Please welcome Jennifer-Crystal Johnson author of Fibers.
The author will be awarding a $10 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
Fibers
by Jennifer-Crystal Johnson
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GENRE: Science Fiction
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INTERVIEW:
First
of all, let me just say thank you so much for the opportunity to share some of
my thoughts with you and your readers! It’s fantastic to be here and I
appreciate the opportunity to share some of my thoughts.
I’ve
been writing for so long that I can’t remember how it started. I was working on
my first musical compositions by age eight and writing my first fictional story
by the time I was nine or ten. Writing has always been important to me – as has
reading – and if you ask my parents, they’ll tell you that I didn’t read books
as a kid; I “ate” them! Bookworm, literally, right? I would just have an idea
and start writing... that was pretty much it. None of my younger works were
ever finished, but that’s beside the point ;). I will say that if it hadn’t
been for my parents’ unwavering support of my talents and inclinations, I
probably would have given up on these dreams a long time ago.
2. What elements are necessary components for this genre?
Science
fiction can have so many varying
components that it’s ridiculous! While some sci-fi may focus on technology,
other sci-fi may focus on space, time, or interdimensional travel, and still
other sci-fi may focus on mysterious illnesses or “miraculous” brain-boosting
drugs. No matter what the case, I love the way the genre stretches the
possibilities and can sometimes “predict” what we may see or have in the
future. For example, when Star Trek first began, who knew that cell phones and
touchscreen tablets would actually exist? The imagination is limitless, and I
love that sci-fi allows for the exploration of that boundless resource.
3. How did you come up with your idea for your novel?
Morgellons
disease was something I came across randomly online. I was researching
cryptozoology or something about creatures and got sucked into one of those
YouTube binge-watching sessions where you just kind of click on whatever looks
interesting next and run with it. Next thing I knew, I was learning about a
mysterious condition that has no cure and is riddled with conspiracy theories
trying to explain what’s going on. An idea began to form=).
I’ve
always been fascinated with the idea of other dimensions, so I wanted to incorporate
that concept, and then a friend told me to look up shadow people, which is a
phenomenon associated with sleep paralysis – one of the scary elements of my
novel. After that, my brain started working out a general plot and I started
writing, unsure of how I was going to get a whole novel out but looking forward
to the process. It was intimidating and daunting at times, which is why it took
me almost five years to get it all out, but I had a lot of support and
encouragement, and especially over the last year I had two other creatives who
helped me hammer out the details and encouraged me to keep going when I needed
it.
4. What expertise did you bring to your writing?
I’ve
been writing for a long time, and in recent years, I’ve been working as an independent
editor and publisher as well. I think all that experience helped me to maintain
confidence in my work as I went through all of the revisions, which totaled
about 12, not including the final edit. As far as life experiences go, I have
enough to write several memoirs already! From moving around every couple of
years as a kid to witnessing shootings, being in a domestic violence marriage
and leaving, road trips across the country for various reasons, having three
kids as a broke single mother, and still trying to follow my dreams and help as
many people along the way as I can... let’s just say I could tell you some
stories =). The more experiences a person has, the better those emotions
translate into a work of fiction, and I certainly hope that’s the case with Fibers.
One
example I can give is that shortly before my final revision of the book, a
friend whom I’d known for almost seven years was on his way here with a couple
of his friends from across the US. Unfortunately, they got into a car accident
and he was killed. Once I experienced the loss of someone close to me, I
realized as I went through the final revisions that my main character was not
showing grief like she should have been. That experience – as difficult as it
has been – allowed me to see flaws in my character development that I never
would have realized otherwise. RIP, David – we’ll never forget you.
5. What would you want your readers to know about you that might not be in your
bio?
Oh,
gosh... I think most of all I would want my readers to know that I’m just an
ordinary person trying to follow my bliss. And I love wine. And I have my
issues, like anyone else =). But anytime someone is in need or asks for my
help, I will do whatever I can, even if it’s as simple as being there to listen.
