What's New with January Bain

• What inspired you to start writing?

I’ve often wondered if stories choose their writers instead of the other way around. For me, writing never felt like a hobby. It felt like a calling. The first time I seriously considered becoming a novelist, I was so excited I could hardly think about anything else. That feeling has never really left.

These days my family has learned that if I’m staring out a window, I'm probably not admiring the scenery. I'm figuring out how to rescue someone from a collapsing bridge...or deciding whether a cowboy should draw his revolver...or wondering if the apocalypse really needs one more storm. I write every single day.

When I’m not writing, I’m reading. When I’m not reading, I’m researching. And when I’m sleeping or showering...Well, that’s usually when the really inconvenient plot twists show up. I sometimes think storytelling isn’t something I do. It's simply the way I experience the world.

• Where does the inspiration for your stories come from?

People often assume my stories begin with an exciting premise—a post-apocalyptic world or the American frontier. The truth is, they begin with a question:

What happens to a person's character when life becomes unimaginably difficult?

Comfort has a way of hiding who we really are. Adversity has a way of revealing it. I’m fascinated by those moments when ordinary people must decide whether they’ll become bitter or compassionate...fearful or courageous...selfish or sacrificial. That’s where stories become unforgettable to me.

• Do you have a favorite scene from the books you've written?

It’s difficult to choose just one scene because every chapter feels a little like spending time with old friends. But one scene has stayed with me. Without giving anything away, there’s a wedding that takes place during extraordinary circumstances.

What I love about it isn’t the romance. It’s the hope.

The reminder that even when the world is falling apart, people still choose to love...to celebrate...and to believe tomorrow is worth planning for. That scene reminded me that humanity doesn’t survive because life becomes easier. It survives because people keep choosing joy.

So in the end, the scenes I remember most aren’t always the loudest. They’re the ones that remind me why the story needed to be told. The quiet moments. The conversations around a kitchen table. The unexpected laugh after heartbreak. One hand reaching for another. The determination to endure and keep a community moving forward against all odds.

That’s what it means to be human.

• What does a typical writing day look like for you?

If you looked through my window, you’d probably think I live a wonderfully quiet life. And you’d be right. Every morning begins the same way. Coffee, writing, seven days a week. No exceptions.

The afternoons belong to reading, research, and learning something new. It doesn’t sound especially exciting. But here’s the funny part. While I’m quietly sitting at my desk, there’s usually an outlaw riding across Wyoming, a family trying to survive after the end of the world, a dragon refusing to cooperate, or someone discovering a secret that’s been buried for centuries.

From the outside…it’s very peaceful. Inside my imagination...it's absolute chaos.

And I wouldn’t have it any other way.

• What advice would you give to aspiring writers?

The answer is surprisingly simple: Write. Not when you feel inspired. Not when you have the perfect idea. Write because stories become better only by being written. Just. Show. Up.

Then read. Read everything that makes you a better storyteller. History. Science. Biography. Fiction. The world is full of teachers if you're willing to listen.

Most importantly...Don’t be afraid to write badly. Every good writer has written thousands of imperfect pages. Those pages weren’t failures. They were tuition. Stories have changed hearts for thousands of years. Treat that privilege with respect. Write the kind of book you’d be grateful to discover on a library shelf fifty years from now.

• What can readers expect from you next?

More adventures. More unforgettable characters. And, I hope, a few stories that stay with them long after they’ve turned the final page.

I’ve discovered that the longer I write, the less interested I become in genres and the more fascinated I become by the human experience, so I don’t choose a genre first. I choose a question about the human heart...and then I find the world where that question can best be answered.

Whether I’m writing a post-apocalyptic saga, a Western, a fantasy, or a thriller, I'm always asking the same question: What does it take to remain fully human when life becomes anything but easy?
As long as that question keeps calling to me…I’ll keep writing.