Indie April Interview: J Meyers, Author of Intangible

Today's Indie April Authors are Jennifer Krey, author of The Hollow of Mont Noir (review here) and J. Meyers, author of Intangible (review here).


J. Meyers has answered a few questions about herself, her book and her experience with self publishing. Dudes, this lady is awesome, her book is awesome and this interview is awesome!

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Hi J, Thanks for taking part in Indie April!

Thanks so much, Jade! I'm thrilled to be a part of it. :D :D

Can you tell us a bit about yourself?

To the depth of my soul I am someone who must create, and that shows up in every aspect of my life. I've been an actor, singer, portrait artist, and writer in my professional life. I love to bake, sew, and knit when I'm not reading or writing. And I'm creating the life I want to live with my husband and four very fabulous young kids.

Can you describe Intangible in three words?

Gifted teen twins

What makes Intangible unique?

I think one thing that makes it different is that the most significant relationship in the book is the twin bond between Sera and Luke. It also takes some unexpected twists and turns, and the humans are not helpless against the paranormals for a change.

(It's true, this book is so exciting and emotional)

Who is your favourite character in Intangible and why?

Oh dear. I don't have a favourite. I really, really don't. :-) But I will tell you why I love Sera. She's intelligent, funny, and strong. Sometimes she needs help, sometimes she's doing the saving. She makes mistakes and does stupid things for the right reasons (and sometimes the wrong reasons), just like everyone. She has a good heart and a really fantastic gift--one that I'd take in a heartbeat.

(I love Sera too!)

Why did you choose to go the self-publishing route?

When I started writing Intangible, I pictured myself going traditional. But with the digital revolution and all the changes that stirred up in the publishing industry, it no longer made sense to do that. So almost a year ago, I made the decision to not query any agents and go indie instead. I will be honest and tell you that it felt very scary at first. But the more I thought about it, the more I read about it, the more it made sense to me to do it myself. It made better business sense to me, and while writing books is my craft, it is also my business. And I'm so happy to have done it myself, to be in control of my career. It's a great place to be. :-)

(I have so much respect for authors like J, who choose to take a scary route and take control!)

Was it difficult to self-publish, can you tell us about that experience?

I wouldn't say it was difficult, but it's definitely been a LOT of work. I am lucky in that I've worked in publishing for many, many years (as a freelance proofreader, copy editor, and writer) so I am well versed in all the steps a book goes through between when the writing is finished to publication. That's given me a huge advantage in being able to create a polished book. I'm grateful to have that knowledge and experience because I know the importance of an editor, a copy editor, a proof reader. And I know that the proofreader absolutely must be someone who hasn't already read the book. You need fresh eyes on the manuscript to spot those little mistakes that are so easy to miss when you've read it over and over again.

I also learned the immense benefit of beta readers--something I was not familiar with before. I kept seeing writers thanking their beta readers, and had to look it up to see what it meant. And I'm so glad I did. Betas, if you don't know, are people who read your book once it's as good as you can make it (so, definitely not your first draft!) and give feedback about what's wrong with it, what's missing, what's not working. This is a crucial step in putting out a quality book, and one that should never be skipped. (Make sure you do it before the proofreading! Proofreading is the absolute last step before you click Publish.) I had about 8 beta readers. They each approached the book differently, they saw different things wrong with it, and their suggestions were always right on. I could not believe the difference in my book between pre-betas and post-betas, after I made all the changes from their feedback. Huge difference! It was a much better book by far, fuller, rounder, more complete.

Are you a big reader of young adult fiction yourself?

Oh my goodness, yes! It's just about all I read--the only other things I read is some MG fiction and some non-fiction books that pertain to my life (like parenting books--I'm on a constant quest to be a better parent). I *love* YA fiction. I fell in love with it about three or four years ago. I read a ton of YA as I percolated the idea for this book. I think YA is truly the best writing and most creative work out there right now.

What books being released this year are you dying to get your hands on?

I'm so very excited to read Kristin Cashore's Bitterblue. I *loved* her previous two books, and am really excited for it!
(Oh my gosh! Me too!)

Thanks so much for taking part, any last things you'd like to say to the readers?

If you've made it this far through the interview, thank you! :-) And if any of you read Intangible I hope that you really enjoy it. Please come by my site and say hi. (www.jmeyersbooks.com) I'm loving getting to know readers from all over the world--that's the coolest thing to come out of writing this book. And thanks again, Jade! You totally rock. :-)