Monday, August 5, 2013

Interview With Author J.R. Johansson



What type of books do you write? I write Young Adult Thrillers.

What is your newest book about? After four years of sleeplessness, high school junior Parker Chipp can’t take much more. Every night, instead of sleeping, he enters the dreams of the last person he’s made eye contact with. If he doesn’t sleep soon, Parker will die. Then he meets Mia. Her dreams, calm and beautifully uncomplicated, allow him blissful rest that’s utterly addictive. But what starts out as a chance meeting turns into an obsession; Parker’s furious desire for what he needs pushes him to extremes he never thought he’d go. And when someone begins terrorizing Mia with twisted death threats, Parker’s memory blackouts leave him doubting his own innocence.

What inspired you to write it? I really enjoy the pulse-pounding feel of thrillers. And I've always been fascinated with dreams and the dreaming mind...the two were bound to meet at some point. 

What is the writing process like for you? I'm not a huge fan of drafting. I spend months forcing myself to create a rough outline and pound out that rough first draft. After that, I get to start polishing and revising...that's the fun part for me. I love making a new project shine. 

What did you do before you became an author? I've worked in both marketing/public relations and in human resources. I didn't like either of them nearly as much as I love writing. I'm very happy to have moved on.

How does it feel to be a published author? It feels surreal. It's hard to believe something I created in my mind is out there for perfect strangers to read, that it will be published in at least three languages, that people all over the world will be able to read my characters, my story. There is no other word than surreal to describe that.

Any advice for struggling writers? Keep writing and find critique partners or a critique group. Other writers are your biggest asset for learning and improvement, make sure you're taking advantage of it.

Where do you see book publishing heading? I don't see book publishing changing much. I think it would be smart to back off from hardbacks and focus on paperbacks and e-books, but I don't know if that will happen. I think more and more people will have ebooks and the demand for them will continue to increase across the board, but I don't see hard copies going away completely anytime soon.

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Brian Feinblum’s views, opinions, and ideas expressed in this blog are his alone and not that of his employer, the nation’s largest book promoter. You can follow him on Twitter @theprexpert and email him at brianfeinblum@gmail.com. He feels more important when discussed in the third-person. This is copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog © 2013

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