James Phelan has written Chasers, Survivor & Quarantine.
1. What is your name and
where do you call home?
James Phelan. Melbourne, Australia.
2. Do you have a pen name?
No. Probably would have been a good move
though in terms of keeping stalkers away.
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?
In the US, my latest publication is ALONE:
SURVIVOR. It's the 2nd novel in the ALONE trilogy, and follows our 16
year old protagonist, Jesse, as he tries to survive in a post-apocalyptic
NYC. It's awesome. So's the first book, CHASERS.
4. Do you have plans for a new book? Is this
book part of a series?
Yes and yes. So far I have: the Lachlan
Fox thriller series (5 novels), and the ALONE trilogy published. Later
this year I have my 6th thriller published, titled THE SPY (Hachette) and a new
YA series titled THE FINAL THIRTEEN (Scholastic). The later is 13 novels
published over 16 months.
5. What or who inspired you to start writing?
And how long have you been writing?
I've been writing full time since my first novel
came out in 2006. I was 25. So it's 8 years now... feels like a
lifetime!
6. Do you gift books to readers for book
reviews?
I do get a few requests via my website but I
forward those to my publicists at my various internal publishers. When I
get re-prints of my novels, I give them out to schools when I give talks.
7. How did you come up with the cover? Who
designed the cover of your book?
My publishers handle all that, and most of them
are inclusive in the design process, sending me different ideas and then we all
talk about what we like and what works, and make a bit of a Frankenstein's
monster out of all the best parts.
8. Which is your favourite cover of all the
books you have written?
It's probably a tie between these two (RED ICE,
Australian cover) and (ALONE: SURVIVOR UK cover):
.jpg)
9. Is there anything you would change about your
book covers?
Yes - most things! I started out at
university studying architecture, as that's what most of my family does, and
I've been around design my whole life. I think the above two covers come
closest to capturing the spirit of those novels though. And that said, my
Russian publishers always seem to make cool, quirky covers.
10. Do you have a playlist in mind for any of
your books? &
11. Did you listen to any particular songs
whilst writing your books?
I ALWAYS write to music, as it gets me in the
right mood. For each novel I make an iTunes playlist. For my ALONE
trilogy, I kept adding and subtracting songs over the space of a couple years
of writing/editing/touring. Here it is my ALONE playlist, in no
particular order (warning: it's long...):
Box of Cedar - Marissa Nadler
Wedding - Marissa
Nadler
Archangel - Chet Faker
There Is Love - Fort Atlantic
Even though I'm a Woman (studio
version) - Seeker Lover Keeper
One Day - Asaf Avidan feat.
The Mojos
Snakadaktal - Air
No Diggity - Chet Faker
Andalusia -
Hammock
No Church In The Wild - Kanye West feat
Jay-Z
Video Games -Lana Del Rey
Born To Die (Live at Poolside at Chateau
Marmont) - Lana Del Rey
The King of Limbs (Full Album) - Radiohead
