Today I'd like to welcome Julie Spencer! Tell us a little about yourself.
Greetings from the geographic center of
Michigan (there’s a sign and everything!).
I write New Adult Clean Contemporary
General Fiction with a Christian twist, the most narrow, barely-existent genre
that really only exists in my warped little world.
I am regularly accused of being a
machine who doesn’t sleep, a side-effect from having bipolar disorder - but I’m
well-medicated, so it’s okay.
I write almost constantly and usually
have half a dozen works-in-progress at any given time. I have eight books
available on Amazon, one more that is in the final stages of editing, and
several more that are ‘close’ to being done.
In my spare time I work a full time job
as the Administrator of the Gratiot (County) Conservation District helping
people with natural resource concerns (such as soil erosion/sedimentation,
watershed management planning, pollution prevention, computer mapping, and
wildlife habitat restoration).
I’m also a wife and mother to two
teenagers and one married daughter who is in graduate school. I teach Sunday
school, read avidly, blog, write book reviews, and one of my strange bucket
list items includes going on a tornado chase.
There, now you know how strange I am!
Let’s rock! –Julie L. Spencer
Will you share a short excerpt from your novel with us.
“What instrument would
you like to play today?” Mr. Hayworth asked Ian as he walked into class.
“I’m feeling the snare
drum,” Ian replied, rubbing his chin as if contemplating.
“Oh good, you can help
our new kid learn the ropes.”
Ian turned toward the
back of the room where Gary poked around in the percussion section. “It’s
Gary.”
“Great! You’ve already
met.” Mr. Hayworth clapped him on the shoulder, effectively nudging Ian in the
direction of the drums.
Ian approached the back
of the room, apprising Gary as he did. The kid’s sullen expression, and the way
his dark brown hair hung low over his eyes, hinted at a troubled past. But Ian
wasn’t concerned about his mysterious new pal. He wanted to know the important
details. “How long you been playing?”
Gary startled, but he
regarded Ian. “Since I can remember. You?”
“I don’t know.” Ian
sauntered around a snare drum and picked up a set of sticks. “…A while…” Ian
twirled one of the sticks in his right hand, challenging Gary with his eyes and
a tiny smirk.
Gary answered Ian’s smirk
with narrowed eyes and stepped around the opposite snare. He didn’t bother with
the sticks next to the drum, but pulled his own set out of his jacket pocket.
They were beautiful, with just the right amount of wear but none of the dents and
scratches of the practice sticks. Ian gulped, envious of his new dueler.
“You first,” Gary said.
Ian didn’t even think as
his sticks flew in an intricate rhythm he was sure could never be matched. He
never broke eye contact with Gary.
He played for a full
minute before stopping, expertly crisscrossing the sticks and holding them
steady.
Gary held Ian’s eyes and
copied the complicated pattern of beats as if they’d been laid out in front of
him on a sheet of music. He ended in a similar manner and raised his eyebrows.
“You go first this time,”
Ian said.
They still hadn’t broken
eye contact. Ian sensed they’d drawn the attention of other students in the
band room. Gary changed up the rhythm and added some complexity, challenging
Ian to rise to his level. Ian held his own as he copied Gary’s pattern.
When he was nearly
finished, Ian nodded just slightly in invitation, and Gary’s sticks flew along
with Ian’s almost as if they were copying each other in perfect synchronicity.
It only took a few seconds to realize they were playing the drum solo from Welcome
to the Jungle by Guns N’ Roses. It was just simple enough to be an easy
duel for the talented young drummers, but complex enough to be quite impressive
to their growing audience. They played through to the end of the solo, and Ian
reached over and rolled a simple crescendo on the cymbal.
The entire band room erupted in applause, and amidst the
chaos, Ian and Gary reached across and shook one another’s hands. Their smirks
had become full grins. He wrapped his arm around Gary’s shoulder and turned to
Kai, who stood beside Andy. An unspoken understanding sparked in their eyes.
The four young men regarded one another. Something big shifted in Ian’s
life. “Mates, I’ve got a brilliant
idea.”
What brought about the idea for this
book?
My world is strongly
influenced by music and I love listening to music almost as much as I love
reading. I remember the day Buxton Peak sprang to life was the day I woke early
and drove to Target to buy the special edition copy of One Direction’s CD
called Made in the A.M. The version I purchase had a large photo of Niall Horan
and I looked into his eyes and saw Ian Taylor. Ian’s story started swirling
around in my brain and I went home and typed feverishly for weeks trying to get
his story out of my head and into my computer. His story became an epic
collection of interwoven tales of him and his three best mates, then eventually
the women they love and marry, as well as new characters who enter their lives
later in the series. The final collection will be close to 200,000 words!
Currently, what are you working on?
