Never Too Old For Y.A. & N.A. Books discussion
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Exiled
Author Interview of the Month
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Indie Author Interview with J.R. Wagner
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Terrific interview! I love your dorkiness! I'm a Star Wars fan myself, so I can relate. Great influences in writing--Tolkien, Rowling, King, etc. I'll be sure and put your book on my ever-growing TBR list. Thanks!
@ Stephanie, LOL -uhm, thanks, I think. Thanks for the interview, it was great fun! JRW
I loved the story about your father and grandfather on their little host. I can just picture their frantic attempts to start the engine. Very nice interview. I plan to check out your book.
"Exiled is my first published work so, after much deliberation, I’d have to say Exiled would be my favorite if I had to pick just one. J"hahahaha, funny stuff! (We know the J is a smiley!) Question: You only write for 2 hours every day?
Mod
Thanks Tina :) we have many crazy stories in my family. Keeps things interesting!
@ Jessica, Yes, unfortunately my 'real job' demands 9-10 hours of my time every day. Add to that raising two daughters and my writing time is quite limited at the moment. I do feel super-productive during those two hours because...well I know that's all I've got.@ Brooke. You've found one of the editorial SNAFU's! It has since been fixed but wasn't caught until after that print run. There were two more (a prize if you find them) that have been addressed. So, it was unintentional. It is very tricky to keep track of dates and ages etc. with all my flashing-back through time.
Mod
AH HA!!!!! Snafu! Oops..well, now I have an original copy!!!! LOL! And on top of that it's signed by you ;) Think I'll keep it! And now I have to find the other snafus...hmmm...a challenge...I'll have to see if I'm up to that.
Brooke (The Cover Contessa) wrote: "J.R. wrote: "@ Jessica, Yes, unfortunately my 'real job' demands 9-10 hours of my time every day. Add to that raising two daughters and my writing time is quite limited at the moment. I do feel s..."You're totally up to the challenge, Brooke. You're awesome at sniffing out snafus! (Like my alliteration?) ;)
J.R. wrote: "@ Stephanie, LOL -uhm, thanks, I think. Thanks for the interview, it was great fun! JRW"
It was totally meant as a compliment. I teach gifted kids by day and read and write for fun, so I'm a bit immersed in dorkdom (which is right where I like to be). Again, greatly enjoyed your interview! :)
Mod
LOL! Yup, very cute! And thanks!
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What a great interview.You have good family support which is so important, esp when you are so busy with running a compnay with your brother.
Mod
That was a fab interview, I really enjoyed that one. And you are not a dork, movie soundtracks are awesome. I love the Harry Potter, Pans Labyrinth and The Crow soundtracks. Question 17 was really good, loved your answers. Thank you :)
Thank you for all the great comments! All this positivity is what makes putting it all 'out there' well worth it.@Brooke, hmm...I've never heard that one before and I've tested the eBook file myself to make sure everything converted properly. Are you running it on the Kindle cloud or the Kindle itself?
@Jody, I'm totally fine with being a dork (he says as he sits here and writes in his new Goonies tee shirt) My wife prefers to call me a child. I suppose I lucky enough to have the imagination of a child :)
Mod
@Brooke, hmm...I've never heard that one before and I've tested the eBook file my..."
On my Kindle itself. Was delivered directly from Amazon. I rarely use the cloud reader. Perhaps I should bring it up on my phone and see if it's different?
Hey J.R.: I thoroughly enjoyed your interview and am headed to read Exiled. Sounds very interesting. I wish you great success. K.S.Collier
Mod
Thanks Kathy and Brooke!
1. When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?
I’m not sure there was a moment when a light bulb went off in my head and I decided I wanted to be a writer. It was more like an infestation that slowly worked its way through my brain. In fifth grade I vividly remember trying to re-write scenes from Return of the Jedi. I would have my friends act them out in the recess yard while everyone else was running around playing football or at the playground. (Go ahead, you can say it, I was a total dork!) Around the same time I had a teacher give us all journals with the instructions, ‘Write whatever you like,’ well, I wrote Jaws IV. Throughout my younger years my main focus was screenwriting and the filming that went along with it. If you’ve ever seen the movie Super 8, that was my childhood minus the alien and the pretty girl. I think at this point I knew I wanted to do something creative with my career, however it took a few more decades to whittle it down to writing.
2. How long does it take you to write a book?
It took me ten months to write a first draft of Exiled. I’m 2/3 of the way through the first draft of book #2 and hope to have it complete by early fall.
3. What do you think makes a great story?
Great characters. You can have the coolest settings in the world but if your characters are lame, the story will not captivate the readers. I also believe a great story should make you think. I like subtle connections between characters and events and I love when, at the end of a story, events that appear independent come together and in that moment everything makes sense. Stephen King is a master at this.
4. What is your work schedule like when you're writing?
I get up at 4:30am, write until 6:30 or so and then start getting my daughters ready for school or summer camp or whatever else they’re involved in.
5. How do you balance family and writing?
I specifically chose my writing time to fall when everyone else is asleep so I’m not disturbed and I don’t lose any time with my family. There are times when I’m doing an event that takes me all day or requires me to travel and most often, my wife and daughters are happy to come along. I wouldn’t be where I am today if not for the efforts of my wife to pick up the household slack since my book began consuming more and more of my time. She is an amazing woman.
