Monday 10 October 2011

Author Interview: J. E. Lowder

J. E. Lowder has written Tears Of Min Brock.


1. What is your name and where do you call home?  
Well, that depends.  Legally, I'm Jerry, but from day one my folks called me Jay.  For the book, we found another "Jay Lowder" when doing a search, so we opted for the "fantasy vibe" and went with my initials.  Currently, I live near Nashville, TN.


2. Do you have a pen name? 
Not at this time.

3. What is the name of your most recent book and if you had to sum it up in 20 or less words, what would you say?  
Tears of Min Brock is a high fantasy for young adults.  It's a dystopian world set in Arthurian setting.  I've attached our PR .pdf for you to read and use for additional information.

4. Do you have plans for a new book? Is this book part of a series?  
Absolutely! Tears of Min Brock is Book I of theWar of Whispers series.  To date, it will be a four book series.   I'm excited that I was able to write the other books before Tears was released, allowing me to keep context, plot, character development consistent.   Plus, when I came up with something new, I could go back and edit accordingly.  And then there are the other stories swirling inside my noggin screaming to get out!

5. What or who inspired you to start writing? And how long have you been writing?  
I've been telling stories all my life, primarily as a means to entertain myself and my sisters.  After all, this was back in the "old days" when TV had only 3 channels, a telephone had a rotary dial, and no one knew what a computer was.  I didn't begin writing until junior high and these were primarily short stories.  In high school, I wrote for our school paper and got backstage interviews with bands like Foghat, Bob Seger, Rush, and Kansas. Since music was my love, I put writing aside and pursued this passion.  Years later, I ended up in Nashville, TN where I toured, did TV appearances, and recordings.  While on the road, I began writing the "nuggets" that would evolve into the War of Whispers series.  Touring England and Scotland didn't hurt either, especially when I could visit castles first hand.  

6. Do you gift books to readers for book reviews?  
This would be on a case-by-case scenario.

7. How did you come up with the cover? Who designed the cover of your book? 
Shawn Ide had the concept (he also designed our website) and then we all brainstormed over the final design.  But Shawn gets the most credit.

8. How did you come up with the title for your book?  
When I first began writing this series some eight years ago, I labeled it The Storyteller simply to give it a name.  Years later, a writer friend suggested I find something stronger, so I came up with War of Whispers.  Flash forward and my current publisher wanted to use WOW for the entire series so I needed yet another title.  I settled for Tears of Min Brock because this reflects the heart of the series: all the characters have been affected by this horrific battle (fought in the castle of Min Brock) in one way or another.

9. Is there anything you would change about your book? And why? 
Honestly, no.  Although as I continue to grow as a writer and hone my craft, I'm sure there are certain sentences I would write differently.  But this is true of any artist, so I'll leave it as is.

10. Do you have a book trailer? And what are your thoughts on book trailers?  
Not at this time, but I really want one.  Personally, I think they're great and are the wave of the future.  Technology is king and since the Kindle and Nook have severely altered the publishing world (look at Borders going out of business), writers and publishers need to utilize all we can to reach our readers.

11. Do you prefer e-books, paperbacks, hardcovers or audiobooks? 
I never thought I'd be saying this, but I really do love the e-books (I'm a Kindle owner.)  I thought I'd miss the physical aspects of a book, but the Kindle offers so many other options that if anything, I'm reading more. 

12. Are you a self-published / Indie author? 
Indie.

13. Have you ever read a book more than once? And if so what was it? 
To Kill A Mockingbird.

14. What book are you reading at the moment? And in what format? 
The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss; Kindle.

15. Do you have any advice for other writers? 
And what’s the best advice that you have been given when it comes to writing?  Read, read, read.  Write, write, write.  Edit, edit, edit.  Repeat.  Best advice is a quote by author Richard Bach, "A professional writer is an amateur who didn't quit."

16. Where can your readers follow you? 

Facebook page: War of Whispers

Goodreads author page: J.E Lowder

Amazon: Tears of Min Brock




Thankyou so much for taking the time to do this interview and allowing us a glimpse into your writing world!

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