Writer Jesse Zimmerman discusses what inspired him to write, the difficulties of publishing and how he created his main character, "the Challenger" in his first book, Our Adventures with the Challenger.

At time 22:00 he reads from Our Adventures with the Challenger.

Jesse has always lived, worked, and studied in Toronto. Growing up, Jesse enjoyed fiction, particularly speculative fiction and fantasy, anything imaginative. He began writing at a very young age on a DOS computer, creating short stories and little novellas. In his teens he was particularly interested in fantasy, having fond memories of playing Dungeons and Dragons in the late 90s at Jane and Finch, the area he grew up in which led to the creation of the character, "the Challenger." Years later, as an adult, Jesse reimagined the Challenger and began writing stories about him, among other things, having been inspired by the mainstreaming of fantasy fiction in pop culture. The Challenger is a semi-comedic character, though prone to brooding like many famous heroes. Jesse put together numerous Challenger stories into one self-published book, Our Adventures With The Challenger, which he promotes in many ways, including placing copies in Little Free Libraries on lawns and porches throughout the Greater Toronto Area.

Author website: https://junctionlandlord.blogspot.com/2021/12/our-adventures-with-challenger.html

Artsy Raven merch and other nerdy things available here: https://darkhelix.threadless.com

For more about The Artsy Raven Podcast or to join our exclusive Artsy Raven club to receive free books and other cool stuff, visit: https://jfgarrard.com/artsyraven/

If you really like this show, please feel free to send us a digital tip https://ko-fi.com/jfgarrard

Patreon subscribers remember to access your bonus content for each episode: https://www.patreon.com/jfgarrard