Augusta Fern's Blog - Posts Tagged "writer"
Interview with fellow author JC Emery!!!
Author of the Men with Badges series, The Birthright Series and newly released Bayonet Scars series has had an affinity for the strange and unusual from a very young age. This has prompted her to write characters with depth and presence. Each series a different genre and rich with valued heroines as well as seedy individuals.
Q: Bayonet Scars tells the story of a biker crime family. How do the characters you write play a part in your daily life, if they play a part?
A: Growing up in Northern California, I’ve seen my fair share of motorcycle clubs and have heard plenty of stories about bikers and the lifestyle. My parents are slightly more familiar with the biker lifestyle than I am, but I’m slowly catching up. The series and its characters really are a balancing act. Portraying the characters in a fashion which reads as honest to who these kinds of people are is very important to me because while it’s all totally from my imagination, I don’t want to feel like I’m doing the community a disservice.
Q: “Sons of Anarchy” is a popular television show and I’ve noticed an upswing in biker literature. Where does your affinity for bikers resonate from?
A: It’s kind of crazy how popular biker lit is becoming. I started this book in September 2012 and put it down for a while. I knew when I picked it back up that the market was starting to swell with similar(ish) books, but had no idea the market would explode. Even in the past month since Ride’s release, I’ve seen no less than five biker books debut.
“Sons of Anarchy” definitely perked my interest because I’m a total bike snob and have been fascinated by organized crime for most of my life. Because of that, the show was sort of the perfect fit for me, but I snubbed it until last October. I was really worried they weren’t going to do the community justice and that they would portray the bikers as these really silly characters and not allow the true grit of the lifestyle to play out. Harleys have always been a thing in my family. We all perk up when we hear the roar of the engine. My dad owned a few Harleys back in the day and my mom wanted her own Harley (and even went as far as to try to start her own MC).
Q: In the Birthright Series you write a character named Eliza Landry, is she based on one particular person or is she pieces of multiple people? And her sister, Kate?
A: Eliza and Kate aren’t actually based on any real people, but their relationship is. I had this idea for a vampire story and kept trying to figure out what would be the ultimate high stakes for Eliza. I borrowed from my personal fear of losing my sister (who is actually a decade my junior) to give Eliza her motivating factor. I’ve never cried so hard while writing as I did while working on Anomaly because it was so very personal for me.
Q: I adore New Orleans; the setting in The Switch, Men with Badges. Do you put a lot into the time and place of each novel?
A: Setting can certainly help shape character. In the first Men with Badges book, Marital Bitch, it’s set in Boston and it’s achingly obvious how much the setting shapes who the characters are. It may not be as obvious in The Switch, but I do take great care to represent a place and its people as authentically as possible. I lived in New Orleans for three years and there’s so much of my experiences there that shape the way I write. It’s important to me that I do a city justice because there’s nothing more disappointing when I’m reading a book that’s set in a city I know well and it’s obvious that the author has never been there, nor have they cared to do their research.
Q: I assume you have a full time job, where do you find the time to write?
What initially drew you to writing?
A: Actually, I work part-time and I’m a full-time student. A few years ago I decided to go back to school and to pursue writing full-time. I’ve always made stories up in my head and often wrote them down, but I never honestly pursued a career in writing. It was a fantasy—not something I could actually do. But with a looming lay-off and a desire to return to school and spend more time writing, I took my parents up on their request that I come home so I can finish school and pursue my passions. It was kind of scary deciding to ditch the adult world to go play kid for a while, but it was well worth it because I love my life beyond any measure I could have imagined.
Q: Your novels are well received; do you do your own promotions?
A: At first I did and I found that while I was able to get readers and make a small mark in the writing community, all of the PR stuff exhausts me. For now, I hire Inkslinger PR to do my cover reveals and blog tours. I’m considering seeking out full-time representation from a PR firm to lighten my load further.
Q: I find authors occasionally use personal memories or strife when developing a character. What is your favorite childhood memory?
A: I don’t know that I have one favorite. I was an only child until I was almost eleven, so there were lots of times when it was just me and my parents. I also spent a lot of time with my paternal grandmother. I think the things I remember the most is sitting around every Friday night and watching TGIF on ABC with my grandma. Her favorite show was “Urkel” (Family Matters). We also played “school” a lot where I was the teacher and she was the student. The poor thing never passed a single test. :p
Q: What do you like to do for fun?
A: I love to take road trips—big ones, small ones—any size, really. I also enjoy doing relocation research. I’m a total planner to the point that it drives those around me nuts. When I’m not traveling or researching, or writing, I can usually be found professing my undying love for my cats, Charlie and Lola.
Q: If it were possible, what literary character would you most like to have a conversation with and why?
A: Michael Curry from The Witching Hour by Anne Rice. He grew up in the Irish Channel in New Orleans and moved to San Francisco as a child. In the book, Michael remembers New Orleans fondly and he oftentimes talks about the differences and similarities between the cities. As a San Francisco Bay Area native who lived in New Orleans, I love talking to people who have lived in both cities. I think they’re each wonderfully magical in their own rights.
Q: Finally, if you wouldn’t mind humoring me with a Seasonal question? What do you and your family do for the holidays?
A: Every Thanksgiving and Christmas, we make the drive to Sacramento to spend the holidays with my maternal grandmother and extended family. I also try to do an after-Thanksgiving meal at home that is just the immediate family and maybe my best friend as well.