Only Girl (In The World) -
Rihanna
Knocked Up (Remix) - Kings Of
Leon & Lykke Li
The High Road - Broken Bells
Audience - Cold War Kids
Extreme Ways - Moby
One of These Mornings - Moby/Patti LaBelle
Run (Radio 1 Live Lounge Snow Patrol Cover)
- Leona Lewis
The Planets Bend Between Us - Snow
Patrol
Fuck You Very Much - Lily
Allen
The Fear - Lily
Allen
Take Back The City - Snow
Patrol
Breaking the Girl - Red Hot
Chili Peppers
Road Trippin' - Red Hot Chili
Peppers
Scar Tissue - Red Hot Chili
Peppers
Knock 'Em Out - Lily
Allen
Don't Give Up - Peter Gabriel
& Kate Bush
The Book of Love - Peter
Gabriel
In Your Eyes - Peter
Gabriel
Your Body Is a Wonderland -
John Mayer
Heartbreak Warfare - John
Mayer
Gravity - John
Mayer
Love Is Noise - The
Verve
Jay-Z ft. The Verve - Dirt Off Your Shoulders
& Bittersweet Symphony Remix
3 Words - Cheryl
Cole
I Got a Feeling - Black Eyed
Peas
Californication - Red Hot Chili
Peppers
Light of Day - Tommy
Stinson
Starry Eyed Surprise - Paul
Oakenfold
Rocket Man - My Morning Jacket
Empire State Of Mind (Part II) Broken Down
- Alicia Keys
Beautiful Liar - Beyonce
Bad Romance - Lady
GaGa
You'll never walk alone - Elvis
Presley
Africa - Toto
Now We Are Free - Enya
Theme from Harry's Game - Enya
and Clannad
All I Need -
Air
Breathe Me - Sia
Day Too Soon - Sia
Paparazzi - Lady
GaGa
Cry Me A River - Michael
Buble
We Are The People - Empire Of
The Sun
Walking On A Dream - Empire Of
The Sun
Heartbeats - Jose
González
Judas - The Verve
How To Save A Life - The
Fray
Placebo - Running up that Hill
Placebo - The Last Day On Earth
Kate
Miller - Heidke
The Drugs Don't Work - The
Verve
Falling Slowly - Glen Hansard
and Markéta Irglová
Pruit Igoe & Prophecies - The Philip Glass Ensemble
You're My Thrill - Billie
Holiday
Simon and Garfunkel - The Sounds of
Silence
Times They Are a Changing - Bob
Dylan
99 Luft Balloons - Nena
Heal the World - Michael
Jackson
Man in the Mirror - Michael
Jackson
You'll Find A Way (Switch & Graeme Sinden
Remix) - Santogold
Lucky Man - The
Verve
Million Faces - Paolo
Nutini
Rewind - Paolo
Nutini
Jenny Don't Be Hasty - Paolo
Nutini
Loving You - Paolo
Nutini
High Hopes - Paolo
Nutini
Last Request - Paolo
Nutini
Keep Rolling Paolo
Nutini
Halo - Beyonce
Take A Bow - Muse
Take a Look at Me Now - Phil
Collins
My Iron Lung - Radiohead
Sulk - Radiohead
The Bends - Radiohead
Tear Drop - Massive
Attack
Another way to die - Alicia Keys
Jack white - Revelry
Kings of
Leon - Arizona
Kings of
Leon - Be Somebody
Kings of
Leon - Ragoo
Kings of
Leon - Fans
Jay-Z Feat. Mary J. Blige - You're All
Welcome
The Bounce - Jay-Z ft. Kanye
West
Jockin' Jay Z - Jay-Z
Money, Cash, Hoes - Jay
Z
I Know - Jay Z
Mavado feat Jay Z - I'm On The
Rock(Remix)
Four Minutes - Madonna Ft Justin
Timberlake
Pussycat Dolls feat. Timbaland - Wait a
Minute
King of the Rodeo - Kings of
Leon
Storm - Cut Chemist Feat. Edan
& Mr. Lif
Promiscuous Girl - Nelly Furtado
ft. Timbaland
All I Wanna Do Is 'Bang Bang' And Take Your
Moneys - MIA
Let The Drummer Kick - Citizen
Cope
The Garden - Cut
Chemist
Come Around - Mia (feat.