That’s just how I am.
6. As far as your writing goes, what are your future plans?
I
plan to be doing this for a long time! The trilogy needs to be finished, and
then I have another idea for a series, which I’m super excited about. I also
have another idea for a novel, which may or may not change into a trilogy or
series, and then we’ll see.... As long as I keep having ideas, I’ll keep
writing.
7. If you could be one of the characters from this book, who would it be and
why?
Funny
you should ask because two of the characters are based on different aspects of
my own personality... tweaked a little, of course, but based on me. Some of my
friends who have read the book could tell that immediately, while others had no
idea, but I’m still pretty new to this whole character development thing, so I
wanted it to come naturally. As my writing progresses and I learn more, I’m
sure my characters will be further removed from me, but they say that someone’s
first novel reveals a great deal about the author. I can understand why.
8. Can you give us a sneak peek into this book?
An
excerpt from chapter two:
Anna’s mind drifted
as she tried to fall asleep that night. She was acutely aware of her crawling
skin and its various open sores. She felt itchy all over. Between that and her
brain refusing to shut up, she wasn’t sure how long she’d be awake.
She must’ve laid there for a good hour before she got up and started
pacing. She wondered if they would give her some sleeping pills so she could
just pass out. Her forearms itched and she rubbed them delicately, careful not
to hurt herself more.
As she ran her hand down her arm, her fingers caught on something. There
was a new clump of fibers protruding, and it felt like there was some kind of
lump underneath her skin.
“Great,” she mumbled. Looking at her arm in the dim light coming from
the window, she started pulling gently at the fibers, hoping to pull at least
some of the mess out of her arm. They were still pretty stuck. She would have
to wait until her body pushed them out more.
She sighed as she sat down on the bed, a weird feeling of being watched
washing over her. The room was dark, so she couldn’t be sure of anything.
Shadows always played weird tricks on her, especially after she’d started
seeing moving ones, and she’d asked herself a million times if she was
perceiving them more often simply because she thought she’d seen them before.
It was a vicious cycle.
Unsure of what else to do, she lay back on her bed and closed her eyes,
focusing on her breathing. The feeling of being watched grew stronger as she
tried to relax, and a knot began to form in her stomach. The bridge of her nose
tickled the way it does when someone is really close but not quite touching it.
She opened her eyes quickly and saw a black shadowy silhouette floating
just inches above her. Her eyes widened and she stayed quiet, but fear gripped
her with its icy fingers and she felt paralyzed as her breathing became ragged.
The shadow above her looked like a face, but not entirely human. Its eyes
glowed a dim red and it was staring directly into her eyes. She couldn’t make
out any distinct facial features, so she focused on her breathing... and not
having a heart attack.
After what seemed like an eternity of being unable to move, Anna
squeezed her eyes shut and mumbled, “You’re not real, you’re not real, you’re
not real....”
She opened her eyes and there was nothing there.
9. Do you belong to a critique group? If so how does this help or hinder your
writing?
I’ve
belonged to a number of critique groups over the years, online as well as
offline, but it doesn’t jive well with me for some reason. In my experience,
people tend to lean toward one extreme or another when giving feedback. For
example, they may tell you they don’t like how you wrote something but then
they won’t tell you what you can do to improve, which to me says they just
wanted to insult you but sound legitimate while doing so. Another example is
that they may tell you they love your work but be unable or unwilling to share
why – so either they don’t know how to articulate it or they’re lying. I’ve
also come across the “literary snob” types who don’t generally care about the
story or the idea but like to pick apart the writing style until it sounds – tada! – just like their own ;).
I
have a few trusted people who are willing to devote some time to giving me
feedback – good or bad – on a very constructive basis. This one-on-one critique
style suits me much better than going through a group, although groups can be
fun, effective, and very educational if no one takes themselves too seriously
;).
