Stephen James Noski is not your typical fantasy novel author.  He is neither reserved nor melancholy, neither studious nor eccentric.  Instead, he has witty sense of humor and would rather be playing Halo 3 with friends than curling up with a good book.  Noski's hobbies include playing video games and Texas Hold'em, acquiring DVD's for his collection, installing custom car modifications, graphic design and, of course, writing. However, he does share at least one quality with more traditional authors: he is a deep thinker.  "I tend to annoy my wife with my seemingly random deep thoughts late at night or when I over-analyze things to death.  Deep down, I think she likes it though.” 

    An avid fan of video game RPG's (role-playing games) such as the Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest series, Noski is quite passionate about what he calls "a universe of epic stories, engaging plots, and magnificent worlds."  Swords, wars, mythical beasts and magic are all story elements that Noski is quite familiar with and loves to experience.  He has spent many years involved in the fantasy worlds of every avenue: books, movies, and video games.  “Fantasy stories intrigue me greatly.  I love the sense of discovery and imagination presented in this specific genre.  I suppose this is why I have chosen to write The Awakening Saga.  I hope it does this genre proud.”

    Stephen James Noski currently lives in his hometown of Tumwater, WA with his wife Jennifer. 

Q & A

Q:  Which element of a fantasy story is the most important to you?

A:  The plot, by far.  You can have the greatest weapons and the most powerful creatures and the most detailed world, but if the story itself is unoriginal or dry, the rest becomes all but worthless in my mind.

Q:  What is your main goal with The Awakening Saga?

A:  If I had to pick one, and apparently I do, I guess I would have to say that the main goal of The Awakening Saga would be to show our society that there is still original entertainment to be found without need to be laced with sex or extreme controversy.

Q:  Will your religious beliefs influence The Awakening Saga at all?  If so, in what ways?

A:  I guess that will depend on how each person reads it.  Some people may see religious ties where others may see a universal truth or plot device.  To me, art isn’t about what the artist has to say, but is rather about what the audience itself experiences, and then the thoughts and feelings that accompany that experience.  In fact, besides my wife, I plan on dedicating my book ‘to those who would seek the truth in the most entertaining ways possible.’ 

Q: Where did the idea for The Awakening Saga come from?

A:  The Awakening Saga is all about inspiration.  The whole project actually started back in 2002 as I was listening to one of my favorite songs, The Offspring's "The Kids Aren't Alright."  Now, I had heard the song countless times before, but one day my over-active imagination kicked in, as it often does, and I envisioned an epic fight scene that was choreographed to the flow of the song.  Over the next few weeks, I would listen to the song over and over again adding more depth to the scene.  I then started asking myself questions like, "Who are these people?" and, "Why are they fighting?"  Before long, my three-minute-long battle scene turned into a huge, epic story with its own world, characters, and history.  It turned into a story that had to be told.  And even then the story became so large that I had to split it into a trilogy, and thus the concept of The Awakening Saga was born.