1. What is your name and where do you call home?
My name is Jack Blaine, and I live in the
United States.
2. Do you have a pen name?
I do! A few of them.
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?
My latest book is called Twitch, and it will
be out by the end of February. It’s a companion novel to Helper12.
It follows the story of a minor character in Helper12 and explores her
experience in the same dystopian future.
4. What or who inspired you to start writing? And how long have you been
writing?
I just always wrote. I wrote poetry, and
short stories, and then I started writing books.
5. Do you gift books to readers for book reviews?
I don’t generally. I do send review
copies to certain review blogs, but that’s it.
6. How did you come up with the cover? Who designed the cover of your
book?
I do my own covers. It’s one of the
things I love to do and it helps me with the writing. I find that
thinking about the cover often brings forth lots of details about the book that
I can incorporate into the story.
7. Which is your favourite cover of all the books you have written?
I can’t decide between the two I’ve designed so
far. Helper12’s cover appeals to me because there is an element form the
book that doesn’t exist in real life—the tattoo—that is captured on the
cover. I’ve always loved that in book covers—seeing something that exists
only in the imagination brought to life. Twitch’s cover appeals to me
because the woman IS Twitch—come to life in that tough but tender expression.
8. Is there anything you would change about your book covers?
Nope. I think they are both fine the way
they are now.
9. Would you have different book covers for different countries?
I think the book covers for Helper12 and
Twitch are universal. It is fun to see different interpretations though.
10. How did you come up with the title for your book?
I titled both books after their main
characters. Lucky for me the main characters had interesting names.
11. Is there anything you would change about your book? And why?
Oh, there always is something, isn’t
there? But once the books are published and read, you have to remain mum
about that. For me, it’s mostly stuff about details, moments I might have
wanted to explore more fully. But nothing substantive, to be sure.
12. Do you have a book trailer? And what are your thoughts on book
trailers?
I don’t have book trailers for Helper12 or for
Twitch. I would love to have, but I can’t seem to find the time, and I
don’t think my skills would do them justice.
13. Do you prefer e-books, paperbacks, hardcovers or audiobooks?
I still prefer paper, whether it’s hardback or
paperback. But I get the appeal of ereaders.
14. Are you a self-published / Indie author?
Yes. I also have traditionally published
books (under a different name, and no, I won’t tell) and have enjoyed both
experiences in different ways.
15. Have you ever read a book more than once? And if so what was it?
I’ve read The Road by Cormac McCarthy several
times. Also Never Let Me Go, by Kazuo Ishiguro.
16. Have you ever read a book just based on its cover?
Nope.
17. Has the quality of the cover of a book ever put you off of reading it?
I have to admit that, yes, if a cover seems
badly made, I tend to seek other books instead.
18. What book are you reading at the moment? And in what format?
Just finished A Gift Upon the Shore, by MK
Wren.
19. Do you have any advice for other writers? And what’s the best advice
that you have been given when it comes to writing?
Best advice is to learn all you can about
pacing and character development, and keep practicing. Also, have fun!
20. Where can your readers follow you?
Goodreads author page: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3417562.Jack_Blaine
Twitter: http://twitter.com/jackblainebooks
Thankyou so much for taking the time to do this interview and allowing us a glimpse into your writing world!
Jack, you've done a fantastic job creating your own covers. I'm happy the Helper 12 world is going to be explored again in Twitch!
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