Never Too Old For Y.A. & N.A. Books discussion
This topic is about
J.A. Redmerski
Author Interview of the Month
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Indie Author Interview with J.A. Redmerski
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Great interview. I absolutely loved The Mayfair Moon. It was full of hottness, especially Isaac. I look forward to reading the next book in the series. :)
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So who is the companion novel based on, or is it a secret??
Thanks for the interview! Mayfair Moon is sitting on my Kindle and on my list to read soon :)
Not only are you a great writer but you have fabulous taste in books too! ;)Wonderful interview!!
great interview, I'm reading
now, and I'm loving it!!
Yay another outdoor gal and Supernatural fan! *high-five* So glad to see you in the group J.A.. I love your books!
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Especially because we love our bad boys so much. ;-) They're more fun when they're naughty, anyway. LOL
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LOL yes very naughty indeed RAWR
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I got my paperbacks in the mail today and I just had to re-read the end of Kindred. It's even better in print!!! LOL
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LOL you know I love to torture you!!! ;-)
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LOL you know I love..."
That you do Erin lol
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@Jessica, you have me a combination of anxious and very curious about Dirty Eden now! LOL
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Erin and Sylvia, you two are just all kinds of crazy! :-)"
Lol we are a little nuts in the cheeky kind of way hehe
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Erin and Sylvia, you two are just all kinds of crazy! :-)"
Hey, I resemble that comment...
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Oh good lord! *plugs ears* I'm going to have to get to this next, I can't take the suspense of getting to see the depths of your insanity. LOL
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I'm very happy to hear that you are doing better now :)
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LOL I might have to buddy read it with Erin then :)
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LOL I m..."
Oooooh, let's!! You know we read demented better when we have a partner in crime! :-D
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Well I'm so sorry to hear what you went through, and I'm glad you pulled through and made it to a better place. I hardly ever hate a book, but even if I did I'd never hold it against you (and besides, we all know full well you can write your tail off).
We're all pretty loopy in this group, too, so if you ever need a good laugh feel free to have a chuckle on our behalf. ;-)
Welcome J.A. Redmerski. I loved The Mayfair Moon
. I can't wait to read the other books in this group.
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Thank you so much, Jua..."
We're happy to amuse! ;-)
Never Too Old For Y.A. & N.A. Books
Books mentioned in this topic
The Mayfair Moon (other topics)The Mayfair Moon (other topics)
The Mayfair Moon (other topics)
Kindred (other topics)
Dirty Eden (other topics)
1. When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?
I was about 12 when I realized it's what I wanted, but 13 when I started doing something about it. I started my first novel at 13 and have been writing something ever since. I can't imagine ever giving it up even if everybody despises my work and I'm sent packing, LOL. I believe I was born to do it, whether I'm good at it or not, because it's the one consistent thing in my life and makes me thoroughly happy.
2. How long does it take you to write a book?
The first novel I ever finished actually took a looooong time, I'm talkin' like six years! But I wasn't writing then for an audience and so I took all the time in the world. Now that I am writing for an audience, I can get one finished in 3-5 months.
3. What do you think makes a great story?
I strongly believe that aside from the obvious 'likable, believable characters' and 'vivid description', I like to believe that an author writing what he or she feels instead of what everyone else thinks is popular, is what makes a good story. And I'm also a firm believer in writing a real and raw story, telling it like it is and not sugar-coating scenes and situations that have the potential to offend someone. In real life people are not perfect. They say 'fu*k', they have sex, they smoke, they let themselves be abused, so why should it be any different in a novel? So the short answer to the question would be: genuine believability.
4. What is your work schedule like when you're writing?
I start very early in the morning after my kids have left for school and I write pretty much all throughout the day. 9-10 hours. But I do takes breaks by getting out to get some exercise.
5. How do you balance family and writing?
Well, my kids are old enough that they would rather play video games and do their own thing, so it's not so hard to manage. But I do make sure to spend time with them when I'm not writing. We like to ride bikes, hike, go fishing and climb mountains. I have pretty good kids who are so talented!
