WELCOME AUTHOR J.M. BRAY
+copy+2.jpg)
Author bio: J.M. Bray lives in Southern California with his college sweetheart and their two dogs. After a lifetime together, they are happier than the moment they met.
When not writing or working his "day
job", he loves to cook, play the guitar, and travel with his wife. Every
chance he gets, he races an old Porsche named "Tuffy" at tracks in
the southwest.
Personal favs:
Drink – Aquafina…yeah
I know, I’m weird.
Food – I have
a huge palate and am not a finicky eater. Overall I eat more Mexician food than
any other, but my fav is French. Duck confit, Gigot a La Cuillère…heaven on a
plate
Vacation – France.
We’ve been there three times and have a fourth trip planned.
TV show – Top
Gear - UK
Movie – Highlander
– director’s cut. Best villain ever
and the extra scenes are fantastic!
Animal – Small
dogs. We have two standard size Yorkshire Terriers.
Sport – Auto
racing. I race a Porsche 924S named Tuffy.
Book – Tough
one as I’ve read so many… maybe Magician: Aprentice by Raymond E. Feist
Book title: Tearing
the Shroud
Brief synopsis of
your book:
Fall in love, be possessed, hunt a sorcerer
and save the world — and Vincent thought calculus was tough.
1984 — Vincent expected college to be about
freedom and girls, but then the nightmares of sorcery, monsters and other
worlds began. Not even the surprising attention from his dream girl, Julie,
could shake them.
Before he's even nailed his second date with
Julie, he's possessed by Coleman, a warrior from another realm. Coleman is hell
bent on defeating the monstrous Kafla who threatens to tear into Vincent's
reality, changing both his and Coleman's worlds forever. They have one chance
to stop them: Vincent must allow Coleman to share his body and wage war against
the sorcerer.
Now it's up to them, the women they love, and
Vincent's rag-tag bunch of role-playing and gaming friends to save the world,
or see 1984 descend into the apocalypse.
Current book or project
you’re working on:
What was the
inspiration for your novel? It
was just an idea really. A common one, admittedly, repeated in multiple
cultures. That there is a reality around us that we can’t see, nor they us. But
I came at it in a way I’ve never seen, or tried to at least.
Please share
three interesting facts about your book which are not covered in the synopsis.
1) Vincent
is painfully shy.
2) Coleman
is an incessant flirt.
3) Julie
(Vincent’s love interest) has a past that scare most guys off.
Who is the most
complex character from your current novel?
Focusing on Tearing
the Shroud, it’s Vincent. He’s facing so many things it became an
interesting challenge to help him evolve.
Are there any
characters in your book that remind you of yourself?
There are aspects of me in many of them. The one that
carries the most similarities is Vinni.
If you could pick
any well known or famous author to review your book who would you pick and why?
Stephen R. Lawhead. I love his work and respect how he
approaches it. I think he’d enjoy Tearing the Shroud.
What, who, and
when were you first inspired to write?
My first writing took the form of lyrics at age fifteen.
It was a love song, with no particular girl in mind.
Genre/Author/Reader:
What genre does
your book fall into? Romantic Fantasy, (New Adult age
characters)
Which genres do
you write? Romantic Fantasy. I have a Historical Romantic
Fantasy I’m itching to start.
What is the first
book you remember reading, that affected how you thought or felt about
something? The Bible. Some great stories there.
Is there a book
you loved that was also made into a movie that you also loved? If so, how did
the movie connect with you? The Lord of the Rings series. The movie
wasn’t a connection, or impacting, but a lot of fun. I’m not a purist and was
fine with the changes that happened.
Which three
authors have inspired you the most, and why?
When I say inspired, I don’t mean “made me want to write”
because that never happened for me. Their stories moved or captured me though.
1) Raymond
E. Feist. Characters you can’t let go of an a world you don’t want to end.
2) Stephen
R. Lawhead. Fantastic reimagining’s of historic or mythic events and people.
3) Steven
King. I think his last name tells it all.
Have you ever read
a book you couldn’t finish reading? Yep, quite a few.
Do you read a
book, while you are writing a book? Yes, usually
several, on several levels: One for enjoyment, and another one or two as
critique work for writing partners.
The process:
How many books
have you written? Which book is your favourite and why? I’m on
my third. All of them. They are like my children I love each for different
reasons.
Is there anything
that helps get you in the mood to write? Three stations on
Pandora: A.A Bondy, Keren Ann, Swell Season
What were three
challenges you faced when writing your book?
1) New
Author Syndrome. When I finished it, I didn’t realize it really wasn’t finished.
2) Balancing
time spent writing verses platform building.
3) Doubt
that it was any good at all.
What lessons have
you learned as an aspiring writer? Never throw away
ANY writing ideas or material. I wrote the first 30 pages of Tearing the Shroud 23 years ago. If I’d tossed
them, I wouldn’t be published today.
Do you ever
experience writer’s block? If so what helps you to ‘overcome’? So
far, thank God, no. (But now I’m jinxed, right? Lol)
What is the most
important thing you’ve learned, either in the self-publishing or traditional
publisher, route? If you’ve done your work well, someone will want your story. Don’t give up.
Book Teasers:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vn_Ty8ZN5Rg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i1SU1ielK4k
How can people
connect with you?
Twitter: @JMBraybooks
Facebook: Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/JMBray.books
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/jmbraybooks/
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/jmbraybooks/
Connect Page:
Where can readers
find your book?
Wow! Sounds like a pretty fantastic book! Enjoyed your interview as well--shared, everywhere.
ReplyDeleteThank you Linda!
Delete