A double-bill of interviews with top authors today, as we head straight into a chat with the bloody nice Jay Bower; author, Die-Hard Christmas Movie Denier, and lover of eighties horror. Come check him out.
Something Wicked This Way Comes – When did you know you wanted to be an author?
Jay Bower - First of all, thank you so much for this. I really appreciate it. When did I want to be an author? During my first semester in college, I had an inkling that I wanted to write. But I never pursued it. Fast forward until like fifteen years after college and I was encouraged to give it a try by a co-worker at the time because she knew I enjoyed writing, and I could craft a story. So I did. It wasn’t until 2016 that I actually released anything.
SWTWC - Where are you from and where are you now?
JB - I was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio. I moved to rural southern Illinois in the middle of my junior year of high school. Talk about a culture shock! The area grew on me (and I met a girl!) and many, many years later, I’m still here.
SWTWC - What has your life been like so far?
JB - You know, not too bad. We all have our bad moments. I’ve had my share. But I like to think they’ve made me the man I am today. I wish I’d have done a lot of things differently, but all I can do is learn from my mistakes and move on to a better future.
SWTWC - What other jobs have you had?
JB - I’ve been a dishwasher, pizza cook, grocery store clerk, fast-food manager, promotional products sales rep, copy machine sales rep, and university recruiter.
SWTWC - Does writing energize or exhaust you?
JB - Yes. J It does both in equal measure and I love it.
SWTWC - Have you ever gotten reader’s block?
JB - Yeah, for sure. I’m a slow reader and there have been times I wanted to read something, but it just wasn’t working for me. With so many amazing stories to be read, I had to move on. I hate to do that, but I only have so much time.
SWTWC - Did you ever consider writing under a pseudonym?
JB - Great question. Jay Bower is a pseudonym. I write fantasy and sci-fi under a different name, though my love has always been and continues to be horror. It’s where 99.9% of all my writing energy goes. I had to use a different name for…reasons. I’ll just leave it at that.
SWTWC - What other authors are you friends with, and how do they help you become a better writer?
JB - I have so many author friends and I’m thankful for all of them. The closest ones are my writing group, The Forge. All the members write in different genres. They are David Viergutz, Zach Argyle, SA Klopfenstein, and Blake Severson. We meet weekly to critique each other’s work and chat throughout the week on Discord. I met David and Blake in person in Vegas back in 2021. All of us met in person in Vegas this past November for the first time. These guys are instrumental in making me a better writer and marketer of my work.
SWTWC - What authors did you dislike at first but grew into?
JB - Duncan Ralston. That mother fu… Just kidding. I love the guy! He’s been super cool toward me from the beginning. I honestly can’t say I’ve had a bad experience with an author’s work and then they grew on me.
SWTWC - What was an early experience where you learned that language had power?
JB - Growing up, I wasn’t always the nicest to my mom. I said some things that I knew hurt her and I didn’t care. I was immature and selfish back then. But it taught me that words can be more powerful than I ever imagined. My mom and I get along great now and have for a long time. She’s one of my biggest supporters and I can’t thank her enough for introducing me to horror.
SWTWC - How many unpublished and half-finished books do you have?
JB - Let me think…I know I have one unpublished novel that may never see the light of day, and another one that will. Plus, I have maybe 6 unfinished novels. Damn, that’s more than I thought!
SWTWC - What does literary success look like to you?
JB - That my readers want more of my stories. Writing under two names, it’s been difficult to build an audience. This past year has been so good for me and I want to nurture that as much as possible. I respect my readers and want to give them the very best I can.
SWTWC – Where do you get your inspiration?
JB - From weird places! I have a novel coming out with D&T this year that was inspired by a band’s name. I thought it was interesting and the more I thought about it, the more I decided I had a story idea. Other times it can be from conversations with people. For example, my wife and I were swimming at my in-laws and the mosquitos were awful. My wife mentioned that they were God’s useless creatures, and I loved it! I later used the term for the title of my third novel.
SWTWC – How many hours a day do you write?
JB - Maybe one? I know it’s not enough for the goals I have.
SWTWC - Do you read your book reviews? How do you deal with bad or good ones?
JB - Ugh. Yes, I do. It’s a love/hate thing. Some of the bad ones make no sense at all and I can dismiss them. Other bad ones sting at first, but I always try to learn from them. Same with the good ones. I want to learn from the reviews what readers like and don’t like so I can improve my craft moving forward.
SWTWC - Do you hide any secrets in your books that only a few people will find?
JB - Yep. If I told you, would it be a secret? J I have left clues as to my real name in my books. Plus, all my books that are set in Brownsville, Illinois have an easter egg that ties them to my very first book The Dark Sacrifice.