Timbaland)
Fall Out Boy - This Aint A Scene, Its An Arms Race
Good Life (ft. T-Pain) CLEAN - Kanye West
T.I feat. Kanye West, Jay-Z & Lil Wayne -
Swagga Like Us
sinnerman (felix da housecat
mix) - Nina Simone
Passing The Hat - Cold War
Kids
Que Onda Guero - Beck
I Want You - Kings of
Leon
On Call - Kings of
Leon
Use Somebody - Kings Of
Leon
Sex On Fire - Kings of
Leon
I'm Yours - Jason
Mraz
Mr. Pitiful - Matt Costa
Electric Feel - MGMT
Best Friends - Amy
Winehouse
Superstition - Stevie
Wonder
Rehab (Remix) - Amy Winehouse
Feat. Jay Z
chocolate - Snow
Patrol
Signal Fire - Snow
Patrol
Blackout - Muse
Time is Running Out - Muse
The Tourist - Radiohead
Subterranean Homesick Alien - Radiohead
Ideoteque - Radiohead
Ive Seen it All - Radiohead
Bangers N' Mash - Radiohead
Climbing Up The Walls - Radiohead
Down is the New Up - Radiohead
Radiohead & Portishead - Blow
Out
Radiohead - Bodysnatchers
Radiohead - Fog
Radiohead - How to Disappear Completely
Radiohead - Punchdrunk Lovesick Singalong
Radiohead - Street Spirit
Radiohead - Up On The Ladder
Radiohead - Electioneering
Radiohead - Planet Telex
Radiohead - 4 Minute Warning
Radiohead - Be Quiet and Drive (Acoustic) (Deftones
Cover)
Radiohead - Talk show host
Radiohead - Last Flowers
Radiohead - Airbag
Radiohead - Karma Police
Radiohead - Exit Music (For A Film)
Radiohead - The Gloaming
Radiohead - Optimistic
Radiohead - The Trickster
Radiohead - Creep (acoustic)
Radiohead - Morning Bell
Radiohead - Videotape
Radiohead - Reckoner
Radiohead - 15 Step
Radiohead - Pearly
Radiohead - In My Mind (rare acoustic)
Radiohead - The drugs don't work
Radiohead - Pyramid Song
Radiohead - Knives Out
Radiohead - Weird Fishes/Arpeggi
Radiohead - Lucky
Radiohead - Go Slowly
Radiohead - Faust Arp
Radiohead - Clair de lune
Debussy - Wish You Well
Bernard Fanning - Watch Over Me
Bernard
Fanning - Songbird
Bernard Fanning - Everything In Its Right Place
Radiohead - Fake Plastic Trees
Radiohead - Nude
Radiohead - Jigsaw Falling Into Place
Radiohead - True Love Waits
Rihanna - Umbrella ft. Jay-Z
Roc Boys (And The Winner Is) - Jay Z
Dream catch me - Newton
Faulkner
No Suprises - Marissa Nadler
No Surprises - Radiohead
Just (You Do It To Yourself) - Radiohead
House Of Cards - Radiohead
Rabbit in Your Headlights - Radiohead
Radiohead - Wonderwall
(Acoustic)
Nice Dream - Radiohead
Let Down - Radiohead
Inside My Head - Radiohead
There There - Radiohead
High and Dry - Radiohead
Karma Police - Radiohead
Paranoid Android - Radiohead
All I Need - Radiohead
Creep - Radiohead
Creep (Radiohead Cover) - Damien
Rice
Norah Jones - Time After Time
(Acoustic)
blackbird - Sarah
McLachlan
Beware Of The Boys (ft. Punjabi
MC) - Jay-Z
Norah Jones - Somewhere Over The
Rainbow
Guaranteed - Eddie Vedder
Indian Night Rider - Jay Z ft.
Punjabi MC
Three Hours - Nick Drake
Chateau - Rob
Dougan
I'm Not Driving Anymore - Rob
Dougan
Rob Dougan - Clubbed To Death
I Don't Like Mondays - Tori
Amos
Requiem for a Dream (Orchestral
Version) - Clint Mansell
Release The Pressure - Leftfield
Moments In Love - The Art Of
Noise
Mother Natures Spies - Fila
Brazillia
Ruhe - Schiller
Waltz For Koop - Koop
Turtle (Bonobo Mix) - Pilote
Homelands - Nitin
Sawhney
Signs - Badmarsh &
Shri
Exploration - The Karminsky
Experience Inc.
Lebanese Blonde [Instrumental
Version] - Thievery Corporation
Bohemian Sunset - Jazzanova
In The Waiting Line - Zero
7
Sparks - Röyksopp
Queremos Paz - Gotan
Project
My Culture - 1 Giant Leap Feat.
