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Visit J.L. Wilson's web site
An excerpt from Living Proof
About J.L. Wilson I was born in a small town in Iowa, and have traveled extensively, living in several different regions of the U.S. and briefly overseas. I've been writing most of my life and seriously writing, trying to be published, since 2004. Now I have 16 books out and will have 2 more out this year, with contracts for more mysteries and paranormal thrillers in 2011. Stay tuned for more from me!
Back list (Romantic Suspense/Mystery)
Your Saving Grace, Cerridwen Press
Brownies, Bodies, and Breaking the Code, The Wild Rose Press
Candy, Corpses and Classified Ads, The Wild Rose Press
If Not For You, Cerridwen Press
Nowhere to Run, Resplendence Publishing
Brilliant Disguise, Resplendence Publishing
Shadow of Doubt, Resplendence Publishing
Autographs, Abductions, and A-List Authors, The Wild Rose Press
Sun, Surf, and Sandy Strangulation, The Wild Rose Press
Mayhem, Marriage, and Murderous Mystery Manuscripts, The Wild Rose Press
Homicide, Hostages, and Hot Rod Restorations, The Wild Rose Press
PhDs, Pornography, and Premeditated Murder, The Wild Rose Press
Back list (Paranormal/Time Travel)
Forgiveness, Cerridwen Press
Endurance
Temperance
Back list (Paranormal/Other Planet)
Human Touch, The Wild Rose Press
Living Proof, The Wild Rose Press
An Interview with J.L. Wilson
By Holly Hewson for The Romance Studio
HH: Thank you for talking with us at TRS! Please tell us about your featured book, Living Proof. JL: This is the continuation of the story that I started in Human Touch, which followed Isbel and Cyrus as they uncovered a secret that threatens to upset the planetary balance of political power.
I originally planned the heroine of Living Proof to be a villain. Dru, Isbel's half-sister, is very strong-willed, opinionated, and cunning and she seemed a natural foil to Isbel, who is more mild-mannered and not as popular, not a trendsetter the way Dru is.
But as I wrote Human Touch I realized that Dru had a lot of layers that I could explore, and the only way to do that was to create a book just for her. Then I created Jak Exo, a man any woman would love. Seriously. Dru was his natural love interest, so that gave me even more incentive to add more complexity to her character and allow her to change throughout the course of the three books.
As the characters evolved, so did the plot and the entire reasoning behind the series. I went from a relatively simple 'political thriller' to a far more layered series. An added bonus is that this series is actually going to be the culmination of a series I'm currently writing. So I was able to use allusions to events that occurred in the past - the past that I'm writing now!
HH: This is the second book in your New Human Intercession series. Where did the idea for the series come from? JL: The series I'm working on right now is one that looks at our current society and I try to 'fix' a lot of the problems. My solution to some of the problems is a bit extreme (no more about that until the series is written). The New Human Intercession is the story of the outcome of some of those societal changes, several hundred years into the future. I took what I'm working on now, moved some of the offspring to another planet, and turned them loose. So this is the evolution of my current work -- several centuries from now. It was challenging but also fascinating to work on such an interrelated group of books.
HH: What can you tell us about the first book, Human Touch? JL: Human Touch really shows us the society in the which my characters are placed. I tried to imagine a society without racism, hunger, war - in fact, 'war' is a myth and not even included in the language. What would happen in a world like that? Where would the conflict come from? You know there has to be conflict -- these are human beings, after all.
In addition, I wanted to have fun in Human Touch. I created Isbel, who is not your typical heroine: she's a bit overweight, geeky, a bit klutzy, and sort of a nerd. Then I created Cyrus, who is a clone - a created human being who knows very little about being human. He's assigned to be her Paid Male, a companion who is with her every moment of the day and responsible for doing anything to keep her happy -- anything. Of course, he has no idea what to do. Oh, he knows that Tab A fits into Slot B, but other than that...It's up to Isbel to show him how to be human and what it means. Along the way she learns that she really is as good as her sister Dru and in many ways, she's better!