10. When did you first decide to submit your work? Please tell us what or who
encouraged you to take this big step?
I
self-published this book as well as most of my previous books because my first book
ever was a novella published by PublishAmerica (yuck – please note that this
company is on the Writer Beware list). While my experience with them wasn’t
horrible, it wasn’t great, either, and one of the things that bothered me most
was that they were charging $16.95 for a 111-page book, and that was almost 12
years ago. No wonder it didn’t sell! Since I’d already been publishing myself
and others since 2010, I decided I would just do it this way and invest in my
own marketing to see what happens. My book is kind of a guinea pig right now =).
11. What is the best and worst advice you ever received? (regarding writing or
publishing)
The
best advice I’ve heard about writing is to just get the first draft done. You
can go on and on or, if you’re like me, have some key elements that are
missing, but all of that can be fleshed out during the revision process.
Oftentimes it’s that first draft that seems so daunting, so once you get that
out of your head and onto paper (or the screen), the rest of the process
becomes easier.
The
worst advice – probably because every time I’ve heard it, it’s come from
someone who thought they were better than everyone else – is, “show, don’t
tell,” but then no one ever seems to be able to explain how to do that. I learn better with examples, so it may have just
been a clash of learning/teaching styles, but I absolutely can’t stand it when
someone tries to give you advice but then the how-to aspect for improvement is
missing or glossed over with pretty words that don’t tell you much for
practical application. I guess I just like it when people are able to explain
things well... in which case, for teaching and critiquing purposes, you want to
tell, not show, right? ;)
12. Do you outline your books or just start writing?
I
started writing Fibers without an
outline, just with a general idea bouncing around my head for a few months. As
the story wore on and I wanted everything to tie together and make sense, I
really wished that I’d taken some time to flesh out the details in an outline
instead of just running with it, so next time I’m definitely working on an
outline first.
13. How do you maintain your creativity?
Wine...
brainstorming sessions... freewriting... journaling... writing prompts and
exercises... talking about WIP’s with other authors. I have a couple of trusted
friends who are highly creative and helped me work out the details of Fibers, and those same friends are the
people I turn to in order to get the creative juices flowing. I write down
every idea I have, and it’s almost a guarantee that once I sit down and start
freewriting or generating ideas surrounding the concept, my creativity just
flows and it’s exciting and feels amazing. That doesn’t just happen with
fiction, either... developing any idea usually starts with writing down the
basics, letting it bounce around in my brain for a while, talking about it, and
then asking, “what if?”
14. Who is your favorite character in the book? Can you tell us why?
My
favorite character is probably Andrew Peterson. Though he isn’t the one with
Morgellons, he does face a number of challenges and has to overcome a lot on a
personal level throughout this book, especially when it comes to his
relationships, past and present. Then of course there are conspiratorial
complications as well, but you’ll have to read the book to find out about those
;).
15. Are your plotting bunnies angels or demons?
A
little bit of both... I guess that all depends on how you see them ;). I like
the fact that there’s no way I forget a truly solid, great idea – that makes me
happy because I can’t tell you how many times I’ve written an okay idea down
only to forget it and then have to go digging through my journals and planners
to find it again. However, the downside is that a lot of times I’ll be sitting
there in the evening trying to watch a show or something, and my brain won’t
shut up about the damn story. Then I find myself doing this half-buzzed
brainstorming thing until 3:00 AM, which means I won’t wake up on time in the
morning, which means I won’t get enough client work done that day, and the
whole next week is shot due to my inability to keep my sleep schedule on track.
Yikes! Luckily for me, the kids can walk to school, so at least that worry is
alleviated ;).
16. Anything else you might want to add?
For any of you aspiring
writers out there, don’t be afraid to give it a shot. Yes, it can be a
challenge and a lot of hard work, but storytelling – being an author – is a
dream worth pursuing if you’re willing to put in the effort to do your absolute
best. Read a lot, write a lot, and who knows how the publishing world will
continue to change over the years to come? If that’s your dream, then go for
it!