Robbie Williams & Maxi Jazz
We Are All Made Of Stars - Moby
From The Sea - Eskimo Joe
New York - Eskimo
Joe
Hanging on a Star - Nick Drake
Things Behind The Sun - Nick
Drake
Road - Nick Drake
Been Smoking Too Long - Nick
Drake
Nick Drake - Cello Song
Nick Drake - Way Too Blue
Don't Think Twice, It's
Alright - Nick Drake
Saturday Sun - Nick Drake
time has told me - Nick Drake
Pink Moon - Nick
Drake
Nick Drake - Cocaine Blues
One Of These Things First - Nick
Drake
Northern Sky - Nick
Drake
Which Will - Nick
Drake
Time Of No Reply - Nick
Drake
From the Morning - Nick
Drake
Milk And Honey - Nick
Drake
Fly - Nick
Drake
Black Eyed Dog - Nick Drake
You're The World To Me - David
Gray
It's not easy being me -David
Gray
2005 The Ultimate Rap and Hip Hop Remix of All
Remixes (Old School, New School, Eminem, Tupac, Method Man, Nas, Jay Z, Big
P
Mad World - Gary Jules
Verdi: Nabucco - Va, Pensiero - Vienna State Opera Chorus
The Day You Come - Powderfinger
Who Knew - Pink
Nobody Sees - Powderfinger
Lisa Gerrard - Man on Fire Soundtracks End
Theme - Harry Gregson-Williams
One - U2
Shadow Of The Day - Linkin Park
Till I Collapse - Eminem
Dead Melodies - Beck
Tropicalia - Beck
We Live Again - Beck
Lazy Flies - Beck
Nobody's Fault But My Own - Beck
Cold Brains - Beck
In The House - In A Heartbeat
John Murphy - Everybody hurts
Hallelujah - Jeff
Buckley
Points of Authority/99 Problems/One Step Closer - Linkin Park & Jay-Z
Izzo/In the End - Linkin Park
& Jay-Z
Numb/Encore - Linkin Park &
Jay-Z
Jigga What/Faint - Linkin Park
& Jay-Z
Big Pimpin'/Papercut - Linkin
Park & Jay-Z
Dirt Off Your Shoulder/Lying From
You - Linkin Park & Jay-Z
Run - Snow
Patrol
Kanye West - Home (feat.
Jay-Z)
The Game - 300 Bars (Full)(Dissin G. Unit, 50
Cent, Lloyd Banks, Young Buck, Tony Yayo, Olivia, Jay-Z, Memphis Bleek, DJ Whoo
Kid, Joe Budden, Ja Rule, Benzino)
Aint No Love - Jay Z
Numb Encore (Remix) f Jay-Z, Eminem, 50 Cent
& Linkin Park 2 Pac - Eminem - Shyne - Camron - Aaliyah
-Timbaland - Big Pun - 504 Boys - Bone Thugs - D12 - Lil Zane - 112 - Mya -
Jay-Z - Britney Spears - Nas44
Love Stoned I Think She Knows - Justin Timberlake
Straight Lines - Silverchair
Gloomy Sunday - Heather Nova
My Immortal - Evanescence
With My Own Two Hands - Ben
Harper
Knives Out - Waajeed feat.
Monica Blaire
Airbag - RJD2
In Limbo - Sa-Ra feat. The Sa-Ra
All Stars
Morning Bell - The Randy Watson
Experience Feat: Donn
No Surprises - Shawn
Lee
Paranoid Android - Sia
Furler
Everything In Its Right Place - Osunlade Feat. Erro
High & Dry - Pete Kuzma Feat
Bilal
The National Anthem - Meshell
NDegeocello & Chris Dave
Nice Dream - Matthew Herbert
Feat: Mara Carlyle
Blow Out - Lo
Freq
Exit Music (For a Film) - The
Cinematic Orchestra
Just - Mark Ronson Feat. Alex
Greenwald
Karma Police - The Bad
Plus
One Crowded Hour - Augie
March
Night Drive - Gotye
Heart's A Mess - Gotye
Like Drawing Blood - Gotye
Numb & Encore Remix - jay z
'Anchor Song' (Black Dog Mix) - Björk
Sunrise (DJ Thunda & K-20 Allstars
Remix) - Afterlife
See The Sun - Pete
Murray
Better Days - Pete
Murray
Forever Young - Youth
Group
So Beautiful - Pete
Murray
Foolish Games - Jewel
Bittersweet Symphany - The
Verve
Pure Morning - Placebo
Every you every me - Placebo
Home - Zero 7
Grace - U2
Peace On Earth - U2
Any Other Name - Thomas
Newman
'Rock The Casbah' (Smith & Mighty Steppers
Mix) - Tica
Human Nature - Sovidz
Fresh
Apache - Scripture
Breathe Me (Four Tet Remix) - Sia Furler
"Ysaebud' - The Sabres Of
Paradise
'Dnipro' - Red
Snapper
'Warrior Sound' (Adam Freeland
Mix) - Pressure Drop
'Make It Happen' (7" Radio
Edit) - Playgroup
The Metre - Powderfinger
My Happiness - Powderfinger
These Days - Powderfinger
Come Away With Me - Norah
Jones
Into My Arms - Nick Cave &
The Bad Seeds
Porcelain - Moby
Home - Michael
Buble
100 Billion Stars - Lux
Gabriel - Lamb
Hallelujah - k.d.