HH: What do you like best about Dru? JL: Dru is a risk taker. She's a big risk taker, and I admire that in a person. She assess the risks, prepares herself, then she goes after what she wants. She also has a very tender side which she is careful to keep hidden, lest people think she's weak. All of her life she's had to scrabble for power since she was raised to be the leader of her clan. She never truly relaxed or let down her guard until she met Jak Exo. And Jak is willing to be patient with her, willing to allow her to learn to trust him and love him. When he reveals a terrible secret, Dru is stunned and hurt. It may take a lot more than Jak's charm to make her trust him again.
HH: You've had a busy year. <g> What else do you have in store for lucky readers? JL: II've got one more release this year. This has been one of those "5 book years" and that can be tiring, I agree. My final book releases in November, and it's a mystery. Ex-Wives, Extortion, and Erotic First Editions features one of my favorite heroines, a woman who runs a used bookstore. She specializes in the evaluation of pornography and erotica (hence the "erotic first editions"). It's a cross-country road trip that doesn't quite work out the way the main characters thought it would.
I should also have a new print book out this year. Shadow of Doubt released in August in digital and I think it will be print by the end of the year. It features Nathan Stokes, my unconventional romantic hero. He's such a bumbler when it comes to love, but he manages to snare the heart of his lady love (and the hearts of many of my fans, it seems!)
HH: With the growing popularity of ebooks readers like Nook and Kindle, what do you see in the future for ebooks? JL: I think we'll see the day when ebooks rival printed books in sales. According to Amazon, they already account for more sales than hard cover books, but that's not surprising, I don't think - a hard cover book is a big investment in money. Let's face it, two people can go to a movie for the price of one hard cover book (and if you go to the matinee, you can even afford popcorn!)
As ebook technology evolves, too, I think we'll see enhanced ebooks: books that have sound, or movies embedded in them. Maybe we'll have a combination of manga and standard text, or anime and...the possibilities really are endless.
The thing that I find interesting is to read the discussions between those who LOVE print books and those (like me) who no longer buy them. It reminds me of the discussions years ago when downloaded music took off. Some people will always love vinyl albums or CDs. Others will prefer convenience. And a lot depends on the environment, too. It's been shown that e-devices are far, far greener than print books. Will environmental factors dictate more books have to go electronic?
Only time will tell.
HH: As an author, has ebook piracy had an impact on you? JL: I confess: I don't pay attention to this. I probably should but if I worry about every time a book gets pirated, my head would probably explode. I think it does have an impact on my sales. But I also know that there's nothing I can do about it. The minute a pirate site gets reported and taken down, a new one pops up. DRM technology has done nothing to stop it.
Until publishers all get on board and until laws are passed that have real teeth in them about piracy, nothing will be really be done about it.
HH: What made you want to become an author in the first place? JL: At first I thought it would be sort of glamorous - I had visions of a Hemingway or Fitzgerald kind of lifestyle, living in an apartment and going to neat parties and talking with clever people.
What a fantasy! That idea was quickly dispelled as I got older and realized the realities of publishing. When all is said and done, I think it all comes down to how we want to use our meager free time. Some people go to movies, others play sports, some sew. I want to write books. I don't have much free time since I work full-time out of the home, but when I do have free time, I want to do something I love to do and I love to tell stories.
HH: What is your happiest moment as an author to this point? JL: Hmm. That's a tough one. I've had some great moments throughout my brief career. If I had to pick just one moment, it was probably when I won the EPIC award earlier this year for my time travel book. I have had finalists in the EPIC contest every year I entered, and I won last year as well, but I could never get to the conference. I made it to New Orleans this year and was there when my name was announced as the winner. It was just great - a whole big ceremony, a room full of people in their party clothes, a whopping big trophy - it was just a great time.
HH: Any big plans for the fall? JL: My husband and I always go away for a week to the wilds of Northern Minnesota before the snow flies (which is usually October up there), so I'm already looking forward to that. I'm going to a 2-day writing conference in Minneapolis sponsored by Midwest Fiction Writers. Cherry Adair is speaking and I'm excited about that (details here for anyone who might like to join me: http://tinyurl.com/24n8qo3) . And I'll be going to a local casino with some writing friends to gamble, have fun, brainstorm books, and laugh. I highly recommend that if you can find a good group of girlfriends to join you.
And of course I've got that book releasing in November...
HH: Thank you!
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