Finally, thank you again
so much for interviewing me here! I hope you enjoyed having me as much as I
enjoyed being here, and thank you for all of your hard work & helping to
promote authors like me =).
BLURB:
Anna Reynolds is caught up in the middle of a
secret interdimensional government agreement... and she doesn't even know it.
There's a medical anomaly loosely dubbed Morgellons disease afflicting a number
of people. Symptoms include open sores that produce colorful string-like
fibers, fatigue, and nightmarish visions of shadowy figures. No one knows where
it came from. No one knows what causes it. There is no cure.
When Anna begins having nightmares and waking hallucinations of the shadow
people, her uneasiness about her condition grows. Enlisting the help of her
doctor and some friends, Anna is determined to find out what's really going on
and why Morgellons is such a mystery.
With her health declining and doubts about whom she can trust, is Anna doomed
to become a slave to her condition? Or will she and her unlikely group of
would-be heroes come through, saving her... and, ultimately, the world?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
EXCERPT:
As
Anna walked home through the glistening streets of Deeplake, Washington, she
adjusted her scarf and wrapped her coat around herself tightly, her breath
fogging up the air in front of her. After a brief glance over her shoulder, she
quickened her pace, her bag of groceries teetering in her arms momentarily as
she readjusted her grip.
She’d
been feeling like someone was watching or following her for weeks. At first she
just shrugged it off as her own overactive imagination, but the other day, she
could’ve sworn she saw a shadow out of the corner of her eye. When she looked,
there was nothing there. That wasn’t the first time she had seen shadows. They
were always there, just out of sight, their existence never confirmed by a
direct glance. But every time it happened, she got goosebumps and the hair on
the back of her neck stood on end like it does when you know someone is
watching you.
Her
left eye began to feel itchy and grainy as she walked, and she cursed herself
for not driving. She blinked several times, but after a few moments her eye
felt like it had sand in it again. This was accompanied by an unpleasant
tickling sensation, which became annoying very quickly.
Her
thoughts wandered as her eye got worse. She felt guilty but justified for not
mentioning her problems to Casey, who had more than enough on her plate
already. She also didn’t want to come across as crazy; Anna was certain she
wasn’t. Some of the recent events in her life were crazy, but she was
definitely sane.
Do
crazy people think they’re sane?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Jennifer-Crystal Johnson is
originally from Germany, but was raised an Army brat. She has published one
novella under her former last name, The Outside Girl: Perception is Reality
(Publish America, 2005 - out of print as of 2013), a poetry book, Napkin Poetry
(Broken Publications, 2010), and a collection of poetry, art, and prose called
Strangers with Familiar Faces (Broken Publications, 2011). She's also published
a collection of short creature horror stories called If You're Human Don't Open
the Door (Broken Publications, 2012), a personal development book called The
Ten Pillars of a Happy Relationship (Broken Publications, 2014), and a
collection of more horror stories (no creatures this time, just people) called
Our Capacity for Evil (Broken Publications, 2015). She has several poems and
short stories published on Every Writer's Resource and has recently published a
science fiction novel called Fibers, the first book in the Infiltration
Trilogy. Jen owns and operates Broken Publications (www.BrokenPublications.com) and
publishes an annual anthology to raise awareness about domestic violence called
Soul Vomit (www.SoulVomit.com). When she isn't writing or editing, she enjoys
playing games with her three kids, watching crime shows on Netflix, or reading.
She lives in WA State with her three children, three cats, and a crazy puppy
named Thor. You can connect with her at www.JenniferCrystalJohnson.com,
@brokenpoet, or www.Facebook.com/JenniferCrystalJohnson.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GIVEAWAY INFORMATION and RAFFLECOPTER CODE
The author will be awarding a $10 Amazon or B/N GC to
a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/28e4345f1608
