Rai29BookReadNReview: Author Interview: James Phelan

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):

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.

27. Do you have any advice for other writers? And what’s the best advice that you have been given when it comes to writing?
Write every day. Write fast and edit slow. Read.

28. Do you have any hobbies that aren’t related to reading & writing?
Piano. Cooking. Going to the opera. Travel.

29. Where can your readers follow you?

Blog: http://jamesphelan.com

Goodreads author page: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4395917.James_Phelan

Twitter: https://twitter.com/RealJamesPhelan

Whosay: http://www.whosay.com/jamesphelan

Instagram: http://instagram.com/realjamesphelan