6. Where do you get your information or ideas for your books?
All over the place. Really, I like to study people because I'm intrigued by the many different personalities that people have. And I do A LOT of research when I'm writing about places that exist because I want to be as accurate as possible. Google street view is something that has helped me tremendously with this kind of research.
7. What was one of the most surprising things you learned in creating your books?
That I actually love first-person narrative. It used to repel me when I'd pick up a book in the bookstore and see that it was written in first-person - not sure why. But then I tried writing it that way one day and I was surprised at how natural it felt. I think my strong-point has always been dialogue and I realized that writing in first-person narrative allowed me to write more freely and everything seemed to flow into place because it's like writing entirely in dialogue.
8. How many books have you written? Which is your favourite?
Technically, I've written five full-length novels. Two still have yet to be published and are also part of The Praverian Chronicles. And to be honest, I'd have to say my favorite would have to be between my first novel (because I have a special relationship with it) and my adult contemporary fantasy novel, DIRTY EDEN. I had the most fun with DIRTY EDEN!
9. Are your characters based on anyone you know?
I think that several of my main characters have characteristics from different people that I know, but none of them are based on anyone in particular.
10. Do you have a favourite place you love to write?
Hands-down, my bedroom. I've tried writing in popular writing places like the library, Starbucks or at Barnes & Noble, but regardless of how quiet these places tend to be, there are still too many distractions for me.
11. How hard is is to get published?
Oh geez! If you're going the traditional publishing route, it seems impossible. Obviously, going the Indie route makes the impossible a reality. I would still love to land a traditional publisher some day, but right now I'm happy doing the Indie thing.
12. What do your family and friends think about your books?
My mom and my daughter love my books! The rest of my family do express how proud they are and that means a lot to me.
13. What do you like to do when you are not writing?
Like I mentioned previously, I love being outdoors, anything having to do with nature. But I also love my TV shows: The Walking Dead, Supernatural, Being Human (SyFy) and watching my Xena Warrior Princess box set once a year. And of course, I love to read!
14. Do you have any suggestions to help aspiring writers better themselves and their craft? If so, what are they?
Don't rush into anything! With the popularity of self-publishing and more people accepting it as a valid route, it seems everybody and their cousins are publishing a book. I'm nowhere near a perfect writer and I'll be the first to admit that my work still could use a good editor, but I'm not guilty of writing a novel and publishing the first draft. I couldn't afford writing classes or anything like that so I spent seven years immersing myself in studying how to write properly. And also like I mentioned, I still have two novels I could publish anytime I wanted, but I refuse to because I know they need a lot of editing. BE PATIENT. LEARN. READ. I don't care who you are or how good you think you can write, it's so very true that a writer who doesn't read lowers their story-telling potential by over half.
15. As a child, what did you want to do when you grew up?
Y'know, I honestly don't remember...wait, yes I do recall wanting to be in a rock band. So cliche', I know! Other than that and figuring out at the age of 12 that I wanted to write, I didn't have any other dreams.
16. What are your favourite books and which authors inspire you?
My absolute favorite authors are Neil Gaiman, Anne Rice and J.K. Rowling. But I have to say that my favorite books right now are ON THE ISLAND by Tracey Garvis-Graves, BEAUTIFUL DISASTER by Jamie McGuire and all of the Harry Potter books.
17. For an aspiring writer what do you feel are certain do's and don’ts for getting their material published?
If you're going the agent/traditional publishing route, always be polite. Agents are so swamped with submissions that it'll make your head spin. I've seen agents tweet and blog about some really shocking correspondences with aspiring authors that make me embarrassed for those writers. If you get rejected (and you will, A LOT), go onto the next and always be professional. My do's & don't's advice for Indie publishing: same as above: Don't rush, be patient, learn and read.
18. What are you working on now?
Currently, I'm halfway through the third and final book in The Darkwoods Trilogy, THE BALLAD OF ARAMEI. After that book, I'll be writing a companion novel to The Darkwoods Trilogy based on a key character introduced in book #2, KINDRED. But some familiar favorite characters from Darkwoods will also be in that novel.