Inspiring Conversations with Jasyn Turley of Jasyn Turley’s Publishing

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jasyn Turley.

Jasyn, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
The beginning of how I became an Author is rooted in my debut Novel ‘WEEKS’. So much, so that they are intertwined.

At the start, I, my brother, and a friend of ours were just playing outside, on car rides, at parks, etcetera. It was a zombie apocalyptic adventure we were on. Eventually, this game we came to call ‘WEEKS’ would never leave my thoughts. I couldn’t stop thinking about it, or wanting to play it growing up. Fast forward to the summer of 2009, on a nine-hour car ride to Colorado Springs, I sat in the back of my mother’s Windstar and wrote out the very first draft of ‘WEEKS’, and boy was it a rough draft. A week later, on our way back home to Kansas City, WEEKS became a series as I drafted out what new adventures played out on vacation on paper. I didn’t intend to continue writing further than that. But a snowball effect was already in play and there was no turning back.

During the Winter of 2009, it was a rough time for us, and a third book came to fruition. From there my mother let me use her laptop to type out and flesh out these three books. Ever since then, I’ve rewritten and reworked the books so much that they became their own thing as the game itself gradually withered. Now 10+ years later, WEEKS Books One & Two are on paperback and ebook and I now have over a dozen other projects in the works.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Nothing is without its struggles. There are always outside issues like work, family, school, and so on that affect my creative endeavors. Add the learning curves, decide whether to self-publish or try your hand at the traditional route, and so on and so on. Anyone who’s an author understands the struggles. For me, the greatest issue I think was just getting an idea of how the publishing process and copyright work. There’s not a clear, step-by-step tutorial out there that I could find (at least by the spring of 2020). So when I finally decided that I wanted to retain all the creative control and professional decisions with WEEKS I landed on Self Publishing. These are my kids so to speak, and I want them to be as good as I can make them.

There is an amazing online community of authors out there, those who are ever-willing to help, advise and guide you on the process from manuscript to finished product. From my experience, it’s a corner of the internet that’s not at toxic as other areas might be. From my fellow authors, I was able to get a rough idea of the process, and starting in the Fall of 2019, I jumped into the waters; sink or swim; I’m happy to say, I haven’t sunk; least at the moment.

There are always other issues that come into play, from mental highs (mania) to rock bottom lows (depression), I fluctuate and it always affects my writing. However, I’ve learned some tricks along the way, I have a saying “When the Muse beckons, I must answer” but sometimes she doesn’t beckon, I have to beckon her. Writing isn’t hard, sitting down to write is.

There is so much more I can say here, but for now I’ll leave it at that.

We’ve been impressed with Jasyn Turley’s Publishing LLC, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
The first thing to know about my LLC is that my mother was instrumental in guiding me and helping me with its formation. I’m not good with electronics or the internet, and my mother and step-father own their own business in Independence: Top Hat Winery. So since they knew the process, they helped me in making my own business with the: city, the state, IRS, the bank, and the work. So it stands to reason, that if you need help, there is usually someone within your circle or reach you can reach out to.

Asking for help is never a bad thing, especially if you surround yourself with good folk. My brand is my name, and I think of my LLC as a mental hotel so to speak. A place where you can check in (grab a book) and go to your room (read the said book) and escape from the day-to-day (immerse yourself into the story); right now I have two rooms (books) available and more to come. I say this not to promote but to reference JRR Tolkien’s concept of ‘escapism’. Though it’s not all black and white, for me it’s one of the greatest strengths of any creative medium (like games, movies, and so on).

I believe the Good Lord gave me this passion to write, and I want to share these stories in my head with other people.

I want those who take a liking to these stories to enjoy and maybe find something deeper in them. Sometimes we just need a little hope, or motivation to keep on persevering. You don’t always have to win the race, you just have to complete it; we all have those days.

What does success mean to you?
I hate giving absolute answers, as Obi-Wan Kenobi once said: Only Sith deals in absolutes. I know I’m quoting a movie, but I harken to that. Like I said before, I don’t see many things in black and white, I believe there are limited things that are so simple. All else is in shades of gray, some lighter, others darker. Do I want to have a fan base whom I can interact with, answer questions or provide more? Absolutely. Do I want to make a living on my writing, where I can leave my 9 to 5 job so I can give more time and energy to my books? of course.

There’s a whole roster of questions that can be given to any number of authors and many of them can conclude success. I don’t know if I have my own definition of success when there are already so many out there. Right now, I’m just climbing mountains.

My first mountain was to publish my first book. A great milestone to overcome. Then I looked to my next mountain, a little bit higher, to publish my second book; done. My next mountain is completing my third book, and beyond that high up in the clouds, I see the next great milestone to overcome, make writing my living. Maybe I could say that success isn’t exactly permanent, but temporary in the present tense.

Pricing:

• WEEKS Book One paperback $9.99 USD
• WEEKS Book One ebook $2.99 USD
• WEEKS Book Two paperback $9.99 USD
• WEEKS Book Two ebook $2.99 USD

Contact Info:

• Website: https://turleybookinn.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/turleybookinn/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JayFiction
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/turleybookinn

Image Credits
Megan Teewun of Megnificent Designs and Photography, WEEKS graphic design covers by Eugene Wickard from 99 Designs WEEKS, and Jelena Gajic from 99 Designs