Be AFRAID of JA Konrath

JA Konrath, author of the Lt. Jacqueline “Jack” Daniels thriller series, busts out his “serious horror chops” (says Publishers Weekly) with his new novel: AFRAID, written under the pseudonym Jack Kilborn, debuts March 31st. It’s a pleasure to host a stop along his blog tour.

Keep reading to see what JA Konrath has to say about the author/editor relationship and to learn his secret superpower… No, not the ability to scare the pants off us with his writing—his SECRET superpower!

JK: Thanks for having me here, Gabrielle.

GH: Thanks for stopping by, Joe!

How important is a writer’s rapport with his editor? What builds that relationship? What weakens it?

JK: This is a great question, because very often you’ll be at odds with your editor.

The thing to remember is that she wants to get your best, and wants your book to be the best. It may be at odds with what you think is best for your book, but she probably reads more than you do, and likely knows better.

Some basic human nature comes into play as well. If an editor makes a suggestion, and you follow that suggestion, she now has a vested interest in your book, because she contributed to it. That means she’ll fight harder for it, champion it at sales and marketing meetings, talk it up to everyone within earshot.

In other words, the best thing you can do is listen to and work with your editor to strengthen that relationship. The worst thing you can do is argue with her. That’s a no win situation.

You don’t have to be subservient. But respect goes a long way.

GH: Everyone has their own pet mistakes they make as a writer—words or phrases they use too often or frequently misspell. What are yours, how do you become aware of them, and how do you defend against them? By changing your writing habits, or going back in with awareness of them when you edit?

JK: I like beginning stories with dialog, using action instead of speaker attribution, and starting sentences with “And.”

None of them are considered good form. And I frankly don’t care, so I keep doing them. If you make mistakes often enough, they aren’t mistakes any more. They’re style.

GH: What was the first book you sold? What was the difference between it and the manuscripts that you’d written before it?

JK: I wrote nine novels before finally selling number ten. The first five were lousy. The next four weren’t bad, but they couldn’t find publishers. Publishing, even though people won’t admit it, is largely based on luck. Get the right book in front of the right editor at the right time, you’ll have a sale.

Have you ever read a bestseller that you thought was crummy? That’s proof talent isn’t much of a factor in sales.

If you’d like to read some of my unpublished books and judge for yourself whether they deserved to sell or not, they’re available as downloads on my website for free.

GH: What have the benefits and pitfalls of using a pen name been for
you? Has creating a separation in your work by genre been a help or a
hindrance? How do you feel about “secret identity” pen names?

JK: AFRAID, my first pen name novel (my pseudonym for that book is Jack Kilborn) comes out at the end of March, so I don’t know yet if a pen name was a good idea or a bad idea.

My wife thinks it’s a good idea, because now she gets to sleep with two different men.

Because AFRAID is horror, and my JA Konrath books are a mixture of humor and scares, I thought it would be a smart idea to use a new name and crack a new demographic. We’ll see if horror fans embrace the book. It will also be interesting to see if Jack Daniels fans (she’s my series character, and I write those thrillers, all named after drinks, under the name JA Konrath) will embrace the horror novel.

Best case scenario involves a lot of embracing.

GH: Speaking of secret identities, what’s your superhero name and what
are your powers?

JK: I knew you were going to ask that, because I have the superhuman ability to see eight seconds into the future.

The secret of a good series is to keep things similar, but dynamic. Readers love the familiarity of reoccurring characters. It’s like visiting old friends. But they also like for things to be shaken up and chance. That’s why I killed a longtime character at the end of Fuzzy Navel, my last Jack Daniels book.

However, I didn’t say who died, because I didn’t want to get any hate mail.

There’s a poll on my website, with readers voting who died.

GH: What are the qualities that a series needs to keep readers wanting
the next book?

JK: I answered that eight seconds ago.

GH: Who would you want to see portray you in a movie?

JK: I’d love to pick someone really cool, like George Clooney. But it would wind up being Jack Black.

GH: Will electronic and audio formats ever replace physical dead-tree books?

JK: Yes. CDs are dying. Newspapers are dying. Books will die as well. Digital formats keep getting better and cheaper.

The only thing that will never be replaced by a digital version is beer.

GH: One space after a period, or two?

JK: One space. And no spaces between periods in ellipsis…

GH: You’ve got a busy month of blog-touring ahead of you! What’s your
cure for jetlag?

JK: Jetlag is a myth, like writer’s block and insomnia and a GOP majority.

Now I’ve got a question for you. I’ve got the first few chapters of AFRAID posted on www.JackKilborn.com. Does it scare you and make you want to rush out and buy 15 copies of the book? Or does it make you wonder why you offered to interview me in the first place?

You actually don’t have to answer. I knew what you’d say eight seconds ago…

While I’m not a fast enough reader to go through three chapters in eight seconds, it did only take about eight seconds for me to start squirming in my seat. AFRAID is a page-turner that will keep you reading, even if you’re reading through the tiny peekhole you’re pretending not to leave open between your fingers when you cover your eyes; those three chapters went by way too quickly and left me clawing at my screen for more.

Do go and read the first few chapters of AFRAID, but first, turn on all the lights in your home and make sure your sweetheart’s accounted for. Seriously, this is damn good writing, but it’s not for the faint of heart. Jack Kilborn turns your own imagination against you and makes it your unapologetic worst enemy, just like good horror should. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

After you finish, preorder AFRAID on amazon.com. Also check out JA Konrath’s website and A Newbie’s Guide to Publishing, his excellent and inspiring blog.

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