SWTWC - I am a huge horror fan. Mainly of the mid to late 80’s. Do you love horror movies and what is ‘your’ go-to horror era and fave movie?
JB - You and me both, brother! We must be close to the same age. I love all those 80s horror movies. Give me The Toxic Avenger, the original The Hills Have Eyes, and stuff like that all day long.
SWTWC - Favourite cartoons as a kid? What shows made you happy?
JB - Scooby Doo, Transformer, GI Joe, Voltron (the one with the lions). I loved all of ‘em!
SWTWC - Does your family support your career as a writer?
JB - Sort of. My wife is super cool about it and lets me do my thing, though she has yet to read a single book (and with both names, I’ve got like 20 to choose from!) My mom fully supports me and reads everything I write and even sells my signed paperbacks at a farmer’s market in Panama City, Florida!
SWTWC - What are you planning next?
JB - I’m working on a new novel for a March/April release. I’m also close to releasing a Kindle Vella story. For the second half of the year, I’m planning to do a 9 book haunted house-style serial.
SWTWC; Now some quick fire questions, are you ready?
JB - Bring it!
SWTWC – OK, let’s do this….television series or movie?
JB - Movie. My attention span is like a gnat and I rarely get invested in a tv series.
SWTWC – Delivery or sit-down restaurant?
JB - Sit-down. I have some weird aversion to ordering delivery.
SWTWC – Board games or card games?
JB - Board games.
SWTWC – Video games or books? ]
JB - Books. I used to love playing video games, but they gave me motion sickness so I had to stop.
SWTWC – Paperback book or eBook?
JB - Ebook. I have a small but growing paperback collection from some of the fantastic authors I’ve become friends with, but there’s nothing like having thousands of books in the palm of your hand.
SWTWC – Summer or Winter?
JB - Winter. I hate to sweat.
SWTWC – Beach or forest?
JB - Forest. See previous question.
SWTWC – Die Hard is an Xmas film, yes or no?
JB - I’m gonna catch hell for this but…no.
SWTWC – Morning or night?
JB - Morning. I get up stupid early and always have. I’m useless at night.
SWTWC – Shopping in-store or online?
JB - Umm…in-store. I don’t mind being around people.
SWTWC – Shower or bath?
JB - Shower. I can’t remember the last time I had a bath.
SWTWC – Call or text?
JB - Text. I don’t mind people, but a simple text goes a long way.
SWTWC – Sausage or bacon?
JB - Sausage.
SWTWC – Cats or dogs?
JB - Cats, and it’s not even close. We have three cats and two dogs. I’ve always been a cat person and our two digs affirm that. I know cats can be little monsters and would eat me if I died at home, but I love ‘em!
SWTWC – Rock or hip hop?
JB - Rock. I like both, but if I could only have one, it would be rock. More heavy metal and punk, but rock.
SWTWC – Coffee or tea?
JB - Coffee. I have at least a pot of it every day.
SWTWC – Turquoise…is it blue or green?
JB - Blue.
SWTWC – Sleep on the left or the right side of the bed?
JB - When in bed, it would be the right side. The left if you’re looking at it from the foot of the bed.
SWTWC – Friday 13th or Halloween?
JB - I used to think Friday the 13th until I finally watched Halloween when I was an adult. That original Halloween is the best!
SWTWC – The Thing or Alien?
JB - Alien.
SWTWC – IT (1990) or IT (2017)?
JB - Gimme the old-school 1990 version.
SWTWC – Shining or Amityville?
JB - The Shining, hands down. It’s one of my favorite horror movies.
SWTWC – Best film in the Halloween franchise?
JB - The OG.
SWTWC – Favourite decade for horror movies?
JB - The 80s.
SWTWC – vampire, slasher, werewolf, zombie or ghost films?
JB - I love zombie, slasher, and ghost movies. I can’t get into werewolves and most vampire movies aren’t scary.
SWTWC – Red Hot Chili Peppers or The Foo Fighters?
JB - I got to see them both at the same show once. Badass! I really like both bands but I’m gonna give the edge to the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Blood Sugar Sex Magic is the best album of all time.
SWTWC – Marvel or Dc?
JB - Marvel. When I was a kid, I sat in bed many nights trying to figure out if I could become Spider-Man. Who doesn’t want to shoot web from their hands and have super strength?
SWTWC - Pick your last meal on Death Row; starter, main and a desert + a drink.
JB - Deep-fried soft pretzels with cheese sauce, Filet mignon with loaded French fries (bacon and cheese on top) and chocolate cake. I’ll wash it all down with some Blue Moon beer.
SWTWC – thank you for being probed
JB - Thanks for probing me. It wasn’t as bad as the aliens.
Find Jay here - Website: https://jaybowerauthor.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jaybowerauthor