Hello lovelies! My first post of the day is a fantastic Q&A with Jim Ody as part of the blog tour for his latest book Noah’s Lament but first a little about the book:
Title: Noah’s Lament by Jim Ody
Date Published: 15th August 2019
Genre: Young Adult
Description:
Noah Thomas is seventeen and his world is flawless. He’s handsome, his grades are great
and he’s in love with his best friend Rosie. All is perfect until his dad is caught having an affair with Rosie’s mum.
Unable to cope, his mum runs back to America to a place called Escape; taking him with her. Now, broken hearted in a foreign country, he’s no longer the popular ace student and is struggling to fit in.
Tahli is a troubled soul. Dark and mysterious, she attaches herself to Noah. Instead of finding his feet, he thinks he’s losing his mind. Slowly, he begins to spiral out of control.
In the place that everybody escapes to, could Noah be the first to have a reason to get away?
Q&A with Jim Ody:
1. Where did the inspiration for Noah’s Lament come from?
The interesting thing about Noah’s Lament is that I had defined parameters. This is #28 of a long running series set in the Colorado town of Escape. This meant that there was a lot of information that I had to be mindful of in regards to lay out, and business owners and locals. I had free rein for the genre, and story content, but everything else had to fit nicely into the series.
At first, I found this a daunting task, but as the story evolved, I became less worried about the details, and more about intertwining the backstory. This was the first time I had a go at writing a YA novel. I was careful to keep to my usual dark style, whilst watering down the content so as it could be in secondary school libraries.
2. If you could describe your book in one sentence what would it be?
A dark take on the a-fish-out-of-water scenario, with a bit of a twist.
3. Out of all the characters in Noah’s Lament, did you have a favourite to write?
Stevie is a great character. He is the new next-door neighbor to Noah in Escape. He is a nerd who instantly sees Noah as a hero. When he gets angry he shouts, “Flat White!” instead of a profanity.
4. What is your favourite genre to write and why?
I touch on many genres, but most are shoot-offs of dark psychological/thrillers. I love to lead the reader, and then whip them around when an unexpected ending. I deal in the relationships of people, as they are so fascinating. Humans do such strange things depending on what their goal is. I observe and use the characters I see in real life to help tell my stories.
5. What is a typical writing day like for you?
I work full time as a Business Analyst, and have three children, therefore my writing starts usually at about 8:30pm. I write for about two hours. It might be new chapters of going back over the writing from the night before. I’ve got into the habit of doing this every day of the week (apart from Saturdays as I tend to watch boxing!).
6. If you could recommend just one book to read what would it be and why?
This is a very hard question. I’m sure my answer would change every six months. Currently, I love You by Caroline Kepnes. I think the raw observational narrative is a good example of exceptional writing. I would also add The Bottoms by Joe R Lansdale as it’s thought-provoking, touching, and funny telling the tales of turn or the century America where money allowed the rich to bully the poor, racism and sexism was accepted, and yet a poor family, does it’s best to get through it. Wonderful emotive writing.
7. Who are your favourite authors?
Again, I have many. The two I’ve mentioned (Caroline Kepnes & Joe R Lansdale), also Dean Koontz, and CJ Skuse. I have to stop there because once I get started, I cannot stop. I enjoy authors who are not scared to push boundaries and who have a unique voice.
8. Tell me something interesting about yourself (that’s not in your author bio!)
I play the drums. I’m self-taught and have played them since I was seventeen (a long time ago!), I even played a couple of gigs! I am a huge fan of music, but it’s the beats and rhythm that I really feel. I listen to music to calm me down when I am feeling anxious. At work, if I cannot put music on then you will see me spinning my pen like a drum stick. I’ve perfected three different ways to spin them.
9. What are you currently working on?
I’ll keep this brief. I have a book called Mr Watcher coming out in November (this is a cross between You and Eyes Wide Shut), then another book coming out in January called The Revenge of Lisa Lipstick (This is a dark revenge vigilante/thriller). However, I’m currently writing a book called The Loss. This is about an accident that affects the lives of three people forever. The story deals with the effects of each character, and eventually comes back in full circle, as we find out the whole truth. Then, I have a more adventure/thriller called Mystery Island, which is about the relationship of a couple who go looking for buried treasure only to end up on an island that holds a huge secret. I expect to release at least five books in the next twelve months.
10. Is there a question you’d wished I’d asked and what is the answer?
Perhaps, What do you like most about writing? My answer is: I write books to produce stories that I want to read. I love to think that these stories are now available for others to enjoy too. I really love seeing people add my books to Goodreads. It makes it all worth it every time I read reviews, either good or bad. The fact that somebody has invested their time in to reading my books is great.
About The Author:
Jim was first published in an English School Textbook in 1987. He won a competition to draw a dog-walking machine. Having won an art competition the year before, he felt that at the age of
For 10 years Jim wrote for a number of websites reviewing and interviewing bands in his own unique way, as well as contributing dark poems and comedic features.
He writes dark psychological/thrillers that have endings that you won’t see coming, and favours stories packed with wit. He has written three novels and a novella all released by Crazy Ink. He has also contributed to around a dozen anthologies. He has a new book called ‘Mr Watcher’ coming very soon!
Jim has a very strange sense of humour and is often considered a little odd. When not writing he will be found playing the drums, watching football and eating chocolate. He lives with his long-suffering wife and three beautiful children in Swindon, Wiltshire UK.
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