Author J. Edwards Stone #interview #newrelease

Please give a warm welcome to

Tell us a bit about yourself

I’m a lot of things. Wife, mom, author, scary lawyer. But today I’m especially an author (with a new book coming out on June 22, 2019)!

Have you always wanted to become an author?

Always. Ever since I was a little girl, I was a storyteller. I still remember being so small I couldn’t even see over the table, telling my family at breakfast a story about a girl named Lucy. This became a routine – I would ask them to give me a topic, and I would build a story around it as I went (always with a girl named “Lucy!”).
I’m not sure why I didn’t pursue a literature or English degree in school. I regret it to an extent, but ultimately I can still pursue that passion and publish my novels. It’s much more difficult with two young kids and a demanding career, but I would peck away at a story for hours into the evening. I’m now proud to be the almost-published author of a new series (A War of Black Feathers). Very proud.

What was your inspiration for your current book/series?

I’m not sure where the inspiration originated, to tell you the truth. I wrote another book that hasn’t made it to the publishers – one based on a Greek myth. During my research into that book, I came across the image of the goddess, Nike, and I thought she would be a cool protagonist in a story. I started to imagine Angels from that, and what their world must look like.
The clincher may have been on a trip to the park with the kidlets. My son found a black feather on the ground and asked what wing it came from. Such a cool question when put that way, and my mind turned back around to the concept of Angels.
I thought I should write a story about them.
So I did!

What are you working on now?

I’m on a hiatus from writing at the moment. I have a complete series and have to time the releases. With help from my hubs, (the kool kat that he is), we’ve been working on marketing, mainly. (He’s really the star here – he runs all of my campaigns and internet-stuff. Thanks Honey!). I would like to finish my mythology series, and I’ve always wanted to write something in the Arthurian Legend universe. Perhaps someday!

Do you have any quirks while writing?

Good question but alas, I’m rather boring. I DO like to sit in my kitchen to write as opposed to anywhere else in the universe. I feel like I’m more creative there for some reason, but it’s probably just that it’s close to the snacks.

What are your hopes for the future?

I have many. I hope “Herald” does well, and that people enjoy my work and feel something when they read it. I would like to be able to say that I moved people (in a good way), and that I created a bit of an escape for their troubles – even if only for a little while.

Do you have any advice for new authors about the publishing world?

Just write. Don’t torture yourself over whether you have a perfect plot or ending or whatever. Don’t agonize over whether you’re doing it right. Just WRITE the story. You can always go back later and fix things, but pound out that thing until it’s finished, no matter how torturous it may be.
After that – GET an EDITOR. Do NOT assume you can query agents or publish it until you have a perfect manuscript in your hands. A good editor is worth every penny you can spend, trust me. If you try to pass off a book with spelling mistakes or grammatical errors, the audience will punish you for it in reviews and/or agents will discard your baby into the slush pile. Trust me.
If you’re going the indie route, make sure your cover is completely kick-ass. Home made jobbies don’t sell books, but beautiful, eye-catching covers do.