6. Where do you get your information or ideas for your books?
I think my inspiration/ideas come from my collection of life experiences. Books I’ve read, movies I’ve seen, places I’ve been, things I’ve done. Take all of those, smash them together, throw them in a blender and press puree and you’ve got my creative brain in smoothie form. I believe all of my past interactions have impacted what I write and how I write it. I can’t cite one source as all-inspiring. When I sit down to write, I’m just as excited as when I sit down to read because I have no idea where the story is going to take me. The story dictates the direction, I’m just the conduit between my brain and the keyboard. It’s funny (odd may be a better descriptor, I’ll let you decide) but when I’m not writing, the characters call to me. They poke at the back of my brain until I give them the attention they deserve. I believe this is part of the reason why I find back-story so important. Everybody has a story to tell and I find one-dimensional characters dreadfully boring. As far as information, I use books and the internet and my all-knowing editorial friends as often as possible. Right now I’m trying to figure out what the inside of an 18th century men’s clothing store looks like –not an easy task.
7. What was one of the most surprising things you learned in creating your books?
I was really surprised when I realized that the amount of effort that went into writing the book pales in comparison to the amount of effort that goes into marketing the book. Creating your author platform, staying current with your social media, etc. etc. etc. It can be exhausting. Two weeks ago my wife and I drove sixteen hours for a book signing. Something else that surprised me was when I realized there is more to being an author than selling books. I’ve had the pleasure of speaking to at-risk teens on several occasions and I see how profound reading and writing can be for kids in that situation. I am continually building upon that experience and hope to help create a program that will give them the tools to see and use what I call The Outlet and The Escape through writing and reading.
8. How many books have you written? Which is your favourite?
Exiled is my first published work so, after much deliberation, I’d have to say Exiled would be my favorite if I had to pick just one. J
9. Are your characters based on anyone you know?
I haven’t based a character on any one person. Bits and pieces of personalities I’ve come into contact over the years (including my own) are in all of the characters, some more so than others. I’ve named characters and places after people in my life. The Queen Mary is the name of the ship James, the main character, uses to sail to the satellite islands of The Never. The Queen Mary was the name of my grandfather’s fishing boat –picture a tiny boat no wider than your outstretched arms with a small outboard motor that wouldn’t start half the time. In fact, (feel free to delete this because I’m rambling) my father, uncle and grandfather were fishing one time (probably not the first time) in the path of the ferry that takes cars from Cape May New Jersey to Lewes Delaware. They saw the ferry coming, pulled up their lines and went to start the motor –no luck. So as this massive multi-story ship is bearing down on them, my father is desperately yanking on the starter cord while my grandfather tinkers with a screwdriver trying to get it started. Needless to say, they were able to finally get it going and avoid becoming shark chum.
10. Do you have a favourite place you love to write?
I write in my office every day. It has a nice view of my flowers but I can’t see them because it’s always dark. Beside me is my ever-loyal German Shepherd, Sorin…sleeping. I always have my noise canceling headphones on and listen to movie soundtracks as I write (I told you I was a dork.).
11. How hard is it to get published?
Very, very hard. With the current upheaval in the publishing industry right now, very few people are willing to take risks –especially on new authors. The industry will change in favor of the author, I believe, but that is still in the distant future.
12. What do your family and friends think about your books?
Everyone is thrilled. Most didn’t know I was writing a book until I announced the launch party (I always hold my cards close). They always seem to say, ‘I look forward to being able to say, I remember Josh when…’ no pressure or anything, right?
13. What do you like to do when you are not writing?
I work with my brother at the business my father started over 30 years ago. We are holding it together during these not-so-prosperous times in hopes of better days to come. I’m hoping those days come in tandem with my full-time writing career allowing me to step away without being a detriment to the family business. To keep me sane, I ride my bike, run and swim…and compete in an occasional triathlon or adventure race. Somehow I managed to qualify for the National Olympic-distance triathlon championships this year although my schedule will not allow for proper training to even consider participating in that event. (I’m neurotic when it comes to training…and just about everything else.)
14. Do you have any suggestions to help aspiring writers better themselves and their craft? If so, what are they?
Write every day. Set a schedule and a goal and stick to it. Same time, same place if possible. Shoot for a duration or word count. Read every day. Read in your genre most often. Enter writing contests. Visit figment.com and set up an account there –it is a great website.
15. As a child, what did you want to do when you grew up?
A Hollywood film director.
16. What are your favourite books and which authors inspire you?
The chaos walking series by Patrick Ness, The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings, of course and one can’t mention fantasy without mentioning Mr. Harry Potter and his creator, J.K. Rowling. I also love Ray Bradbury, Michael Chrichton and Stephen King.
17. For an aspiring writer what do you feel are certain do's and don’ts for getting their material published?
Write a blog. Start it yesterday. Build a following. Focus your target reader and cater to their likes with your blog as best you can. Provide content they will enjoy as often as possible. Post often, build that following. Get on Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads and do the social media thing. Most importantly is to get readers familiar with your writing style. Throw in a chapter of you book if you’d like. Start a serial story. Content is important. Never lose sight of your target reader and focus on them whenever you brainstorm about content ideas. I wouldn’t even consider looking for a publisher before you’ve gotten a following. They want to know you can market yourself before they’ll even consider working with you. Sorry, the days of holding up in a cabin in Maine and doing book signings only when your novel releases are over. Being an author requires constant work. It’s not just about writing anymore. If you don’t like it, get out of the game. You’ll only find frustration. One more thing, have your manuscript professionally edited BEFORE you even send out a query letter. If you can’t afford it, wait until you can. Also, when you’re ready to query, have that professionally edited as well. Seriously, don’t rely on your roommate. If you want in the game, do it right.
18. What are you working on now?
I am working on book #2 of The Never Chronicles –and it isn’t just because everyone whose read Exiled wants to kill me for ending it the way I did.
J. R. Wagner, author
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