentences?
As mentioned, I start with a loose outline to provide some general direction and distinct plot points. I would never use chapter headings as I have no idea at the outset how the story will play out and where the natural breaks will occur. I have written character sketches as pre-writing to establish a mental understanding of who my characters are and how they think, sound and act and what motivates them.
Do you edit as you go or wait until you’ve finished?
When you are writing a 300-page novel, you do both. Over and over. I will usually read a day’s work over to catch typos, but also to see if areas need to be fleshed out or are unclear. Editing as you go along is essential, but just don’t let it interrupt the flow of your writing.
Did you hire a professional editor?
As the publishing world has changed, fewer and fewer publishers can afford in-house editors, so even if you aren’t self-publishing, hiring a skilled editor could be a good idea. With this book, because it is an entirely new genre (and because I wasn’t having much luck placing it), I hired a terrific editor through Reedsy. She not only improved the book, she made me a better writer. With her editing and also my decision to break the ms in to two books, I immediately had offers from two publishers.
Do you listen to music while you write? If yes, what gets the fingers tapping?
Not really. I generally find when I’m writing, especially fiction, that I am completely absorbed in the writing. I want as few distractions as possible.
About Publishing
Did you submit your work to Agents?
For the first time, yes. And it was very frustrating. Yes, editors offer a level of gatekeeping that ensures your book is of marketable quality, but they are risk-averse and only concerned with commercial potential. Try cutting out the middleman and submit directly to publishers in your genre.
What made you decide to go Indie, whether self-publishing or with an indie publisher? Was it a particular event or a gradual process?
Gradual. I initially tried to place my 190,000 manuscript with no success. I had written it as a single book and I felt it should be published that way. Agents and publishers did not agree. After having little success, I hired an editor who convinced me that the book was too long to interest an agent or publisher. With her help, I cut the length somewhat (tightened it up considerably), but then realized I had to break it into two books. I submitted the new shortened manuscript to a few agents and three or four smaller publishers of fantasy that accepted unrepresented submissions. I immediately had two requests to look at the manuscript and an offer with a small press, Castle Bridge Media. Because they are small, they have not been able to provide the marketing of a larger press, but they’ve been great to work with and very supportive. I have now agreed to publish two more books in the series with them.
Did you get your book cover professionally done or did you do it yourself?
One of the many advantages of working with a publisher – they provided a fantastic cover design.
Do you have a marketing plan for the book or are you just winging it?
Mostly winging it. After a few months of wandering around in the jungle of book promotion, I hired a publicist, who has been very helpful in arranging interviews and podcasts. We will see if it translates into sales.
Any advice that you would like to give to other newbies considering becoming Indie authors?
Check why you want to write and what your expectations are. It’s easier than ever to get a book published today (nearly 4 million last year – 2/3 self-published) but harder to get your books noticed and achieve significant sales. If you enjoy writing, go for it. If you don’t mind putting hours, maybe years into a book that might not be a commercial success, go for it. If you are looking to writing, especially fiction, as a career, well, go for it, but first take some writing classes and be prepared to supplement your income.
About You
Where did you grow up and how did your life unfold?
I grew up in Michigan and came to Canada in the 1960s, where I more or less flunked out of my PhD program in Modern Chinese History at the University of British Columbia. This turned out to be a blessing as it opened up a new world of unexpected opportunity and experiences. From teaching in a small Newfoundland outport to training community workers in West Africa to teaching adults on a First Nations reserve in British Columbia to designing a climate change action course for Jamaican youth, I have worked with youth and adults from many cultural backgrounds and in a variety of locales.
Inevitably, these experiences have made their way into his writing. I’ve authored over 12 books, including two Canadian bestsellers: the YA novel Where the Rivers Meet and the adult non-fiction Tomorrow Is School and I Am Sick to the Heart Thinking about It. The first book in my Miss Flint series for children, The Meanest Teacher in the World was translated into German by Carlsen and Ravensburger. His articles and op-eds have appeared in many journals and most of Canada’s major dailies
My latest book, The Burning Gem, an urban fantasy, was published by Castle Bridge Media in May 2024.
I have two competent, caring and contributing adult daughters I am very proud of. I currently live in St Catharines, Ontario, with Jan Henig Sawyer, my very tolerant wife of 54 years.
Readers interested in my other books as well as my professional career can find more at the following sites:
Books: www.donsawyer.org
International Development: www.northerned.com
Castle Bridge Media: www.castlebridgemedia.com
What are you working on now?
The sequel to The Burning Gem, The Tunnels of Buda, is complete and will be published by Castle Bridge Media in June of 2025. I am currently working on the third book in the Soul Catcher trilogy, tentatively titled Underground.
End of Interview:
Get your copy of The Burning Gem from Amazon US or Amazon UK.