Buxton Peak: London
Bridges is in the final editing stages and should be published sometime in
March of 2018. This novella is a spinoff from the original trilogy and a bridge
between books two and three, featuring a couple of the minor characters from
the rest of the series. I’m also working on pulling together Buxton Peak: The
Complete Collection which will feature enough bonus material to fill another
whole novella, if the material were in chronological order. There are many
other projects on my horizon that have nothing to do with the Buxton Peak
series, including two romantic comedies, several children’s stories, a few more
serious adult stories, and several non-fiction projects. I’d say “One thing at
a time,” but it’s usually several irons in the fire all at the same time and I
work on whichever project fits my mood on a particular day. I now have eight
books on my shelf with my name on them, so it must be working for me.
Tell us a little bit about your main
characters
Ian Taylor is the main character in my Buxton Peak series.
He was a child prodigy and devoted musician who started a rock band, called
Buxton Peak, with his three best friends. He wasn’t prepared for the negative
lifestyle into which he was thrust as the rocketed to stardom. His mates got
caught up in the party scene and Ian felt powerless to stop them. As he grew up
Ian felt God calling him to serve as a missionary and he stepped away from his
music for two years. His absence tore apart the band, and the guys were
devastated. They all grew up in those two years and the dynamic of the band was
changed. It took a lot of effort to pull things back together, and the guys had
to learn to love each other through all their faults.
What has been the best compliment you
have received?
From one of my reviews on Amazon for my
novel, The Cove: “It's rare that a book surprises me but this one did. All my
predictions for how this story would go turned out to be wrong. Some very unexpected
twists and turns kept me turning the pages.”
kThat's a great one. I don't like being predictable so I love to hear about it when I surprise the reader. Julie, what kind of research do you do
before you start a new story?
I don’t usually do research ‘before’ I
start a story. I usually have a dream or an idea and then I start writing.
Eventually I run into a challenge and I mostly use Google to find the answers.
I particularly love Google Maps. If I think
I know where I want my characters to go, I start searching that area of the
map. I usually find cool restaurants and hotels and resorts and recreational
activities, places to go rock climbing or walk on the beach. Sometimes
searching on Google Maps takes my story in an entirely new direction – no pun
intended. Okay, maybe a little pun intended. Google Maps also has reviews for
just about everything and I ‘borrow’ the words of the reviews. That restaurant
had “The best lentil soup I’ve ever eaten!” or “That place was a dive! The
hotel rooms were filthy and there was no free Wifi.” I also use YouTube videos
to do research. Through YouTube I’ve been backstage at concerts, learned to
surf, and toured London.
I wonder what authors did before the internet. We have such fantastic resources at our fingertips. Do you have people read your drafts
before you publish? How do you select beta readers?
I believe in having as
many people read my stories as possible. Everyone who reads them picks up
something different. I also don’t believe in a ‘rough draft’. If a beta reader
finds a typo or missing word or wrong comma placement, I appreciate knowing
that. I know a lot of authors think just the opposite. They don’t wants edits
or proofreading until they are completely done making changes because the text
‘might’ get taken out so there’s no reason to edit during the draft stage. I’ve
seen those same authors get hounded in Amazon reviews by readers who found
obvious typos. As far as where I find my beta readers, I’d say: anywhere! I
have a few key critique groups where I regularly interact such as LDS Beta
Readers, Christian Women Critique Partners and Beta Readers, Clean Indie Reads,
Indie Author Hub, my street team, and friends & family. Anyone who will sit
down long enough to read my story is graciously welcomed.
Julie, how do you handle criticism when it
comes to your writing?
I’ve had some seriously harsh critique at times including “I hate
your main character,” to “You story has no structure,” and everything in
between. I have grown duck feathers and let them roll off my back. Almost every
harsh criticism from a beta reader has helped me to become a better writer.
It can be hard sometimes, we just have to remember we can't please everyone. I love getting the harsh critiques from my beta readers. That's when their is still time to make changes and see if their is merit to their feedback. It's a lot harder though when it comes from readers. Is there something you learned from
writing your first book?
The cover is almost the most difficult, yet most important aspect
of publishing. I had a vision of a beautiful lake for the cover of my first
novel because it was called The Cove. But that didn’t accurately portray the
story. It’s a love story. When I met a lady who is now my critique partner and
cover designer, she gave me some suggestions and then designed me a completely
new cover. It’s beautiful. I almost cried when I first saw it. I sold a lot
more copies after I put on the new cover.
It's amazing what the right cover can do! I had the same experience when I changed the cover to The Portal Keeper. Julie thanks for stopping by and sharing with us. Be sure to check out Buxton Peak and learn more about Julie at the links below. Happy Reading!!
Twitter account: @juliespencer98
Website: AuthorJulieSpencer.com
Blog: Opinions
Are Just That
YouTube Channel: www.youtube.com/user/jspencer1998
Email: juliespencer1998@gmail.com
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