Shah Interviews : Jared Anderson

Shah Fazli
‎Jared Anderson, Welcome, honestly we waited for a long time for this day, what do you want to say to the people who are following this interview live, anything special to your fans, it's your night, we are all here to listen?

Jared Anderson Thanks for having me, Shah. I'd like to thank everyone for coming and for reading!

Shah Fazli Thank you, everyone will have a chance at the end to ask or comment, for now please say something about yourself that we may not be able to read somewhere else, something that is different and unique about you please?

Jared Anderson Let's see. Well, although I have written for many years, I never actually considered myself a horror author. I was surprised when I realized that's what genre my work would be put into!

Shah Fazli Oh, that is unique, why did you choose to write horror, could you not be a romantic writer, why, anything to do with one's personal life, or the way he has lived his life, tell us something please?

Jared Anderson I never intended to write horror. In fact, when I have written in the past, I've specifically tried not to write horror. It just always goes that direction. I don't know what that says about me, but, I try not to think about that! I'm not sure if I could write a romance or not. One day I might have to try!

Shah Fazli Tell us a little about the Beautiful Monster please, what is this book about, when did you start and finish writing it, and if this is the only book you have written so far?

Jared Anderson Beautiful Monster is an erotic thriller, co-authored by Mimi A. Williams. We wrote it from two perspectives--the victim and the killer. We did this because we thought it would be interesting to portray both sides. Beautiful Monster is my only current published novel. I am mid-way through my next, and have several more ideas in the works when this one is complete.

Shah Fazli Thank you, why do you think your book is a horror, what is so horrifying about it, you said about the victim and the killer, can you take us through these two characters a little please?

Jared Anderson To me, it is horror because it is graphic and raw. I decided early on that I didn't want to spare the readers. This, to me, would have defeated the purpose, which was to tell an honest story about something many people don't like to look at. My publisher rated the book five full stars for language, violence, and sex, and to buy it from their website, readers have to prove that they're 18 years old... so to me, this makes it horror! The killer is a man named Sterling Bronson. He is a psychologically uncentered result of a traumatic childhood, spent bouncing from foster home to foster home. Brenna Carlson, the victim, is a college student, intent on saving herself for the perfect guy. She meets Sterling, and well... you'll have to read the rest!

Shah Fazli Yes, it seems to be a straightforward story, from what you are saying here, thank you, why you named your book Beautiful Monster, did you think of another title before this one?

Jared Anderson Yes. The title Beautiful Monster didn't come until the last pages of the final revisions. Until then, it had been called "Gallery of Dolls." The Gallery of Dolls is an abandoned mine shaft up a canyon where Sterling hides his victims. Anyway, I never liked that title because it sounded too much like "Valley of the Dolls" by Jacqueline Susann. So while we were revising, there was a line in there somewhere, I can't remember where, that made the title "Beautiful Monster" come to mind.

Shah Fazli Great, thank you, what is your current work about, tell us briefly about it please, if you may?

Jared Anderson I am working on a novel that is currently called "The White Room" although that title may change. The White Room was actually written before Beautiful Monster, but it was my first work, and it shows. But I know it can be a good story, so I am going back, and re-writing the entire novel to get it to a publishable state. The White Room is about one of my favorite subjects since childhood: Vampires. I don't care for a lot of current vampire lit, so I'm writing this in an attempt to restore vampires to their original class as monsters. In The White Room, my main character's older brother becomes involved with the female head vampire of an especially rebellious and vicious faction of vampires.

Shah Fazli Tell us about a scene where the killer in Beautiful Monster has his victim in his hands, what is he doing to him or her, how does he kill?
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Jared Anderson Well, Sterling is a sex criminal. So there is always rape before murder. He has a BDSM dungeon in his basement where he takes his "dates," urging them to try some of his toys with the promise that he will stop as soon as the women become uncomfortable. However, there is nothing safe, sane or concensual about the way Sterling operates. The murders themselves are usually pretty quick. The suffering that leads up to that point, though, is, in some cases, savage.

Shah Fazli How is doing your book, lots of talk and good feedback from readers, what else you do to try to get people to know about it, book readings, book signings, what?

Jared Anderson I have been pleasantly surprised by the reviews and the sales of Beautiful Monster. It's doing far better than I anticipated, and I couldn't be more happy about that. As for marketing, it's an ongoing process. Right now, the fastest and most inexpensive way to market is through online media, like Facebook, Twitter, etc. It's also important to have a blog. Also, my publisher does a great job with marketing. They promote the book on Barnes and Noble, Goodreads. Shelfari, Amazon, their own website and several other places. The most important marketing strategy however, is writing damned good books. Word of mouth still rules the world, and if you write good books, they will find an audience.

