Interview with J. Meyers
*How did you come up with the mythology behind Intangible? Did you always know there would be so many different types of paranormals, or did that list grow as the story progressed?
Oh, it definitely grew as I wrote. I always knew
there would be vampires--though I actually tried *many* times to replace them
with some other paranormal, but it just never fit right. Hearing that vampires
were tired and overdone, I was worried about having them in the story. Which
in part inspired the addition of other paranormals. I didn't want it to be
just another vampire book (and it's definitely not--the focus of the story is
really the human teens who have superhuman abilities) so I went in search of
other species. When the alternate world of the Realm came into being, that
opened to door for me to use *any* supernatural creature ever thought of (and
come up with some new of my own, if I wanted).
*I imagine it would be hard to decide everything at once. How many books do you have planned for this series. Any hints you can give us for what is in store?
So far I have four books planned out, but we'll
see what happens. :-) It may end up being more or I may branch off and tell
the story of other Gifteds in companion books and series. I'm also thinking
about putting out novellas in between books, if I can find the time to do it
right. I'd love to have lots of stories out there about this world. It really
has limitless potential.
As for hints...um, Luke's gift of seeing the
future expands to something that is SO freakin' cool I'm can barely stand
it. He figures out how to change the future and the way he does it
is so utterly awesome. (I can say that because the idea comes from
something my husband suggested.) :-)
*Oooh, I can't wait to find out more about Luke's gift!! So, If your book were to made into a movie who would be your top picks for the cast?
Miley Cyrus as Sera Logan Lerman as Luke
*Ugh, that was really hard! It took me too long to pick those three, so I'm going to leave the rest of the cast up to imagination. ;) What made you choose the Self-Publishing route rather than traditional?
Self-publishing was really just a business
decision for me. This is a business to me, as well as an art, because I hope
to make a living as a writer. So I actually never pursued getting this book
traditionally published because it just makes better business sense to do it
myself given the changing industry landscape. It didn't make sense to go with
a publisher who might charge $9.99 for the ebook, of which I'd get $1.49 for
each book sold. Self-publishing, if I were to sell it for $9.99 (which I don't
because I think that's too expensive for ANY ebook) I'd get $6.99 for each
book sold. Not really a hard decision with those numbers.
;-)
* With the difference in royalties, I definitely don't blame you! Could you tell us a little about the ups and downs you have experienced in publishing your first book?
The ups are definitely the control I have over the entire product--the story line, the cover, how it is formatted and presented, when it's released, what the price is, when to put it on sale, etc. I'm really lucky in that I've freelanced in publishing for almost twenty years and have had two non-fiction books published traditionally. So I have an advantage in that I know all the steps a book goes through from computer screen to bookstore shelf and can replicate it for my book. I LOVE being the one making the decisions and doing the work.
The only down, other than it's a LOT of work, is that I have no marketing team working to get the word out on my book. It's just me. Of course, I might be in this same situation if I'd gone traditional because only the few books a publisher thinks are going to be BIG in a given year get any real marketing push. Most books put out by publishers get virtually nothing for marketing help. So it's possible that I'd still just be a part of a marketing team of one AND be giving up most of my royalties if I'd gone with a traditional publisher. :-)
*So, what are some of your favorite books in the paranormal genre?
I LOVE Chime by Frannie Billingsley and the Dreamdark series by Laini Taylor. They've both created the most amazing, intricate, complicated, believable worlds that fairly breathe right off the page. I will spend my whole life trying to write as beautifully as they do.
I hated writing when I was in high school and college and NEVER would have dreamed I'd be a writer someday. And yet here I am, totally in love with writing. :-)
*What is the craziest or at least most
interesting thing you have ever done?
Craziest: I once flicked off some rude guys in a
car that had bullet holes in the hood. (It registered that those were bullet
holes *after* I'd blown them a kiss with my middle finger...so it wasn't
intentionally crazy. But I was little "Holy crap!" as soon I the realization
hit. I was living in NYC at the time.)
Most interesting: I once went to a post-Grammy
party in NYC because I lucked into an invitation by accident. I saw Aretha
Franklin, Toni Braxton (I think it was her debut year), and Clint Black there.
Oh! And Robin Leach, who was kind of a celebrity gossip who had this show
called Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous. It's actually funny. I took a friend
with me, and we used to play this game where we'd be walking around the City
together and if we saw someone who looked vaguely like a celebrity, we'd say
"Oh my god! There's Matthew Broderick! Don't look, don't look!" (or whoever
the person sort of looked like--but it was never that person, we just
pretended to spot celebrities). So we're at the Grammy party, and I see
this guy that looks a little like Robin Leach and I say to my friend "Oh my
god. Don't look, but it's Robin Leach!" and I'm totally kidding. He turns and
looks at the guy and says, "Um, Jen? That actually IS Robin Leach." :-) I
don't actually think about that party, like EVER. Which is funny because you'd
think an experience like that--hobnobbing with music celebrities--would
stick with a person, right? But I've thought about that party a total of maybe
three or four times in the past 17 years. It was a surreal experience, I have
to say. Everyone was looking at *everyone* to see if they were somebody. I've
never been in a situation like that before or since.
Actually, as I think about it, I have a LOT of
crazy or interesting stories from the two years I lived in NYC. The City
inspires that kind of thing, I think.
*Just for
fun. If you were stranded somewhere but had electricity, what three things
other than basic survival supplies, would you have to
have?
Books, pencils, and paper. :-)
*Finish this statement: "You'll like
Intangible
if.."
...you are a fan of contemporary fantasy or
paranormal fiction and enjoy the unexpected.
Thanks so much for having me, Kt! It's been
a LOT of fun. :D
Author Info:
j. meyers grew up in Vermont and now lives in Central New York. When
she’s not reading or writing, she’s chasing her four kids around,
exploring the outdoors with them, relishing the few quiet moments she
gets with her husband, baking sweet treats, and forgetting to make
dinner. Though she cannot actually see the future nor heal with a touch
of her hand, she likes to think her children believe she can. Intangible is her first novel.
Find J. Online
Book Info:
Twins Sera and Luke Raine have a well-kept secret—she heals with a
touch of her hand, he sees the future. All their lives they’ve helped
those in need on the sly. They’ve always thought of their abilities as
being a gift.
Then Luke has a vision that Sera is killed. That gift they’ve always
cherished begins to feel an awful lot like a curse. Because the thing
about Luke’s ability? He’s always right.
And he can’t do anything about it.
