MY INTERVIEW WITH AUTHOR J.D. BROWN😊

What’s your name and what genre would you consider your books to be?

Hi, I’m J.D. Brown and my books – The Ema Marx Series – are a vampire urban fantasy series about a collage graduate from Chicago who mysteriously turns into in to a vampire as she is kidnapped and held hostage by two royal vampire brothers from Finland. One wants to help her, and the other wants to harm her, but both of them are keeping secrets and neither one is willing to let her go.

 

 

Tell me about your book. How did you come up with that (story, angle, idea)?

First, I really wanted to do away with the Bella Swan’s of today’s vampire fiction. I wanted a female hero who would be turned immediately. Ema has no choice in the matter. She becomes a vampire against her will and has to learn to deal with it. I love this idea of showing the readers what being a new vampire might be like. It’s something I always wished other authors would do instead of spending 400 pages on a girl who whines about not being a vampire the entire time. I’m so over that. Also, Ema is a bit of a suborn badass. She goes after what she wants. She doesn’t wait for permission.

How did you get interested in writing this particular genre (historical novels, mysteries, sci-fi, children’s books, etc.)?

Easy, it’s my favorite genre to read and watch on T.V. so I wanted to do my own version.

 

What kind of research did you do for this book?

I researched the heck out of the pre-Dracula vampire mythology. So many people assume Dracula is the first vampire blueprint, but the truth is vampire stories have been around longer than the Bible and Dracula is actually quite modern by comparison. I wanted to go back to the original lore, not just from Romania, but all over the world. I wanted to give the other vamps who didn’t become popular a voice. There are some really cool sources out there and I pulled ideas from all of them to create my fictional vampire world.

Can you tell me about your Series?

The series (which includes Dark Heirloom, Dark Liaison, Dark Becoming, and Dark Ascension) follows the main character, Ema, as she fights being forced into a prophecy, battles to figure out how she fits into the vampire world, and struggles to stay alive despite all the bad guys who want her dead. There’s a bit of romance as well, and a whole lot of characters adding layers to the plot.

Do you have a favorite book out of this series?

Each new book is my favorite. 😊

What’s a typical working day like for you? When and where do you write? Do you set a daily writing goal?

I wish I could say it was glamorous, but it’s really not. The day to day work is just a matter of sitting down at the computer and forcing words onto a document for 8 hours. There’s some email checking and a whole lot of marketing and social networking that needs to happen to put food on the table, but it’s really all just routine office work. It’s like being your own secretary. I do set writing goals and a schedule, otherwise I’d never get anything done.

Do you have a new book in the making and if so, what’s the name of your upcoming book?

Dark Ascension is the fourth book in the Ema Marx series and is set to release October 9, 2017. I’m real excited for it. The feedback has been great. I’m really pleased with how it turned out.

What do you think of book trailers? Do you have a trailer or do you intend to create one for your own book?

https://www.facebook.com/pg/authorjdbrown/videos/?ref=page_internal

What’s the best thing about being an author?

Everything about being a writer is a blessing, but I think the best part is when a fan emails you to gush over your books. Who doesn’t love an ego boost? LOL. I really love hearing from fans. It makes my day. I love chatting with them.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

Hopefully with a lot more books under my belt. 😉

Where did your love of books come from?

It’s funny because I’m the only one in my family that loves to read. But when I was a child, my mom really nurtured my love of books. She would gift me books as a toddler and would read to me before bed. When I got older, she would take me to the library to barrow as many books as I wanted. She never censored what I read and would brag to everyone that I had above-average reading levels. I was also lucky to have great English teachers in school. They never forced me to read in front of the class because they knew I was already five chapters ahead of everyone else and I had the A’s to prove it. They were happy to let me read silently to myself instead of following the class. I’m told that’s not always the case in other schools.

 

Do you have any favorite authors or favorite books?

Tons. Where do I start? I love everything from Jane Austin right down to Darynda Jones. Though urban fantasy, paranormal romance, and young adult are my top guilty pleasures. Right now I’m obsessed with Cassandra Clare’s Shadowhunters series. Go Team Malic! 😊

Of all the characters you have created, which is your favourite and why?

Jalmari’s my favorite. He’s one of those guys that’s so good at being bad, you can’t help but melt a little. Or is that just me? I know a lot of the readers dislike him because he does so much wrong, he’s often seen as the villain. But come on, it’s a vampire series. I had to have my own Brat Prince as a nod to my favorite vampire author, Anne Rice.

What is your writing Kryptonite?

Not writing. Seriously, not writing leads to more not writing. Taking any time off, even a day, makes it difficult to get back into the groove. That’s why I keep a schedule and write every day. I do force myself to take the weekends off to avoid burnout, but it’s always a risk come Monday.

Do you try more to be original or to deliver to readers what they want?

Both. I think a balance is essential.

Where can your fans find you and follow??

Facebook.com/authorjdbrown
Instagram.com/jbrown_author
Twitter.com/authorjdbrown
Amazon.com/author/jdbrown
And my website AuthorJDBrown.com

Thank you for taking your time to do this interview ❤

My pleasure, Amy. Thank you so much for having me.