Monthly Archives: February 2012

I have a special treat for all of you today. J Meyers, the author of Intangible, has joined me for a chat. We met online after I reviewed her short, Intuition, and I have enjoyed getting to know her.

If you missed my review of Intangible, you can catch up here. Now, I’ll turn it over to J.

1. How long have you been writing?

I’m not someone who’s always known they wanted to be a writer, who has been writing or making up stories since birth. I hated writing when I was in school, never had any confidence in my ability, never felt like I knew how to do it. When I got to college I avoided it at all costs.

But in my late twenties I took a writing class—under duress, it must have been—and I fell in love with it. It was a class on personal writing, non-fiction writing, telling your own stories. Not journaling, but writing out your experiences as personal essays.

It was an empowering way to write because I was writing from a place of full-knowledge, where I was the expert on the subject. I didn’t have to research anything and try to put together other people’s ideas. I didn’t have to totally create the story out of thin air. I knew what had happened, how it felt, what it looked, tasted, smelled, or sounded like. And I was finally able to understand how to craft a story. I finally felt confident in my ability to do it well. I’d always had a deep love of words and word play—that I can claim to have had since childhood—but I finally fell in love with writing. That was about fourteen years ago.

2. What was the first thing you wrote that told you yes, I could be a writer?

For years I worked as a freelance copyeditor and proofreader for big publishers as well as in educational texts as a freelance writer, but I didn’t truly feel like a writer. Then I was asked to write a proposal for a kids’ writing book for a big publisher, a project that really excited me at the time. I had so many ideas for it, did a bunch of research, came up with an outline for the book, put together a full proposal for a really fantastic book . . . and then the person driving it left the company to go out on her own and they scrapped all her projects.

It was a bummer, for sure. But that’s when I knew. I was a writer.

3. What was your inspiration for Intangible?

Strangely, it was a combination of Reiki (an energy healing therapy) and superheroes. Reiki inspired Sera’s healing ability, and I thought it would be interesting if she not only healed people but she also accidentally transformed some creatures into another form—a good way to get into trouble.

Then I was flipping through these amazing superhero books we have—the Marvel and DC encyclopedias put out by DK, so cool—and was reading all the interesting powers that the different characters have had over the years. And I thought wouldn’t it be cool if there were these teens who were showing up all over the world with special powers?

And it took off from there.

4. In 5 words or less, describe the type of writer you are.

Write fast & freely, edit later.

5. If you could have one do-over, what would it be?

I’m not sure there is anything I’d want to do over, to do differently, because everything I have done, every choice I’ve made in my life—good or bad—has led me to where I am. Right here. And it’s very good to be here.

6. Any final thoughts?

Thank you so much, Cate, for the support. I so very much appreciate all you’ve done and I’m really looking forward to reading your novella when it’s out!

Thank you, J, for taking the time to stop by today. It has been a real pleasure. And you will be the first to get a copy of my novella.

If you haven’t done so already, go get a copy of Intangible. It is an absorbing read, with a rich world and characters you will fall for. You can get your copy here.

And just a heads-up – there will be no Pay it Forward Friday this week. I’m working on my new website, which will officially go up on Tuesday. *squee!* Yes, I do that sometimes. Come on back and check it out!

Until next time – read on.

~Cate