Tales of Grit and Glory: Inside Peter H. John’s Creative Fire
Imagine talking to a man who has poured his soul into a story with themes of transformation and perseverance. You would even feel the intensity of these themes while talking to Peter H. John, a self-taught author behind
“The Wind in the Forest,” a fantasy epic in every sense. In his latest interview, Peter opened up about the ideas that fueled his writing and why he sees writing as a catalyst for changing the world.
A Spark from a Lifelong Love
Peter is not a polished writer. He’s a regular guy who went into writing with no formal training, just a burning love for high fantasy. What got him to pen “The Wind in the Forest”? It wasn’t one passing moment but a lifelong pull toward the genre, sparked back in the late 1960s when he first opened J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings. “That was the single genre that just attracted me,” he said, his voice carrying the awe of a college kid who’d found his calling. Tolkien’s world of elves, dwarves, and epic quests lit a fire in him, one that intrigued him for decades until he finally said, “I can write a story like that too.”
He didn’t stop at Tolkien. Authors like Ursula K. Le Guin and Terry Brooks shaped his vision, but Peter wanted to do more than mimic. “I wanted to add my own life to it,” he told us. His influences weren’t just books; they were pieces of himself, drawn from years of living, observing, and dreaming. “There’s something of me in every character,” he said, even the ones he doesn’t like. It’s that personal touch that makes The Wind in the Forest feel alive, like a world you could step into.
Perseverance: The Heartbeat of the Story
Flip through “The Wind in the Forest,” and you’ll feel one thing pulsing through every page: PERSEVERANCE. Peter calls it his personal mantra: “Keep moving forward, solve problems, never give up.” It’s not the loudest theme in the book, but it’s there, inculcated into the characters’ persona as they face trials that test their resolve. “They have to persevere,” he said simply, like it’s the most natural thing in the world.
That grit isn’t just for his characters; it’s Peter’s story, too. Writing a book with no training wasn’t a smooth walk in the park. Early on, he sent his draft to a literary agent, only to get a polite reality check: “Very nice, but there are rules in writing.” Rules? Peter hadn’t even heard of them. But he kept himself motivated and ultimately got the reward, holding his book with his hands. That was a surreal feeling for him.
