Mini AMA · Author interview
Mini AMA: Jason J. Willis
By Bosloe
First published in my Dispatches from Amathera newsletter on 19 April 2026. Release dates and plans mentioned are as they stood at that time.
Jason is currently writing a series in the System Apocalypse Universe written by Tao Wong.
1. Caleb's moral tension, staying true to his values while the world demands pragmatism, feels very grounded. How much of a real teacher's mindset did you draw on when writing him, and did that surprise you as you drafted?
I've had a lot of great teachers in my life, and that was definitely an inspiration. Mr. Rogers, obviously, most of all. A lot of LeVar Burton from Reading Rainbow also feels like it seeped into Caleb by osmosis, as that was one of my favourite shows by far and one of the reasons I love reading.
I definitely tried to keep that teacher mindset in mind, and it did have some unexpected results including scenes like the impromptu class lesson plan in an emergency that never could have happened otherwise. That even carries over into Liberty 2: Dropout.
2. Head of the Class is your first novel after cutting your teeth on the System Apocalypse anthologies. What's the biggest thing the short fiction work taught you that you then had to unlearn or relearn when writing at novel length?
The obvious difference between novels and short stories is the length, and with this genre in particular, the speed with which you want to get them out.
Our genre's novels definitely lend themselves to a more rapid-fire style than even a classic novel, let alone a short story. With those, you're really taking the time to make sure you've chosen just the right word and phrasing.
That's definitely very different from a full novel length. When I finally manage to learn that lesson in practice, I will let you know. I do hope dictation might help me in that regard.
3. You're writing in Tao Wong's established System Apocalypse universe. What's the balance like between honouring the existing lore and having enough creative freedom to make the Liberty series distinctly yours?
This was less of a challenge for me than I feel like it is for a lot of authors, especially pantsers. Naturally, I do tend to be a person who wants to write by the seat of my pants, but I took years to study and learn and force myself to be able to also write as a plotter as well. Because of that, it lets me see ahead a little bit farther ahead and lets me ask Tao System questions before I've already done all the work of writing the full scene.
I also grew up with the Marvel multiverse in comics, so my mind is a little bit more fluid than some other authors who get set on one particular storyline. That can be an advantage in a situation like this, but it can also be a huge disadvantage as I get distracted chasing what ifs.
I think the biggest thing that helped is that I've done a lot of role-playing games since I started Dungeons & Dragons around age seven. When you've had a lot of DMs and you've operated within a lot of systems, you get used to someone telling you no and having to come up with an alternative.
A huge thank you to Jason for sitting down with us. If you haven't picked up his work yet, do yourself a favour. You can find Jason and his series The System Apocalypse: Liberty on Amazon.
Dropout: A LitRPG Sci-Fi Adventure - Book 2 was due to launch on the 15th May 2026.