Ask the Author: Jedah Mayberry
Answered Questions (5)
Jedah Mayberry
I think I always had the idea in mind to write a book about brothers. I wanted to see how boys relate, one drafting behind the other as they make their way in the world. Ultimately, I was interested to know what would become of the other if one were taken away. What would he need to do to cope? The detailed narrative is based in part on things I saw growing up: a quiet kid from up the block who was particularly skilled in one area (martial arts) yet seemed lost in every other regard. How does accomplishment in one area transfer to other aspects of his everyday world? What does the younger brother learn from him once the older of the two passes away? How will the examples learned from his older brother's life, however brief, help to sustain him?
Jedah Mayberry
I picked up the manuscript I had in the works before The Unheralded King of PPM took hold and commanded attention. The path toward publishing the first book helped immensely in refining my outlook, my approach, my abilities as as storyteller. I have since poured all that energy into what promises to be book number two: Sun Is Sky. It is related to the first in that both tell a story of dislocation, the protagonist left by one turn of circumstance or another to find a way in the world on his/her own. In Sun Is Sky, Penny Hill must work to step outside her mother's shadow, a legacy of self-destruction and misery looming over her. She must work to separate sun from sky.
Jedah Mayberry
Just write. Before you're any good, write with the belief that your writing will get better in time. Write to find your voice, your style. Once you're established, continue to write to keep from becoming stale, out of touch with your voice. Write for yourself first. Worry later how it will be received by the outside world. Lots of help can be found to refine what you've written. But only you can get the words on paper in the first place.
Jedah Mayberry
The creative outlet. There is nothing more gratifying than seeing a story come together, characters taking shape on the page, even before anyone else has had a chance to read it. Afterwards, working on the manuscript with an editor, the cover with a graphic designer, collaborating on nuances to emphasize in the narrative, only amplifies the thrill. Ultimately, receiving feedback that the story resonated with a reader makes all that toiling in isolation worth the effort.
Jedah Mayberry
I'll write a few babble sentences to get the pen (keyboard) moving again. Then if the words won't flow, I let it rest. I have been here before and know that the words will eventually come back to me. I turn to Netflix, engross myself in another form of storytelling, watch characters develop, plots turn.
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