Jim Gill Weaves Fantasy and Emotional Truth into Heroes of Reighja

PHOTO: Jim Gill, author of Heroes of Reighja, photographed by Cassie Flynn.

Exploring Grief, Magic, and Empathy Through Epic Storytelling

Jim Gill fuses high fantasy with emotional depth, drawing from global histories, personal loss, and a passion for storytelling to create a powerful, immersive reading experience.

Jim Gill brings with him a rich tapestry of life experiences that have helped shape the intricate world of Heroes of Reighja. A self-published author, environmental advocate, and newly-appointed COO of Kabulu Global Press LLC, Gill draws on a background as diverse as lifeguarding and naval diving to inform his writing with both grit and imagination. His storytelling blends sweeping high fantasy with deep emotional resonance, exploring themes such as grief, identity, and unconditional love within the framework of richly researched non-Western mythologies and histories. In this interview with Reader’s House Magazine, Gill opens up about the philosophical underpinnings of his work, the inspirations behind his characters and cultures, and the deeply personal moments that found their way into the pages of his debut novel. Whether navigating the deserts and dynasties of Reighja or the complexities of human emotion, Gill proves himself a compelling voice in contemporary fantasy literature.

A rich, thoughtful fantasy debut that speaks to the heart as much as it dazzles the imagination.

What historical and mythological elements form the foundation of your story? Which real-world events or narratives inspired you the most?         

Before writing Heroes of Reighja,every fantasy story I read had been inspired by European or Japanese elements. Creating the Dynasty of Lamaru, the focal civilization of my series, I chose to use my writing as a vehicle of learning to understand different civilizations, including the Persian and Gupta Empires, the Bengali Sultanate, and the Islamic Caliphates. I began writing during Covid, becoming a cultural sponge, soaking up as much information as I could, watching countless documentaries, reading mythos and nonfiction, drawing inspiration from periods and cultures across South Asian histories. From a narrative or philosophical perspective, I enjoy discussing the hero’s journey, destiny vs free will, and the intricacies of self vs societal interests. Thus, I built my foundation for six planned novels then wrote the first three.

What was the most challenging or thought-provoking detail while building the world of Reighja? How did you approach this process?

While I shine at developing the ecological aspects of world-building, the most challenging part of building Reighja is showcasing the inner-workings of my characters. To turn a good story into a great story, the reader must be able to empathize with the characters. The Tale of Achyut the Gallant hosts a slew of characters with varying class and gender backgrounds, perspective shifts, ambitions, trauma, and interactions that push these ideas of self to the foreground of the story.  Magic such as soul-seeking immerses the readers and characters into each other’s thoughts and provides a baseline for understanding emotional intelligence that I hope readers use to enrich their lives.

“The most challenging part of building Reighja is showcasing the inner-workings of my characters.” – Jim Gill

Your book blends fantasy elements with deeply realistic emotional experiences. What is the importance in striking a balance between these two aspects?

“Fairy tales are more than true, not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they show us dragons can be beaten.” The phrase, coined by G.K. Chesterton, encapsulates the importance of this balance. Fantasy helps readers develop a mindset of ‘what if?’ that enables us to reexamine our lives, allowing for more complex problem-solving, imagination, and understanding. For some, myself included, it also provides a space to escape modern life’s chaos.

How do you balance world-building with character-driven storytelling in an epic fantasy series?

For an epic fantasy series to succeed, its world and characters must be intertwined with the overarching plot, each impacting the other. A plot and a setting create history, focusing on the larger world instead of the characters. A setting with a character creates poetry, building rapport with the reader or painting a picture to make the world immersive. A character involved in a plot creates action and keeps the story wheel, and the continent of Reighja, turning. The Tale of Achyut the Gallant is a microcosm contained within a stand-alone novel. In my upcoming novel, Heroes of Reighja: Second Dawn, I dive deeper into this microcosm by stretching individual plots, characters, and settings across subsequent novels to build my series.

Among the social and moral issues explored in your book, which one impacted you the most? How did you shape your narrative to address these themes?

The most impactful theme for me is the recognition of the joys and burdens of unconditional love and the acceptance of and ability to cope with grief, an emotional state and harsh reality that every single person who has lived and will ever live shares. While writing this story, my grandmother passed away, and nothing could soften the pain of losing one of my columns of strength, a person I always revered and loved, who had always supported my dreams and adventures. Around the same time, I separated from a woman who, at the time, I could see myself building a future with, and had experienced, for the first time, one of the most beautiful and emotionally gut-wrenching stories in a very popular anime. Similarly, Prince Acyut experiences the highest-highs and the lowest-lows. His story allowed me to process my emotional turmoil and reshape my pain and confusion into something beautiful. Hopefully, this entertaining story will promote enlightening perspectives for those going through rough times.

How do you think this book differs from your previous works or future planned projects? What aspect of the writing process surprised you the most?

While this is the first novel I published, it is the third I’ve written, although I have years of experience as a scientific writer and shaping animal training plans, both following a formulaic structure. My fantasy writing is more sporadic, often adding details or background information that will become significant as I publish more volumes. It’s like planting seeds in a garden but instead of plants, I’m growing planets. What surprised me the most is how hard it is to sit down and actually write. I need no distractions, blocked out time, and a list of goals I want to accomplish per writing session. When I wrote my first novel, I had near endless time but since I’ve taken on other jobs and responsibilities, if I don’t block out my time, I don’t get anything done.

What advice would you give to other self-published authors looking to create immersive and meaningful fantasy worlds?

Create a world that YOU want to read about. If you don’t like your first story, everything else becomes more difficult. For example, I love learning about animals. I write down an idea about the animal, then a series of questions about it. What’s the animal’s habitat, how do they interact with people, what does the animal eat, etc. Then I ask why. Building out from this framework helps tie my world-building to a character’s emotional experience. Finally, the most meaningful piece of advice I can give is don’t be frightened or discouraged if you don’t like your first draft. You can fix a first-draft, you can’t fix a blank page.