Author Interview – BE Jewell | Dreaming in the Pages

Can you share a little of your current work with us? I am writing a sequel to my debut novel, The Hunter’s Son. The second book in the series, The Hunter’s Vengeance, picks up where the first left off. I also have some short stories working right now, but those will not be in the young adult genre. The things I am closest to completing are horror or crime/mystery.

Can you tell us about your main character? JC Mather is the name of my main character. At the beginning of The Hunter’s Son, he is a loner and an outcast because of moving around the country so much. As the book progresses, JC grows and has to make some very adult decisions about the rest of his life. Does he want to be a hunter like his father? Can he trust everyone around him? Is teenage love more important than family and history? I think it is easy to relate to JC and the positions he finds himself in, even if a few of those are more of the supernatural variety.

Who designed the cover? Originally, I designed the cover myself but was not very happy with the way it turned out. It wasn’t the worst cover in the world, but I feel like it held the novel back. I found a great cover artist named Cheryl Ramirez who is very affordable and does some great work. Her website ishttp://www.ccrbookcoverdesign.com/. I’m sure she would be glad to help anyone who is looking for some new cover art. The cover photo was taken by a good friend of mine named Jessica Houtz. Her photography website is http://jlhoutz.wix.com/jeslynartandphoto. She has some great photos if anyone is in need.

Why did you choose to write this particular book? I had the idea for some time and I just love reading supernatural style books and watching those types of tv shows. In fact, I have been a fan of the CW series Supernatural since its first episode. I would be lying if I said I didn’t find some inspiration in that show.

What was the hardest part about writing this book? The hardest part for me was getting started. I had never written anything that I ever intended to finish before this novel. I was so nervous I must have rewritten the first chapter seven or eight times before it was finished. Once I got going, I feel like the rest flowed pretty organically. I experienced some writer’s block, but not much. The first draft only took around seventy-five days to write.

Will you write others in this same genre? I plan on finishing the JC Mather trilogy up and will definitely continue to write young adult fiction. As long as my wife reads it, I will continue to write it. That being said, I have some serious ideas for a few things outside the YA realm as well.

Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp? I want readers to make that judgment for themselves. I have talked to a few different people who have taken completely different things away from the book. The exciting part is when someone gets something from the book that I didn’t even realize myself. Makes rereading my writing even more exciting.