Interview with J.C. Morrows #2

About the Author

​J​C Morrows - Bestselling author of YA Christian speculative fiction, drinker of coffee and avid reader - is a storyteller in the truest sense of the word. JC has been telling stories in one form or another her entire life and once her mother convinced her to write them down, she couldn't stop.
 
She finished her first speculative fiction novel purely for the enjoyment of her mother - also known as her biggest fan.

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The Interview

1. When did you begin writing?
 I have dabbled in writing since before I can remember, but I really got serious about writing a novel in 2009 - when I started writing the Andarii Chronicles (which I still hope to publish some day).

2. When did you first consider yourself a writer?
 Since high school. I had this amazing English teacher who encouraged me. For a time I actually considered majoring in journalism and giving that a try, but I'm really no good at writing short articles - novels are more my thing.

3. How has your environment/upbringing effected your writing?
 I was never popular in school so I hid in books. With reading, I had the ultimate escape. I could defend Narnia with the Pevensie children, explore the past, ride dragons, fall in love again and again and again. However, I can never be entirely certain if my desire to write came from my love of reading or if I was simply born a storyteller.

4. How do you come up with the titles for your novels?
 This is a tricky one to answer because each novel comes from a different place. The Andarii Chronicles is from a dream, but the Order of the MoonStone series was purely divine inspiration - and I have another series that was inspired by brainstorming for NaNoWriMo during a cold snap... 
I'm not even sure I really do "come up with" the titles. I just kind of know them when the story comes to me. 

5. How many other novels do you plan to have in the Moonstone series and approximately when will these release?
 OOH... sneaky... Actually, I'm not at liberty to say at the moment. I wish I could tell you because keeping secrets drives me nuts, but it's out of my hands. Sorry. At least I can tell you that the series does not end with A Treacherous Decision.

6. How did you deal with rejection letters?  Do you have any advice on how to deal with these for potential future writers?
 Oh my word. Not my finest hour, let me tell you. Back when I was querying for the Andarii Chronicles, I sent out letters/e-mails to more than thirty different agencies. At the time, I did not even know there was a market for Christian Speculative so I was querying ABA agencies/publishers. It's really no wonder all I got back were "No, thank you."s. I became so discouraged, I shelved the whole series - of which I have almost 3 books completed already. But I did not quit writing, and that would be the best advice I can give any aspiring writer. NEVER STOP WRITING! Try another book. Try another genre. Try short stories... but Don't stop. If you're meant to be a writer, the stories within you most likely won't let you anyway.

7. Approximately how long does it take you to write a novel and what does your work schedule look like when you are writing?
 Like my inspiration, this one is different for every story. The first novel I completed took almost two years, but it's sequel was finished in four months. (to be fair - they are both mammoth books - well over 100,000 words each). The novel I spoke of above inspired by a cold snap I completed the first draft (76,000 words) in 30 days. The first draft for A Reluctant Assassin I completed in 6 days. Granted it is a shorter novel in just under 40,000 words, but I wrote it so quickly because of the divine inspiration. My fingers could not keep up with the words that were quite simply gushing. 

Check out my reviews for
A PERILOUS ASSIGNMENT
A RELUCTANT ASSASSIN
A CUNNING MASQUERADE
A TREACHEROUS DECISION