Find JC on the Internet at the following sites.
http://www.jcemery.com
http://twitter.com/jc_emery
http://www.facebook.com/jcemeryauthor
http://www.goodreads.com/jc_emery
Q: Bayonet Scars tells the story of a biker crime family. How do the characters you write play a part in your daily life, if they play a part?
A: Growing up in Northern California, I’ve seen my fair share of motorcycle clubs and have heard plenty of stories about bikers and the lifestyle. My parents are slightly more familiar with the biker lifestyle than I am, but I’m slowly catching up. The series and its characters really are a balancing act. Portraying the characters in a fashion which reads as honest to who these kinds of people are is very important to me because while it’s all totally from my imagination, I don’t want to feel like I’m doing the community a disservice.
Q: “Sons of Anarchy” is a popular television show and I’ve noticed an upswing in biker literature. Where does your affinity for bikers resonate from?
A: It’s kind of crazy how popular biker lit is becoming. I started this book in September 2012 and put it down for a while. I knew when I picked it back up that the market was starting to swell with similar(ish) books, but had no idea the market would explode. Even in the past month since Ride’s release, I’ve seen no less than five biker books debut.
“Sons of Anarchy” definitely perked my interest because I’m a total bike snob and have been fascinated by organized crime for most of my life. Because of that, the show was sort of the perfect fit for me, but I snubbed it until last October. I was really worried they weren’t going to do the community justice and that they would portray the bikers as these really silly characters and not allow the true grit of the lifestyle to play out. Harleys have always been a thing in my family. We all perk up when we hear the roar of the engine. My dad owned a few Harleys back in the day and my mom wanted her own Harley (and even went as far as to try to start her own MC).
Q: In the Birthright Series you write a character named Eliza Landry, is she based on one particular person or is she pieces of multiple people? And her sister, Kate?
A: Eliza and Kate aren’t actually based on any real people, but their relationship is. I had this idea for a vampire story and kept trying to figure out what would be the ultimate high stakes for Eliza. I borrowed from my personal fear of losing my sister (who is actually a decade my junior) to give Eliza her motivating factor. I’ve never cried so hard while writing as I did while working on Anomaly because it was so very personal for me.
Q: I adore New Orleans; the setting in The Switch, Men with Badges. Do you put a lot into the time and place of each novel?
A: Setting can certainly help shape character. In the first Men with Badges book, Marital Bitch, it’s set in Boston and it’s achingly obvious how much the setting shapes who the characters are. It may not be as obvious in The Switch, but I do take great care to represent a place and its people as authentically as possible. I lived in New Orleans for three years and there’s so much of my experiences there that shape the way I write. It’s important to me that I do a city justice because there’s nothing more disappointing when I’m reading a book that’s set in a city I know well and it’s obvious that the author has never been there, nor have they cared to do their research.
Q: I assume you have a full time job, where do you find the time to write?
What initially drew you to writing?
A: Actually, I work part-time and I’m a full-time student. A few years ago I decided to go back to school and to pursue writing full-time. I’ve always made stories up in my head and often wrote them down, but I never honestly pursued a career in writing. It was a fantasy—not something I could actually do. But with a looming lay-off and a desire to return to school and spend more time writing, I took my parents up on their request that I come home so I can finish school and pursue my passions. It was kind of scary deciding to ditch the adult world to go play kid for a while, but it was well worth it because I love my life beyond any measure I could have imagined.
Q: Your novels are well received; do you do your own promotions?
A: At first I did and I found that while I was able to get readers and make a small mark in the writing community, all of the PR stuff exhausts me. For now, I hire Inkslinger PR to do my cover reveals and blog tours. I’m considering seeking out full-time representation from a PR firm to lighten my load further.
Q: I find authors occasionally use personal memories or strife when developing a character. What is your favorite childhood memory?
A: I don’t know that I have one favorite. I was an only child until I was almost eleven, so there were lots of times when it was just me and my parents. I also spent a lot of time with my paternal grandmother. I think the things I remember the most is sitting around every Friday night and watching TGIF on ABC with my grandma. Her favorite show was “Urkel” (Family Matters). We also played “school” a lot where I was the teacher and she was the student. The poor thing never passed a single test. :p
Q: What do you like to do for fun?
A: I love to take road trips—big ones, small ones—any size, really. I also enjoy doing relocation research. I’m a total planner to the point that it drives those around me nuts. When I’m not traveling or researching, or writing, I can usually be found professing my undying love for my cats, Charlie and Lola.
Q: If it were possible, what literary character would you most like to have a conversation with and why?
A: Michael Curry from The Witching Hour by Anne Rice. He grew up in the Irish Channel in New Orleans and moved to San Francisco as a child. In the book, Michael remembers New Orleans fondly and he oftentimes talks about the differences and similarities between the cities. As a San Francisco Bay Area native who lived in New Orleans, I love talking to people who have lived in both cities. I think they’re each wonderfully magical in their own rights.
Q: Finally, if you wouldn’t mind humoring me with a Seasonal question? What do you and your family do for the holidays?
A: Every Thanksgiving and Christmas, we make the drive to Sacramento to spend the holidays with my maternal grandmother and extended family. I also try to do an after-Thanksgiving meal at home that is just the immediate family and maybe my best friend as well.
Find JC on the Internet at the following sites.
http://www.jcemery.com
http://twitter.com/jc_emery
http://www.facebook.com/jcemeryauthor
http://www.goodreads.com/jc_emery
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