1. What inspired you to
write your book?
The inspiration for SemiViral comes from the consistent
anxiety and bullying I suffered while in public school and the depression I
battle with every day. The journey I personally experienced seeking hope for
myself, as well as the many mistakes and accomplishments I made along the way,
were guiding tools to expressing myself in SemiViral. I chose to write a
fiction as a more comfortable method of explaining some of my embarrassing
experiences in an intense but relatable way.
2. What is it about?
The book begins with Mathew Stemp leaving his
partner-in-crime, Porter, after one last job to kill a man who is infected with
an STD that is causing people to become blood thirsty cannibals. Afterwards,
Matt leaves his partner, their gang, and the prostitution business behind as he
attempts to find his Christianity and pursue a career in mixed martial arts. It’s
not as easy as he had hoped when he finds his younger brother, Garret, bullying
a young girl, Shaylee, at school because of her mother’s cannibal infection. In
order to help his brother change, Matt must now befriend a girl who many fear
is infected and stand against his old gang to show his brother and community
that you can’t judge others without getting to know them. Follow Matt and many
others as the world falls apart in civil war between people who believe the
virus can be cured, Curists, and those who believe the infected should be
exterminated, Exterminationists. Read as Matt trains a team of outcasts to
battle bullying and intolerance while the virus affects each of their lives differently.
3. What do you hope
will be the everlasting thoughts for readers who finish your book?
If I could sum up SemiViral’s message into three
statements, they would be as follows:
●
Good people can make bad mistakes, and bad people are
capable of accomplishing great things. So don’t judge so easily.
●
There are at least two sides to each story. Often, each
side believes they are doing the right thing for everybody. The missing link in
most debates is a new perspective.
●
Bullying should not be tolerated. Remember to always
stand up for yourself and others. If you ignore it, you promote it.
4. What advice do you have for writers?
Don’t stop writing! Don’t get hung up in each detail. Write
storylines and figure out your message. When suffering writer’s block, I often
would read over my draft and rediscover my original direction or find that I
mistakenly shifted directions. Read and reread and never forget to write down
your ideas for the future of the story of separate stories. Your creativity is
a muscle— exercise it.
5. Where do you think the book publishing industry is heading?
I am watching self-publishing and hybrid publishing take off
dramatically. Traditional publishing seems more difficult to get into because
so many books are getting published. Each style has its advantages though, and
requires the investment of the author.
6. What challenges did
you have in writing your book?
My first challenge writing this book was committing time each
day. While working full-time and attending school, I struggled for a while to
commit the 30 minutes a day to writing. I found once I had sat in front of the
writing for 30 minutes, I would stay longer and get more done. When I had
writer’s block, I read the manuscript for 30 minutes instead but I dedicated
the minimum 30 minutes to my book each day. My second challenge was staying
honest with my characters. My religion plays a strong part in my writing but I
was fully aware that this story would not make sense or be meaningful if I
changed characteristics of those in my book to be politically correct. I knew
the entire time that many of my peers, family, and even friends would be
offended by some of the story but the story needed to be real and relatable.
7. If people can only buy one book this month, why should it be yours?
The world is in a current state of turmoil. There are riots in
the streets across the United States occurring frequently. If there was ever a
time to read SemiViral, it is now. Step into a world with similar struggles
with heroes who show you all of the small things you can do to make a
difference in this mess. SemiViral’s heroes and villains are
each relatable to many of us and the social intolerances and differences
experienced throughout the story can help you greater understand ourselves and
those around us.
About Jax
Anderson: He got his start in writing when he began keeping a journal as a kid.
After finding his life was pretty embarrassing, he switched to fiction. SemiViral began when he discovered many
individuals in his personal life were intolerant people. Without calling them
out individually, he wrote a book with cannibal style living flesh eaters,
prostitution, drugs, and Mormons to address what he had been seeing his whole
life in a neutrally opinionated manner. Anderson resides in Colorado with his
wife and young daughter.
SemiViral is available for purchase on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Green Ivy Books.
Continue to follow the SemiViral blog tour tomorrow at A Sky Filled With Sparkling Stars!
Continue to follow the SemiViral blog tour tomorrow at A Sky Filled With Sparkling Stars!
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