Wednesday, January 9, 2019

INTERVIEW: Young Adult Author J.S. Frankel




J.S. Frankel
Osaka, Japan
...but I was born in Toronto, Canada, a looong time ago. J



Good morning, J. S. Welcome to Vision and Verse, the site for art and authors. Can you tell us a little about what you've written? 
I’ve written over thirty novels, mostly in the Young Adult Genre. Some of my best known works are the Catnip serial, The Undernet (a mystery thriller) and its sequel, Ether, Outcasts, and my latest novel, The Auctioneer.


What is your favorite genre to write?
I love writing in the Young Adult genre. It has a freshness and an immediacy to it that other genres don’t have as much, IMO. 

Favorite food.
Anything Italian, preferably pizza, although I love fresh sushi.

Tea or coffee? 
Do I have to choose? Okay…coffee!


Pizza or ice cream? 
PIZZA!


Wine or beer or soda? 
Soda is fine. I don’t drink, anymore.


You and me both, brother. Where would you like to visit?
I’d love to go back to Spain with my family. I went to Spain on my honeymoon, and loved it.


Favorite musical artist.  Do you listen to music when you write? 
I don’t have a favorite now, although I’ve always loved Petula Clark. (I guess that dates me a little). As for when I write, no music. I need silence.


What makes you laugh?
A cleverly written comedy, either in book or film form. 


Favorite work of art or sculpture. 
Art…wow. Of all the artists out there, I favor the Renaissance painters. Sculpture: The Kiss.


I like The Kiss, too, but my favorite is The Thinker, because I've spent more time thinking. How old were you when you started writing? 
I didn’t start writing until I was forty-eight. I’ll be fifty-seven very soon.


Do you plan out your book with outlines and notecards? Or just write? 
I do a basic plan on paper of what will happen in each chapter, and then let my mind go wild.


Describe your perfect evening. 
Seriously, spending it with my family. I’m not a party person and never was.



Where do you get your inspiration? 
From everywhere, really. The Internet, movies, cartoons, throwaway lines people say…everywhere.

What do you do when you get a writer's block? 
I’ve never had it. I have, though, had times when I simply couldn’t think, and that’s a sign of a tired mind. If I’m too tired, I take a day off and recharge. Otherwise, I write!


Who is your favorite author? 
Robert McCammon.


Best book you ever read. 
Many, but I’ll go with Gone South, by McCammon.


Last book you read. 
The Forest, by Julia Blake. It’s excellent.


What would you do for a living if you weren’t a writer? 
Teach ESL (English as a Second Language). In fact, that IS my living! J


Who is the one person who has influenced your personal life the most and why? 
My wife. She has supported me in whatever I’ve done.


If you could sit down and have a conversation with ONE person, living or dead, real or fictional, who would it be and why? 
Good question! Outside of my parents, I’d have to say Genghis Khan. Not so much that I admired him, but he rose from nothing to rule a huge part of the world at that time in history. I’d like to know what drove him to do what he did.



What advice would you give someone who aspired to be a writer? 

The same advice that someone older and far wiser gave to me when I first started. It’s this. Love what you do, and do it for love, not for money. Write that which inspires you, elates you, deflates you. Create characters that live and breathe, and when they can get up and walk off the page, then that’s good writing.




Do you some links for us to follow you?







No comments:

Post a Comment