Indie Author Advent Day 24: James Chance
Welcome to day 24 of the 2025 Indie Author Advent! This fun series will help us to get hyped for 2026 by celebrating some of the wonderful indie releases of 2025! Today I am interviewing James Chance. Be sure to check out my Instagram for even more excitement with this event!
James' 2025 Releases
The Interview
1. What is your favorite thing about your 2025 releases?
"This is my debut series, so I have to say my favorite part is finally getting to share it with the world! It's been an incredible journey connecting with readers for the first time, and I'm so thankful for how much people say my characters have touched them. I believe the emotion is the most crucial part of all stories, and I pour so much of myself and my experiences into my books, so I can't help but be humbled and thrilled by someone out there feeling so deeply for what I create."
2. What are your inspirations for your books?
"I actually adapted much of the Our Dark Mirror series from a TTRPG I played with some friends back in 2020. Obviously my player character was Vincent, the MC, and my now-partner (not at the time) played Henry, the deuteragonist/love interest. So much of how he and I came to love each other (through many difficulties) is explored through the relationship's growth on-page, far beyond anything we had going in that game alone. But the in-game events spurred my wanting to expand and refine things, including adapting some of the basic side character concepts our other friends had into a more rounded supporting cast. I'm also inspired of course by countless other books and media that have changed my life, some notable favorites being The Raven Cycle, His Dark Materials, and most anything directed by Guillermo Del Toro."
3. Why do you think representation is so important in books?
"There's two answers to this one: community and authenticity. If you're a part of the group being portrayed, being seen and heard through other people's stories is deeply edifying. You don't feel so alone when other people can mirror your experiences, and maybe even show you new ways to handle feelings around them. And if you're not part of that group, the representation provides you with exposure and a chance to develop empathy for experiences that are different than yours. Obviously as authors we can't portray everything completely authentically, but I do my best to fill in gaps with research and consulting with others, while injecting a lot of my own identity into characters and situations. There are a ton of things about my lead character Vincent that especially speak to my experiences as a trans guy and on the autism spectrum, but that's the fun thing about monsters: that otherness/weirdness can draw parallels to a lot of different things, and we see ourselves in characters like these in our own unique ways. All I can hope is that the themes I write from the heart of my life can resonate with someone else's in a way that matters to them."
4. Any advice for people who want to publish in 2026?
"Make some friends! Follow some people on social media that like the same things you do. You never know who you can end up connecting with. I've met so many amazing people even just sending one-off messages appreciating their posts or books, and it snowballing from there. Take that, social anxiety! Point being, the community you're a part of IS the career. I always like to think of us as a bunch of people sitting around a giant campfire telling each other stories, because it really feels like that. You have to write from the heart, and find your people who also read and/or write from a similar place."
5. What are you most looking forward to in 2026? Any more releases on the horizon?
"Yes! The third and final book of the Our Dark Mirror series is coming out hopefully in the spring, and then it's on to my next adventure! I'm so stoked to finish off Vincent and Henry's story (they deserve a happy ending after everything I've put them through, lmao), and also to start something new for the first time in years. I have a standalone novel in the works that I'm so eager to start drafting properly."
6. Is there anything else you would like to add?
"I can never thank all of you readers and fellow writers enough for the support you've given me over the course of my first year in publishing. I really went from not thinking I'd amount to anything, despite my lifelong dreams of becoming an author, to actually having real people who love my work. Absolutely wild to me. I may not be the biggest name out there, but I really do believe in that authenticity - I'll keep writing from my weird little heart, if your weird little hearts will keep coming back for more!"
Outro
Thank you to James for getting involved in this advent! I am excited to see what they come out with in 2026. Stay tuned tomorrow for another amazing indie author and their releases!
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