Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Z.s. Diamanti. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Z.S., looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Do you wish you had started sooner?

Funny story. My dad was in the military and when I grew up, I joined as well. One of the things about the military is that you often have no say about timing … in really any aspect of military life. You usually don’t have any say about when they want you to move to a new base. Deployments never tend to happen at the most opportune time. And when you’re down range, nothing ever happens within the confines of convenience.

Over the years, I’ve learned that timing seems to be everything, but also entirely uncontrollable. The best thing you can do is plan and prepare with patient diligence.

And that’s what I did. If I had tried to launch my author career sooner than I did, I would not have seen the success I’ve enjoyed so far. It took incredibly diligent work and patience to follow the plan. I can’t tell you how many endless workdays I spent wanting to publish my book. But I wasn’t ready. I had to get the foundation built first.

Sometimes, timing is everything, but you can’t live or die waiting for timing to be perfect or trying to force it. You’ll never get anything done.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

When I started writing my classic style epic fantasy series, Stone & Sky, I was super nervous. I was writing this old school fantasy series with vibes of hope and friendship and characters coming together to overcome seemingly insurmountable odds. And I was publishing it into a world where grimdark fantasy has been the popular thing over recent years.

Nonetheless, I wrote what I wanted to read.

Turns out, I wasn’t alone.

The Stone & Sky trilogy has won over a dozen industry awards and taken thousands of readers on an epic fantasy journey filled with magic, adventure, and just plain fun!

None of that happen overnight, of course. I quit my job a year before Stone & Sky was released, and on the family side, we were crunching numbers those last couple months. But I went to work every day, prepping and building an author platform, even before the book came out.

This entire thing has been driven by a passion focused into energy and effort to tell a story that brings hope and joy to readers around the world.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

A lot of people go wide-eyed when I tell them I quit my job a year before my first book came out. It’s always humorous to see, but then I have to explain. I’m married, and my wife and I have four children. Quitting a job is no willy-nilly decision. It took careful planning and diligent math (by my amazing wife–she’s better with numbers, I’m better with words). My wife is also a realist. She’s brutally honest with me when she doesn’t like an idea. Has been for years. So, I knew she was a trustworthy sounding board for me.

When she read Stone & Sky, and she genuinely enjoyed it, she told me “You have to do this.”

Of all the creative endeavors and ideas I’d brought to her over the years, this was the first time she’d been so definitively positive.

It was then we knew, a shift had to happen, and we started making plans.

Everyone needs a trustworthy sounding board. Not someone who kills your dreams, but someone who knows you and recognizes which dreams are worthwhile for you to pursue.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

One of the things I wanted to do with the Stone & Sky series was to make it as timeless and approachable as possible. When the world around was devouring grimdark fantasy, I wrote a clean and hopeful fantasy.

I use the term ‘clean fantasy,’ not because I came up with it, but rather as the most common term used to describe fantasy that has no swearing, no sex, and no gratuitous violence. It’s epic fantasy, of course, so it definitely has epic battles, high stakes, and dire circumstances, it just doesn’t go into gruesome detail unnecessarily.

I did this because I wanted to write stories I could enjoy with my four teenagers. But even further, someday when my grandkids come over and want grandpa to tell them a story, I’ll get to share it with them as well.

Crazy part? Tons of other families have been enjoying the trilogy together. I’ve had so many wonderful people send me ‘thank you’ notes for writing something they could experience as a family.

So cool!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://zsdiamanti.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zsdiamanti/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ZSDiamantiAuthor
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/zsdiamanti
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwtmmliQjqbpUEpVQimluHg
• Other: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Z.S.-Diamanti/author/B072SVMDPD

Image Credits

Z.S. Diamanti