Interviu J.A. London / J.A. Interview

JA London

ROMANIAN

1. Ce v-a determinat să începeţi a scrie?

A: Suna ca un cliche, dar scrisul „m-a gasit” pe mine. De cand am scris prima mea propozitie, nu m-am mai oprit. Scrisul ma ajuta la explorarea lumii, atat realitatea cat si imaginarul si locul meu in ele.

J: Experienta mea a fost asemanatoare. Din momentul in care am descoperit puterea cuvintelor, tot continui sa scriu.

2. Ce credeţi despre seria “Darkness Before Dawn”?

J&A: O iubim. Personajele din carte sunt bogate si au o viata a lor. Ce am vrut noi sa facem a fost o poveste care s-ar putea spune DOAR cu aceste personaje, si speram ca am si reusit.

3. Aveţi vreun talent despre care noi nu ştim?

A: Pot sa jonglez. Desi nu recomand acest talent in timp ce conduci.

J: Nu am talente secrete.

4. Dacă aţi putea fi un super-erou, care ar fi acela?

A: Batman. Nu datorita banilor sau a puterilor, ci pentru ca povestea lui este mult mai interesanta si asta cauta un autor in cineva, o poveste speciala.

J: Sa fiu o mama este destul de eroic pentru mine.

5. Descrieţi-vă în trei cuvinte…

J&A: Specie umana umila

6. Care dintre cărţile de până acum a fost cel mai greu de conceput?

J&A: Numai prima carte a fost publicata, dar a fost destul de dificil de scris. E intotdeauna greu sa scri o prima carte dintr-o serie deoarece nu trebuie sa intri prea mult in detalii, dar nici sa faci ca acestea sa lipseasca. De asemenea, sa gasesti o nota si un ton pentru intreaga serie este dificil si provocator si totul incepe inca de la prima pagina.

7. De care carte sunteţi cea mai mândră că ati citit-o?

A: „The Thief of Always”. Cred ca a fost prima mea „carte mare” pe care am citit-o cand eram copil. Chiar daca acum cand ma uit la ea nu este deloc mare, as putea-o citi in vreo doua ture, cand eram copil m-am simtit mandru.

J: „Surprise!” este titlul primei carti pe care am citit-o. A fost o carte simpla cu poze si propozitii scurte. Imi amintesc cat de mandra am fost ca am citit-o fara nici un ajutor.

8. Aveti vreun autor care v-a inspirat?

A: Clive Barker, care a scris „Thief of Always” a fost capabil sa construiasca o lume care reflecta caracterele personajelor. Am vrut sa fac si eu asta cu personajele din carte, sper ca am reusit.

J: Nora Roberts. Ea a publicat mai mult de 200 de carti si intotdeauna produce opere de calitate, o poveste buna si niste personaje grozave.

9. Ceva gânduri pentru fanii români?

J&A: Amintiti-va: scrieti cartea pe care ati vrea VOI sa o cititi, nu cartea pe care ar vre-o altcineva. Primul public sunteti voi.

Darkness before dawn series

ENGLISH

1. What determined you to start writing?

A: It sounds cliche, but writing "found" me. And as soon as I typed my first sentence, it's never let go. Writing helps me explore the world, both the real and imaginary, and my place in it.

J: My experience was similar. From the moment I discovered the wonder of words, I’ve been writing.

2. How do you feel about "Darkness Before Dawn" series?

J&A: We love it. The world and the characters inhabiting it are rich and have a life of their own. What we really wanted was a story that could ONLY be told with these characters, and we hope we accomplished that.

3. Do you have any secret talent that we don't know about?

A: I can juggle. Though I don't recommend doing it while writing.

J: No secret talents.

4. If you could be a superhero, who would you be?

A: Batman. Not for his money or powers (or lack thereof), but because his story is the most interesting, and that's what writers really look for in someone.

J: Being a mom is superhero enough for me.

5. Describe yourself in 3 words.

J&A: Humble human being.

6. What released book was the most difficult to write?

J&A: Only the first book has been released, but it was by far the most difficult to write. It's always hard writing the first book of a series, because if you go into too much detail about the world it sounds like a textbook. But if you fail to describe enough then the reader it just confused. Also, finding the right tone and voice for the entire series was very difficult and challenging, and it all starts on page one of the first book.

7. What book are you proudest to have read?

A: The Thief of Always. I think it was the first "big book" I read as a kid. Even though when I look at it now, it's not big at all, and I could read it in one or two sittings, it still felt like a big accomplishment when I put it down all those years ago.

J: Surprise! is the title of the first book I ever read on my own. It was a picture book with simple sentences. I remember how proud I felt that I hadn’t needed any help.

8. Do you have any author who inspired you?

A: Clive Barker, who wrote the Thief of Always, was able to paint a world that felt like a reflection of the characters. I wanted to do that with Darkness before Dawn, and I hope I achieved that.

J: Nora Roberts. She’s published more than 200 books and always produces quality writing, a good story, and great characters.

9. Any advice or tips for romanian fans?

J&A: Remember: write the book that YOU would want to read, not the book someone else would want to. The first audience is you.