Welcome to another interview! I am so
delighted and want to thank Author J Meyers for her time. So enough blabbering let’s
find out more about her.
1 Did you
always wanted to be a writer? If not what did you want to be?
Nope. I actually hated writing when I was in high school
and college. After a few career choices got tossed aside, I settled on being an
actor/singer and I went to NYC to pursue that.
2 When did you first consider yourself a “writer”?
It kinda snuck up on me, to be honest. When I lived in
NYC, I lucked into a job at a production house which created school text books
for the big publishers. I worked up to being a full time writer (completely by
accident). It wasn’t until I’d been doing it for years that I finally realized
I was a writer. (No one was more surprised than me!) :-)
3 What is the
name of your latest book, and if you had to summarize it in less than 20 words
what would you say?
My latest book is called Imaginable. It’s about twin
teens with super-human abilities—Sera can heal with the touch of her hand, Luke
can see the future.
4 Who is your
publisher? Or do you self-publish?
I’m very proud to self-publish. It was my first choice.
5 How long does it usually take you to write a book,
from the original idea to finishing writing it?
Imaginable took 3 months to write, and then it took about
6 months of revisions to get it in shape for publication.
6 What can we
expect from you in the future? ie More
books of the same genre? Books of a different genre?
There are more books to be written in the Intangible
series—maybe one or two more. But I’m taking a break before writing them. My
next book is going to be a New Adult contemporary romance and I’m so excited to
get started on it! I’m really looking forward to exploring a different genre.
What genre
would you place your books into?
Intangible and Imaginable are both YA contemporary
fantasy.
8 What made you
decide to write that genre of book?
I fell in love with contemporary fantasy and paranormal
romance, and knew I had to write it. There’s an incredible freedom in writing
this genre because you are not bound by the laws of physics or the constraints
of this world we live in. I LOVE that.
9 How long have
you been writing?, and who or what inspired you to write?
I’ve been a professional writer for almost 20 years, but
I’ve only been writing fiction for about 4 years. Intangible was the first
novel I ever wrote.
1 Do you have a
certain routine you have for writing? ie You listen to music, sit in a certain
chair?
I *wish* I could listen to music! I actually need quiet
to write because I spend so much time translating what I’m seeing in my mind
into words on the page. It takes intense focus for me. I’m stepping into my
characters’ bodies and minds, and music is just too distracting. I listen to
music at other times to find tunes that I identify with my characters, that may
help inform who they are, where they come from, or what their experiences have been.
1 Do you read
all the reviews of your book/books?
Nooooooooooooooo. LOL! I read some
of them, but I get to the point where it’s just too hard and my feelings can be
easily hurt by a flippant or snarky comment even in a positive review. I do not
read the bad reviews at all…because, really, why would I put myself through
that? My husband reads all of the reviews and he’ll sometimes point one out to
me that he thinks I should read because it’s particularly lovely. I do,
however, APPRECIATE each and every review my books get because it helps other
readers determine whether they’ll like them. Because reviews are for readers,
not for authors. :-)
1 Do you choose
a title first, or write the book then choose the title?
I write and spend the entire time trying to come up with
the title. It’s HARD. I really struggle with titles because it has to be
perfect, anything less won’t do. But when you find it, you know.
1 How do you
come up with characters names and place names in your books?
Intangible and Imaginable are set in very real
Burlington, Vermont. Almost everywhere the characters go are real places in
Burlington (like Muddy Waters is a coffee shop downtown). As for character
names—some came to me immediately (like Jonas and Luke), one is named after a
good friend of mine (Fey), and others it took me a long time to find the right
name (Sera went through MANY name changes before she became Sera).
1 Do you decide
on character traits (ie shy, quiet, tomboy girl) before writing the whole book
or as you go along?
Character traits evolve as I write. I get to know the
characters as I go through their story, and will often learn and add more about
them during revisions. Nobody comes to me completely formed and three
dimensional—they become that way along the journey.
1 Which format
of book do you prefer, eBook, hardback, or paperback?
Paperback, but I’m learning to love ebooks as well. It’s
just so convenient to carry a library’s worth of books on one little device.
(And so lovely to be able to buy a book and have it right there ready to read
immediately!)
1 What is your
favorite book and Why? Have you read it
more than once?
It’s a toss up between The Disreputable History of
Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart and This is All: The Pillow Book of
Cordelia Kenn by Aidan Chambers. The first is just a perfect book in every way
and I’ve read it several times. I LOVE the main character—she’s spunky and
smart, and she doesn’t put up with any crap. The premise is fantastic and
hysterical. I love the writing style. It’s a perfectly told tale. (I may have
to go read it again now that I’m thinking about it.) And the second book made
me laugh out loud (which is next to impossible for a book to do) and cry my
eyes out at the end. Chambers writes the BEST dialogue and creates these
lovely, quirky characters that you just have to love. It’s a wonderful book.
1 Your favorite
food is?
fresh raspberries
1 Your favorite
singer/group is?
Jason Mraz
1 Your favorite
color is?
steel blue
2 Your favorite
Author is?
Do I have to pick
just one? Because I don’t think I can. I love Laini Taylor, Kristin Cashore,
Sarah Dessen, Aidan Chambers, and Frannie Billingsley
About the Author-
J Meyers grew up in Vermont, Spent three years in Germany when she was a kid, and
now lives in Central New York. When she's not reading or writing, she's chasing
after her four kids, exploring the outdoors with her family, baking sweet
treats, and forgetting to make dinner. She's the author of Intangible, Intuition, Indomitable, and upcoming Imaginable, due out in April 2013.
Links-
Twitter-https://twitter.com/jmeyersbooks
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