Jams N. Roses is my special guest today. Jams and I belong to the same writers group and he’s a kind, supportive friend, with a wicked sense of humor. Today we are highlighting his novel, Finding Her Feet. Please join me to find out more about this intriguing author.
About Jams N. Roses
Jams N. Roses is a father of one and grew up in Hertfordshire, England. He has spent a few years living on the Costa del Sol, Spain, and currently resides in Nice, France.
He primarily writes novels that are steeped in crime with a psychological twist, but has a naughty sense of humour that can sneak its way into his work, so much so that his third of four releases, Extremely England is a hilarious, satirical comedy.
Read on for more about Jams and Finding Her Feet!
About Finding Her Feet
The tragedy begins as Amanda watches her sister fall through the broken ice. Heartbreakingly, Samantha doesn’t reappear until the following day, when her lifeless body is pulled from the water. The devastation continues as the family falls apart under the weight of emotional pain and unfair blame.
When overwhelmed with guilt, how does a child cope with a death in the family?
Young Adult / Contemporary Fiction
Now let’s shine the spotlight on Jams!
Maer: Thanks for joining us to tell us about your new book, Jams. What is the funniest or oddest thing that has happened to you as an author?
Jams: The funniest thing is when film producer and director, Guy Richie, turned up at my London office, offering an obscene amount of money for me to sign over the film rights of my first release, Get Clean. The oddest thing so far, is that I just wrote the preceding sentence, as that never happened at all.
Maer: LOL. Do you use beta readers and, if so, what qualities do you look for in a beta?
Jams: I use alpha readers, as no matter how much care any writer takes, there will always be muddling of tenses or poor grammar that slip through the net. Regarding beta readers, watching out for plot holes and what not, I expect all that to be done by the alphas, too! Truthfully, in fact, before I even start writing a book, the plot is drawn (literally drawn out) and characters names and their motivations and so on, are mapped out into tables, so I can see clearly what is happening and why before I even being chapter one.
Maer: Wow, that’s very cool. What is a one line synopsis for your book?
Jams: When overwhelmed with guilt, how does a child cope with a death in the family?
Maer: Serious and intriguing premise. Is this a stand-alone or part of a series?
Jams: Finding Her Feet is a stand-alone novel. It is the only real stand-alone I’ve done; two of my other titles have the possibility for a follow up, the option is there if I arrive at a decent storyline to do the characters justice. I also have a satirical comedy, Extremely England, which leaves room for an Amazing America, for example, or Fantastic France (you get my drift). These comedies wouldn’t be follow ups, per se, but stories told in the same manner, in a different setting.
Maer: Which character, other than Amanda, is one of your favorites to write and why?
Jams: In Finding Her Feet, many of the characters have flaws, which to me, made all of them interesting to write. There are things fictional characters do, dare to say and ways in which they react that I, as a timid, shy and introverted author, wouldn’t dare do or have the courage try. And by that, I mean even the bad things. I won’t break the law, for example, but when writing about my characters that may do drugs, or fight someone out of nothing more than frustration or jealousy, it does excite me. Perhaps I need to get out more?
Maer: Lots of authors seem to be like that. 🙂 Now, if you had to pick a color to describe Amanda what would that be and why?
Jams: Amanda is a young girl, and her decisions, actions and lack of actions show her to be truly naïve, so I’d have to say her colour is green.
Maer: So, Jams, who are your favorite authors to read?
Jams: Non-fiction is Christopher Hitchens, Sam Harris, Richard Dawkins. I love to read arguments coupled with facts to educate myself. Fiction writers I like range from Dan Brown to Robert Ludlum to Terry Pratchett to Maer Wilson, but I’ve read some great books by smaller authors, authors I cannot even remember the names of at this moment. For me, how much I enjoy a book is as much down to the topic or genre, to my mood at that moment, as it is to the author.
Maer: Can you share a bit about your current project?
Jams: I’m at the very, very early stages of my next project. Literally, all I have are the seeds of ideas, rattling around in my head. It is to do with religion, the conflicts between different religions. It’s going to be contemporary, and I really want this one to have a moral message within the pages. Time will tell…
Maer: Sounds interesting. What do you do when you’re not writing?
Jams: I’m a single father, so that takes up most of my ‘spare’ time. I do try to get to the gym, but frankly, it is very far and I haven’t the energy.
Maer: I can imagine. What influenced you to write in your genre? Do you write in others?
Jams: I guess the genres that I write in are just reflections of my life, or personality. I don’t choose a genre, and then write a book to suit. Rather, I write the story that manifests in my mind, and then at the end of the project I’ll stick the genre label on it. This is why I have a crime thriller, a psychological thriller, a satirical comedy and now a contemporary, dramatic tragedy to my name! Readers will always know it is me however; I use blunt, sometimes crass language, short chapters and a minimalistic approach to storytelling that is (apparently) very recognizable.
Maer: What music, if any, do you like to listen to while writing?
Jams: None, whatsoever. When I’m writing, I find myself ‘in the zone’ – do not disturb. I’m even acting out the characters emotions as I type away. When writing Finding Her Feet, I shed quite a few tears, if I’m honest. Music, television, even an open window can be distracting to me.
Maer: Jams, thanks so much for stopping by today. Do you have anything you’d like to add?
Jams: I’d just like to add that I’m grateful to anyone who takes the time to sit down and read my work. I realize my style and the topics I write about are not everybody’s cup of tea, but I am telling stories from a point of view that does exist for many, and for someone to lend an ear to that perspective, it means a lot. I hope you enjoy my books. Peace.
You can buy Finding Her Feet at Amazon.
You can follow Jams at the links below:
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