WATCH OUT: J.Morgan

I want to welcome you all to another edition of Watch Out. This week I’m excited to bring you a very special guest author J Morgan. Not only a fantastic author but a good friend of mine.

Welcome to Watch Out, J, it is so great to have you here.

Thanks. It’s great to be here, but are the pink fuzzy handcuffs really necessary? I’ve got an itch.

For you they always are..LOL

For the readers out there who might not know about you or your work, can you please tell them a little about yourself.

I am an author who loves to make people laugh at the things go bump in the night. No, I’m not talking about your Aunt Em and Uncle Irv, unless they’re werewolves. Then I guess I am talking about them. Since, 2007 or so, I’ve written about everything from ghosts to Vampires and even based my most favorite character on a certain blog hosting author.

Hmmm, now who could that be?

Your tag line on your site says “Romance straight from the Funny Bone”, what made you decide to write romantic comedies?

When I started writing, I was told to write about what you love. And, I love romantic comedies. So, it was a no-brainer to write them. Seriously though, with so much blech going on in the world, I would rather make people laugh and forget about their troubles, than remind readers of them through the course of a book. Reading is about escaping the real world and that’s what I hope I offer readers in my books.

Can you tell us a little about your current releases?

J.Morgan

I actually have two at the moment. Immortally Yours from Desert Breeze Publishing is my first foray into Urban Fantasy and is the story of Chase Micheals, a Greek soldier cursed to live forever. Fast forward a few thousand years and he’s teamed up with a half-vampire to become a detective. Hot on the trail of a missing woman, Chase finds himself in the middle of something much bigger. Something of fairy tale proportions with his very own fairy princess in the form of Belle Gardner to save. Before it’s over he will discover if cursed to live forever will save him from dying or from falling in love.

The second is Kiss Me Kate, available in the Borealis Anthology from Desert Breeze Publishing. It’s set in a far flung future where in ‘Space no one can hear you laugh!’ This is my first foray into Sci-Fi and I love it. The story revolves around a prince who goes to the one person in the galaxy who can turn a fop into a warrior. Just so happens, Kate gets more for his creds than lessons in manhood. He gets a first class lesson in love.

The publishing industry is constantly changing; do you think that eBooks will one day make paperback books nonexistent?

One day, but no time soon, if that makes any sense. We live on the cusp of a brand new world, both technologically and environmentally. Right now, I don’t see print totally disappearing just because of ebooks, mainly because so many of us grew up reading bound books but one day our kids or grandchildren will look back on print and laugh. Ebooks offer an ease of reading that print just can’t in a single format. For me personally, I love having an entire library at my fingertips wherever I am. Not to mention the ability to enlarge the font. Yes, my eyesight is getting that bad.

What influences the topics, and genre’s that you pick to write a story in?

My friends, mostly. I am a well-known observer of people. I think that’s an important part of being a writer. I can’t tell you how many stories have come about from random conversations with friends or just eavesdropping on conversations waiting in line at the store. As I said earlier, one of my all time favorite characters came from talking to someone in a chat window. I can honestly say in part, my Love Bites series started in that chat window and more importantly Savannah Marshall, Vampire Slayer was born.

When you first got into writing and trying to get published, what did your family think of it? Were they supportive?

My wife, Jenna, was very supportive. She’s an author herself, so encouraged me to write and to buy a computer of my own, because she was tired of me using hers. My daughter Morgan just thought I was being weird again. So, yeah, they were behind me a 100%.

One thing readers might be surprised to know about you?

I’m a guy. Still, after 4 years of writing most people assume I’m a woman.

Do you find it difficult being a male writing romance in a genre mainly dominated by female authors?

Aside from the thinking I’m a woman, no. Romance readers are the greatest in the world. They don’t judge an author based on sex. They just want a fantastic story and I really don’t think it matters to them whether a man or woman writes it, as long as it’s good. Response to my books have been so amazing, I have to believe I’ve given readers stories they can’t forget.

Your favourite part about being a writer?

Meeting people. Readers, other authors, it doesn’t matter. To me that is the greatest part of being an ebook author. You get to meet readers more readily than I think you could as a print author. Then again, print authors are embracing the online outlets that e-authors have been using for years. So, if you read one of my books and like it, feel free to come find me on Facebook. I’d love to hear from you.

Any interesting writing quirks you might have?

My entire approach to writing involves quirks. The TV must be on. I have to have at least 2 chat windows open to better steal people’s lives and personality. Oh, and if at all possible, I must avoid actually writing until it’s time for me to go to bed. That leaves me 30 minutes of writing out of 4 hours of computer time. Man, how do I manage to get a book done?

What are you currently reading?

The Fall by Chuck Hogan and Guillermo Del Toro. An amazing book about Vampires that has me looking in the shadows for the blood sucking fiends.

Being published and seeing everything that goes on in the publishing industry would you get into trying to get published if you had the chance to do it all over again?

Absolutely! If for no other reason that to meet you, Savannah.

Aww, J you are amazing. Being your friend has been a blessing. You have been so supportive throughout my own career. Thank you.

What do you think sets your stories apart from other authors?

My ability to turn the ordinary into something funny. In my books, I try to stay as true to human nature as I can. Sure, it’s exaggerated but at the most basic level, I write about things we can all relate to. My heroes and heroines aren’t plastic people without any faults. They are riddled with them just like the rest of us. Sure, they might be a Vampire or a werewolf, but at their heart, they’re human. Let me tell you I can identify more with a pudgy werewolf than I can a 7 foot tall steel ab-ed superhero.

As a published author what do you think makes a good story?

Anything that can draw you in from the first line and keep you hanging on for dear life until the last line. There’s no definite answer to this. It’s different for every reader and to me that answer up there is the only one that’s right for everyone without getting into specifics.

What do you do in your spare time when you are not bringing to life your amazing stories?

What spare time?

Is there anything you’re currently working on that you can give us a taste of?

Right now, I’m trying to wrap up Love Bites Book 4: Lovers of the Lost Stake. I really can’t talk about it. If I do, it might jinx me finishing it, but I will say this. If you love high adventure, romance and Indiana Jones, this book has all that and more.

What is the best advice you ever got with regards to writing?

Write like you’re acting. My secret to writing is immersing myself so deeply into my characters that it’s like more like I’m acting than writing.

What is one pet peeve you have when it comes to publishing?

Seriously, I don’t think I have one.

Any advice for new writers out there?

Never stop writing.

Where can readers find out more about you and your work?

I’ve got a website I randomly forget to update, but for the most update news I can be found haunting Facebook. As for my work, it’s spread out over three amazing publishers. You can pick my books up on their websites, or through Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Sony or Books on Board. Jeez, I’m all over the place.

Before I go, I just have to gush and thank Savannah for having me here today. It has been a pleasure. And, I wish everyone Love, Laughter and Oreos. If you have those three things life just can’t help but get better.

Jmorgan’s Lair

http://www.freewebs.com/jmorganslair/

Facebook

www.facebook.com/JmorganAuthor

Desert Breeze Publishing

Home of the Love Bites and Southern Werewolf Chronicles

http://stores.desertbreezepublishing.com/-strse-template/JMorganBio/Page.bok

Lyrical Press

How Wickerer Can She Go?

http://www.lyricalpress.com/store/index.php?main_page=authors&authors_id=60&zenid=ihqemfs2k0rdkndq7jmpqfl441

Champagne Books

MisStaked and Candy Coated Clown