Jason Franks - Interview series vol. 12 | #101
Being a data scientist by day and comics writer by night
Hello, this is Celeste and welcome to the Letters for Creatives newsletter. I have been writing poems since 2017 and fiction since 2022. This is the place where I share my thoughts on creativity and find resources for fellow writers and creatives.
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Previously on the interview series:
Alexis M. Romo on the process writing her next book
Joelle Bahdo on the way putting together her poetry book
What Jason Franks does as a data scientist has helped him to write his fiction and comics books and vice versa.
The Kickstarter for his latest sci-fi/comedy/graphic novel Gourmand Go is live. Check it out if you are into that.
Since horror comics is not the genre this newsletter usually covers, it is an insightful interview for anyone who is looking to create their first comics and writing in general.
What do you do in your day job and side hustle?
By day, I am a mild-mannered data scientist. I work in the records and data trust space, helping to make sure that organizations like banks, government agencies and utilities are able to manage and secure their records.
By night I am an equally mild-mannered novelist and comics writer. I write mostly speculative fiction: horror, science fiction, fantasy, but I write comedy and literary fiction. Most of my work blends at least a couple of those genres.
I have been a published writer almost as long as I have been a software professional—22 years.
Where can people find you and your work?
The best place to find me is my Substack. You can also check out my website. I am on X/Twitter as @jasefranks and Bluesky as @jasonfranks.bsky.social if you want to be more social.
How did you start as a writer? How has your writing journey changed and evolved?
I wanted to be a writer, ever since I learned to read. Always. I took a year out from my studies in the sciences to concentrate on creative writing, and that was when I first started trying to seriously write fiction. It took me about three years to sell my first piece.
I thought success would come quickly after I was first published, but I soon learned that every milestone in a publishing career is a hard slog, unless you are one of the very few people who gets very lucky. But I have also learned that perseverance is the key to success. The longer you work at it, the luckier you get.
That first story I sold was the first one I ever started submitting. When I got the acceptance letter, I wondered why my oldest, worst story was the first one to be published. And then I realized that it was because it was the story I’d sent out the most often.
The industry changes, the people in the industry change, you change. But you have to stick with it if you want to get anywhere.
Where do you usually find inspiration?
Everywhere! In the news. In magazines and articles and history books. At work. In other stories that I read. Sometimes I just hear a new word or phrase that triggers a story.
I am a very analytical person. Some of my best ideas have come from looking at other people’s stories or character and figuring out how I handle them differently.
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How do the work of Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett make an impact on your creative journey?
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