Meet Simon Jenner, action and adventure author.
How do you strike the
balance between writing something you want to write and writing something that
people want to read, in terms of the compromises you make, if any?
I
try to write what I’d like to read as second guessing what the reading public
would like is a minefield. This means that I aim for a book that is action
packed, character driven, not bogged down in too much description and where the
baddies get what is coming to them. I hope there are other readers out there
that enjoy this sort of book.
The
only compromises I make are to stick to one genre per book. I have a few drafts
where I’ve merged sci-fi with action, mystery or thriller but I will probably
change them before unleashing them on the public.
What excites, attracts or
appeals to you about the genre(s) you write in.
I
write thrillers because they are an escape from life. I can’t read books about the day-to-day lives
of good people suffering, just as I can’t watch soap operas on the TV. I need to take the bad people in life and ensure
they suffer the consequences they deserve.
However, I like to write a thriller where the hero isn’t ex-SAS or
somehow trained to be better than the rest of us. In the Ethan Justice series, I was excited to
write about a guy who couldn’t be more average (John Smith, nonetheless) and
throw him into a terrifying adventure.
Do you have a box,
drawer, folder etc where you keep thoughts and ideas for future stories? Such
as names you have come across, bits of dialogue, ideas, characters - even if
you have no idea when you might use them?
I’m
forever having thoughts about characters, plots, dialogue etc but it wasn’t
until I got an iPad that I’ve been able to keep track of them. Now as soon as
the thought occurs to me, I dictate it on my iPad and email it to myself. I organise these mails in various folders so
that I can peruse them later and use them when and where appropriate.
How do you manage plot
bunnies (ideas that invade your mind that aren’t usually helpful to the story
you’re writing but breed like...er...bunnies)?
I
try to keep my writing tight to the plot as I go, even when I’m not sure what
happens next myself. I often come up
with secondary plots that I use but I never stray too far from the original
path. These bunnies haven’t really troubled me so far – they’re mainly breeding
a completely different plot so I just keep a note of them for future books.
How much of you is in
your characters? Which of your characters is the you that you’d most like to
be? Or be with ?
There’s
a bit of me in many of my male characters.
I have so many flaws it’s great to be able to make my fictional
characters suffer in the same way and then see how they cope. John Smith, from
the Ethan Justice series, is my favourite character by far. He has my sarcasm and an inbuilt instinct to
do the right thing but I’d need to be a few hundred times braver, 20 years
younger and good looking to be any more like him!
Do you become so wrapped
up in your writing that your spouse wonders if they're married to you or one of
your characters?
I
think my wife would prefer me to get so wrapped up in my writing that I could
crank out the words more quickly, but no, once I’ve had a long day writing, I
tend to want to chill out as myself, so she’s stuck with the real me!
What type of book do you
like reading? Is it the same genre as you write?
I’ve
mostly been reading thrillers recently although I do occasionally read books in
other genres that are recommended to me directly by friends on Goodreads. I also
tend to stick with indie authors at the moment to support the cause and to see
what they are up to.
What lengths do you go to
to convince us readers that your book has the X factor?
I’m
still trying to work out the whole marketing process. I always believed that if a book was good
then it would find its market. But who
was I kidding? I’ve rewritten my book
description several times with a view to convincing readers it is exciting and
worth a try, but I think reviews are the main factor that persuades readers to
try a book. The trouble is no one sees the reviews if they don’t find the
book’s page so I’m slowly working on getting copies of my book out there, in
the hope of more reviews, as well as getting people to my book’s page one way
or another.
However,
here’s a pitch for the X factor of the Ethan Justice series given that you
asked! It is different from other action thrillers in two ways. Firstly the
hero is NOT a highly trained professional who can kick arse at the drop of a
hat as is the case in many thrillers today. Instead my hero is born of
circumstance - a lost soul with hidden depths that only surface under extreme
conditions. Ethan Justice: Origins is a story of self-discovery where danger
lurks around every corner and the reader can relate to the everyman as he
battles his risk-averse nature to become the man of the moment. Secondly readers can really get into the
head of the antagonist. He is written in the first person present tense so I
could really put across what made him tick. This brings him to life and allows
the reader inside his disturbed mind.
How do you feel when a
reader points out the spelling mistake(s) you have made?
Grateful,
but frustrated. I cannot believe how many times I (and my editor, wife and beta
readers) can read the book and still find mistakes. They breed like bunnies!
The only good thing is that any mistakes can be corrected quickly and easily in
today’s digital book world.
What do you like most
about visiting KUF/GR/forums?
Chatting
with readers and other authors is very eye-opening and also makes what can be
quite a lonely profession much more interactive. I love to hear what readers
like and dislike in other books, how they find the books that they choose to
read and what they are up to in their everyday lives. I also like to chat with
other authors to hear about their latest projects, successes and what they are
doing in terms of marketing. I have made quite a few good friends that I’ve
never met but chat to regularly. The only downside is that my TBR list grows too
fast and with the limited reading time I have, I will never get through it.
What is on your near
horizon?
I
am currently writing Ethan Justice #3 and have the start and many ideas for
book #1 in a new series. I’m hoping both will be out before Christmas but I
tend to be overoptimistic in terms of what I imagine I can achieve so we shall
see.
Where can we find you for
more information?