Shah Fazli We will ask you to read a passage for us later, but we come back to yourself, do you consider yourself a calm and quiet person, or not, what is your favourite things in life, do you laugh a lot, or you think a lot?

Jared Anderson I am actually incredibly introverted. I'm not comfortable in most public settings, and tend to be a little bit aloof until a person gets to know me more. I do laugh a lot. I do this out nervous habit, as well as because I do have a strong sense of humor. As for the things I love, I'm most passionate about books, music, photography. These things just put me in the "zone."

Shah Fazli Thank you, can you read from Beautiful Monster for us please?

Jared Anderson This is a short passage from Sterling's point of view, just after killing one of his victims...this is his interpretation of what he does: "Only I was capable of saving her now, and that, as far as anyone could argue, may have made me worse than all the devils and the demons, but it also, more accurately, made me better than all the angels and gods."

Shah Fazli Thanks, what is your advice to new writers Jared, as a published author, before I let others to maybe ask or comment please?

Jared Anderson I would tell a new writer to expect to be heartbroken. That sounds negative and I don't mean for it to. But this is not easy. It's worth it, but it takes a long time to get to where you want to be. You have to desensitize yourself to the word "No." Take it out of your vocabulary. If you listen to that word, you will never make it very far. So NO just doesn't exist. Also, another piece of advice I'd give would be to listen to other writers, learn from them, and don't be terribly possessive of your work. Writing is as much a job as it is art, and if you want to sell books, you have to follow the rules. Writing is a business. A job.

Shah Fazli Tamara Thorne After you finish your vampire novel, are you intending to stick with horror for an all-new novel?

Jared Anderson I am planning to stick to horror, yes. After The White Room, I have a very exciting, but very top-secret project that I'm very excited about! It is horror.

Tamara Thorne Cool. I keep everything top-secret too. Good luck!

Jared Anderson Thanks Tamara! I'm stoked about it.

Tamara Thorne Do you ever go on research trips? Haunted locales, etc., to add realism?

Jared Anderson I do. For The White Room--and Beautiful Monster actually--I even wound up at a kink party. I am planning to visit several local places which are allegedly haunted for the project after The White Room. I am looking forward to that!

Tamara Thorne That's my favorite part of doing spooky novels. So, how did you like rooting around in the mind of a serial killer? Energizing or terrifying?

Laura Coates Good interview. I absolutely loved Beautiful Monster, and others that I recommended it to have also. You and Mimi Williamsdid an amazing job. Looking forward to the sequel. I am especially looking forward to The White Room, for I too have always had a thing for vampires. Actually, I'm pretty much looking forward to anything you write.

Jared Anderson Tamara - Both. It was energizing because it's always fun to get into a different mindset. Terrifying because, while Sterling is fictional, he is fashioned after real life serial killers.

Tamara Thorne And we have to know: What does your mom think of you writing horror?

Jared Anderson Laura- Thank you so much for your support!

Jared Anderson Tamara - Ha ha! Actually, I forbade her to read this book. My sister wanted to read it and I gave it to her under one condition: DO NOT SHOW IT TO MOM! Well... my sister did show it to my mom. I got a call several weeks later. My mom was apologizing, telling me not to be mad at my sister for allowing her to read it... then she said, "I LOOOVED IT! I couldn't quit reading it!"

Eugenia Lynn Worst As Jared knows I'm a BIG fan of Beautiful Monster!!! And yes, I will read whatever you write!!

Tamara Thorne Will there be a sequel to Beautiful Monster?

Jared Anderson Eugenia--Thank you! You have been a marvelous supporter!

Jared Anderson Tamara--a sequel. We have been asked about that several times. And ultimately, the answer is... no.

Tamara Thorne A great interview, Jared. Thanks!

Jared Anderson Thank you all for attending and supporting me. Remember...keep reading!

Jared Anderson Shah, thank you very much for asking me to do this. It was a lot of fun. Given the time difference between you and I, you must be exhausted! So thank you again for this. It was a good time. Good luck and continued success!

Shah Fazli Thanks Jared, and everyone for taking part, a lovely night with everyone of you, if you don't have more questions, see you all again. http://shahsightshop.blogspot.de/2013/03/beautiful-monster-jared.html