Steve Beaulieu who writes as Jaime Castle, hails from the great nation of Texas where he lives with his wife and two children and enjoys anything creative. A self-proclaimed comic book nerd and artist, he spends what little free time he can muster with his art tablet.
Jaime is a #1 Audible Bestseller, Audible Originals author (Dead Acre, Baron Steele, The Luna Missile Crisis) and co-created and co-authored The Buried Goddess Saga, which includes the IPPY award-winning Web of Eyes. Additionally, Cold as Hell was nominated for a 2023 Audie Award, and won Best Fantasy for 2022 on Audible. Sidekick, book one in Raptors, was a BIBA Award winner.
In this interview, Beaulieu explains how his experience as a pastor, graphic artist, and author shaped the values and operations of Aethon. He emphasizes a hands-on, compassionate approach to publishing, aiming to treat authors and readers like family and more.
You’ve worn a lot of creative hats — pastor, graphic artist, musician, author, publisher. How did those experiences lead to founding Aethon Books and shape your approach to publishing?
I can’t help but believe all of those things have come together to make a perfect storm.
Without having pastored for many years, I don’t believe I’d have the same desire to treat our readers and authors like family. The hope and goal is that everyone is happy and feels loved and appreciated.
Without having been a graphic artist and creative director, we would have needed to fill that space with someone possessing those skills. Instead, I’ve been able to manage every single project that leaves Aethon’s proverbial hands. This company was built on the premise that between Rhett Bruno and me, we had all the skills required to publish books with excellence. While we have grown, that heart remains the same.
Being an author myself, I know the intricacies of the publishing industry in a way most publishing houses don’t. That gives us both knowledge for success and compassion for our authors and readers.
What was the spark that turned you from reader to writer? Can you walk us through the birth of “Jamie Castle” and why you chose a pen name?
I’ve been writing since I was eight years old. I still remember the very first short story I wrote on my grandfathers’ Tandy 1000 computer. I also remember the book cover I created in the primitive drawing program that came preinstalled on the Radio Shack machine.
There’s never been a time when I wasn’t writing.
There was, however, a moment when I understood how to finish writing.
For years, I wrote and wrote and wrote but had no end in sight. It wasn’t until I connected with my first-ever co-author, Aaron Hall, that I saw a project through to completion. The cadence and flow of writing a book cannot be understated. It only took one before the mysteries were unlocked. Since that day in 2016, I’ve written more than forty books, and while it’s never easy, the formula to success is there.
The choice to use a pen name was simple. Try to pronounce Beaulieu. Spoiler, you’re wrong.
I’ve spent my whole life trying to teach people to pronounce a French name that sounds nothing like it looks. My only mistake was choosing a spelling of Jaime that can also be pronounced two ways (hai-me).
The spelling was derived from Jaime Lannister of Game of Thrones/Song of Ice and Fire. I thought it would be familiar to fantasy readers. Castle… well, what’s more fantasy than that?
How does writing as Jamie Castle differ creatively from working as Steve Beaulieu at Aethon? Do you find yourself tapping into different instincts or voices?
When we first started this gig, I really thought these would be two different people. At the end of the day, I’m not good at secrets. Steve and Jaime are one and the same.
You’ve co-written with a number of authors across several genres. What makes you say “yes” to a partnership, and what does your co-writing process actually look like in practice?
Rhett and I actually wrote a book titled “Two Authors, One Book: Murder-Free Coauthoring” or something like that.
My number-one criteria is that I like the person. Unlike a lot of folks in the industry, I don’t simply put my name on a book. Everything that bears the Jaime Castle brand means I played a significant role in the writing process.
You’ve written everything from epic fantasy to superhero adventures to LitRPG to historical Weird West. What draws you to experiment with genres, and how do you adapt your worldbuilding and characters when shifting between them?
Rhett and I have a distinct benefit as the owners of AETHON. We aren’t writing for money. We can write what we love without worrying over whether it sells. We can do the exact opposite of what we advise our authors. It’s honestly simple: I love science fiction and fantasy, and I write the stories I feel need to be told, regardless of subgenre.
From your vantage point at Aethon, what changes have you seen in speculative fiction and in the audio market, and how have they influenced your own writing?
I give Rhett full credit for changing the industry entirely. The audiobook market exists today because of AETHON leading the charge on synchronized releases on all formats. Audio is where I live and dwell. It’s my primary form of entertainment and I write books FOR audio.
As both author and publisher, how do you balance business strategy with nurturing creative risk-taking, either for yourself or for Aethon authors?
It’s simple. Determine your goal. If it’s to make money to write full-time, then you have to write what people want to read. If you simply need to tell a story and you don’t care if anyone ever reads it, do the weird genre mash-up that no one knows how to market.
This industry is all about expectation-setting. When I write a book, I have a clear goal in mind. I already know which ones will sell and which won’t. And that’s okay. I write what I love, but AETHON is my constant focus.
With such a big creative workload, what habits or rituals keep you writing consistently — and of all your current projects, which one excites you most right now?
Pure obsession drives me. Whether it’s books or music, I write every single day. Often at the expense of sleep.
I have a longstanding joke that the only muse I need is my mortgage payment. And while that’s not true, I think it drives a wedge between the truth and lies of inspiration. Writers don’t need to have a reason to write. We have to have a reason NOT to write. It’s in our blood. You cannot stop me from writing.
Is there a dream project or collaboration you haven’t yet tackled but would love to see happen?
My dream collaboration is always just “the next thing I get to write with Rhett.” He’s my best friend and brings out the absolute best writer in me.
Favorite D&D class to play?
Rogue.
Pen or keyboard for brainstorming ideas?
Secret option letter C: the remarkable tablet.
Most underrated superhero in your opinion?
Blackbolt.
If one of your worlds could get a big-budget adaptation tomorrow, which would you pick?
Black Badge.
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Get Author Spotlight: Steve’s amazing book, Dead Acre turned into a graphic novel and available now on Amazon
“A gritty, supernatural western that ain’t for wimps. Completely badass.”—Matt Dinniman, New York Times Bestselling author of Dungeon Crawler Carl
The Witcher meets The Dresden Files meets Jonah Hex in DEAD ACRE: Black Badge Vol. 1 (Graphic Novel), the bestselling supernatural fantasy western smash #1 audio book and eBook in print and as a graphic novel for the first time!
Demons. Monsters. Witches. His sacred duty as a Black Badge is to hunt them down.
James Crowley met his mortal end in a hail of gunfire. Now, he finds himself in purgatory, serving the White Throne to avoid falling to hell. Not quite undead, though not alive either, the best he can hope for is to work off his servitude and fade away.
His not-so-sacred duty as a Hand of God? Use his new abilities to hunt down demonic beings that have infiltrated the mortal realm.
The White Throne has sent him to the middle of nowhere: a western town called Dead Acre with a saloon, a moldy church, and little else worth talking about. There isn’t even a sheriff. But the local cobbler has gone missing at the same time as a number of graves were desecrated.
Crowley must follow the clues, all while dealing with a cutthroat gang which treats Dead Acre like they own it, an extraordinary woman who makes it hard to focus, and locals not keen on strangers.
Life isn’t simple for a Demon Hunter.
Dead Acre: Black Badge Vol. 1 (Graphic Novel ) is written by New York Times bestselling author Cullen Bunn and illustrated by Riley Brown.
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