lang
Fell In Love With A Boy - Joss
Stone
Flight Over Africa - John
Barry
Main Title (I Had A Farm In
Africa) - John Barry
Beau Mot Plage - Iso
Lee
Corner Of The Earth - Jamiroquai
Never Know - Jack
Johnson
Taylor - Jack
Johnson
'Black Sheep' - Groove Armada
But I Feel Good - Groove
Armada
Serve Chilled - Groove
Armada
'Samba' (Roger Sanchez's S-Man Dark Star
Mix) - Faze Action
The Memory Of Trees - Enya
Cafe' De Flore - Doctor
Rockit
Dance Like The Old Days - Dino
Pina Colada (Jazz Mix) - Digby
Jones
'Jackson Johnson' - David
Holmes
Please Forgive Me - David
Gray
This Years Love - David
Gray
White Ladder - David
Gray
Future - Cut
Copy
Fall At Your Feet - Crowded
House
Fix You - Coldplay
The Scientist - Coldplay
'They Shoot People, Don't
They' - Coldcut
Elephant - Damien
Rice
9 Crimes - Damien
Rice
12. Would you have different book covers for
different countries?
Yep.
13. How did you come up with the title for your
book?
Usually it's just me, sometimes it's my
publishing team as well. With ALONE, I wanted the three books titles ALONE 1,
ALONE 2 etc. My agents and publishers wanted separate titles, with ALONE
being the series title, as they had all just had big success doing that for
their TWILIGHT series.
14. Is there anything you would change about
your book? And why?
I believe that novels are a product of the time
and place that they were written in; if I re-wrote any of them today, I'd
change everything.
15. Do you have a book trailer? And what are
your thoughts on book trailers?
Not sure... my publishers might. I don't
know much about them, but they seem pretty lame. I just write stories.
16. Do you have a “Dreamcast” in mind for any of
your books?
Heath Ledger :-(
17. What is your opinion of ARCs?
Brilliant. Just last week in Australia
Scholastic printed 7,500 of my new YA as ARC's to send out to all the
librarians and key accounts, for a novel that comes out in Sept. I
suppose in the UK my publishers would print 3 times that many, and in the US,
maybe 15 times (based on the difference in populations), so in my mind they are
a great way to get good word-of-mouth buzz happening for when the book is finally
edited and comes out.
18. Do you prefer e-books, paperbacks,
hardcovers or audiobooks?
Paperbacks.
19. Are you a self-published / Indie author?
Nope. Though I wish I had their royalty
rates instead of my 10% !!
20. Have you ever read a book more than once?
And if so what was it?
Many books, some of them my favs, some for my MA
and PhD in Lit.
For my ALONE trilogy I re-read all my fav YA
titles that I wanted to capture the essence of: THE CATCHER IN THE RYE, TO KILL
A MOCKINGBIRD, LIFE OF PI, ENDER'S GAME, SIDDHARTHA, and THE DIARY OF A YOUNG
GIRL.
21. Have you ever bought a specific edition of a
book because of it’s cover? (For example a UK, US or Canadian version)
Yes, the pale yellow covered edition of THE
CATCHER IN THE RYE.
22. What is your opinion of novellas?
They're brilliant. So are short
stories. My opinion is that the shorter a piece of fiction, the harder it
is to write.
23. Have you ever read a book just based on it’s
cover?
No.
24. Has the quality of the cover of a book ever
put you off of reading it?
Not sure.
25. What is your favourite film based on a book?
TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD.
26. If you could invite any four celebrities
(alive or dead) to your dinner party, who would you invite and why?
Hemingway, Harold Bloom, Cormac McCarthy, Tina
Fey, Monica Bellucci, Christopher Hitchens, Natalie Portman. They all
know why.
Thankyou so much for taking the time to do this interview and allowing us a glimpse into your writing world!
& 
Amazon.co.uk.
& 
& 
