It is a great pleasure, and an honor to bring back Author JEFFREY B. ALLEN.
Author of: "GONEAWAY INTO THE LAND" 5 Star REVIEW
http://bit.ly/8v94ae (Amazon.com) Second Edition
~~AUTHOR INTERVIEW~~
Geri: How important is a cover design for a new release?
Jeffrey: My previous publisher pulled the wool over my eyes. He told me the
cover did not matter. I hated the cover he came up with. Now I know.
If I can't stand my cover, then the person picking up my book who has
an eye to purchase, may not buy the book, simply because of the cover.
He may not even open it, beyond looking at the front, and then
glancing at the back. Then he, or she will set it back up on the shelf,
or click off of the Amazon page, and begin searching for another book
that catches the eye better than my book did. The new cover of
"GONEAWAY INTO THE LAND" is stunning. It draws you into the
story. It has an emotional impact the minute you see it. It is bright in
color, which is good, because the story that is told in "GONEAWAY
INTO THE LAND" is loaded with color. You will know exactly what I
mean, once you read the book. In fact, many of the reviews remark
about the vivid colors I instill into the minds of readers.
Geri: Why do most authors enjoy reading, or writing in a coffee shop. Is it
the cappuccino, or the atmosphere?
Jeffrey: I should pass on this question, because I am not one of those with
the patience to sit in a coffee shop, and read. I cannot write, unless
I am immersed in solitude, where my mind is running a mile-a-
minute, without me even knowing it. I love coffee, and I love walking
my dog to the local coffee shop, and sitting outside to read the paper
on a warm Sunday morning. I live in a historic section of Bethlehem,
Pennsylvania, where there is a coffee shop on every corner, but that's
where my coffee shop experiences ends.
Geri: What is your favorite snack, or beverage when reading a good book?
Jeffrey: I love this question, because as a writer, it is just begging for me to
go off on a tangent. It is difficult to read anything, other than the
newspaper or a magazine, while I am munching on a stack of Oreo
cookies. I do not mind having something to drink, perched upon a
coaster on the end-table, while curled into a sofa chair, reading a
good book. My favorite beverage depends on the time of day, and of
course my mood, and sometimes even the day of the week. If I am
reading in the early morning, which I do every morning, I am
usually good for two, maybe three cups of coffee. I seldom read
during the day, until around five in the afternoon, which my
mother and father taught me is cocktail hour. At that time of day,
I can pour myself a glass of red wine, and sit in my favorite chair
as I read with a sense of contentment that I absolutely savor. If
it's Friday, the wine may be a glass of vodka on ice, but that only
happens when my mood is somewhere between a caged lion, and
a raving lunatic. I am usually not long for reading on nights like
that. Somehow, though, the older I get, the less likely I am to
experience moments of total insanity. But I have great memories
of those instances as well as a few sorted stories to tell, which most
of the time bring a good laugh or two, from friends who were
around me at the time. I recently saw a movie called Pirate Radio.
If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend it. In one of the scenes,
a disc-jockey, who was part of the wild crew, introduced rock-and
roll to the world for the first time. This was done from a boat off the
coast of England in the late sixties and was a true story, said
during a philosophical moment, "These are the best days of our
lives." As creative people, we need those days, and we draw on
them for the emotion that goes into our work. As Captain Kurk,
of the Starship Enterprise, once said at the end of one of the best
episodes ever, "I need my pain." What he meant was, in order to be
a complete person, one needs to balance the good side, with the
bad side. Every person has within them good and evil, and ups-and-
downs. I love the cartoons, where the character is pictured with a
little bad guy, sitting on one shoulder and a little good guy, sitting
on the other shoulder. That's life, and life is what fiction writers
need to experience to be good writers of fiction, just my opinion.
Geri: Who are you, outside the literary world?
Jeffrey: I never picture myself inside the literary world. Even if I were to become
as famous as Stephen King, or Dan Brown, I would still picture myself
outside of the literary world. I am just now starting to join the local
writer's groups. I enjoy the meetings, and I get quite a lot out of the
programs, and the events that go along with membership. But I am not
a joiner, and it's difficult for me to push aside my competitiveness. I
have always been a risk taker. My resume' reads like a litany of
successes, and failures. Many have said that I walk a tight rope, that
they never understand my pension for living on the edge of disaster.
But, that is who I am. Yet, as I said earlier, my respect for life and the
consequences of my decisions is changing as I grow older. Therefore, my
urge to challenge every hurdle is not as strong as it used to be. I hope I
can sit back, and enjoy being within the literary world as much as I enjoy
being outside of it. I want to contribute to my community. I want to be
there for my family and to continue to become a better writer, because
through writing, I have the opportunity to give enjoyment to others.
When I write, I draw on my experiences, I embrace my blessings, and
I dispel my demons. What could be better?
Geri: Do you enjoy blogging, and how important is it to potential readers?
Jeffrey: I do not enjoy blogging. But I am becoming more convinced of the
Internet's power and its impact on the future of writing, publishing,
and promoting. The dissemination of information and the amount
of information that sits between the keyboard and the monitor is
mind boggling. The way literature, fiction and non-fiction, is going
to be marketed to the generations of people growing up is going to
change so radically, that I have trouble projecting into the future.
I have no fear that the bound book will disappear anytime soon, but
the amount of time people give to leisurely reading is going to be
reduced. Therefore, the competition for good fiction and worthy
non-fiction is going to become fierce. It already has. Having said that,
I believe a writer of fiction, such as me, must respect the necessity
to maintain a presence on the Internet. If that means blogging, writing
countless articles, keeping my web site fresh, then that's the world
of writing and selling writing that must be embraced. If not, then
I might as well be like the artist, who stacks his paintings in a closet,
wondering why he has no patrons. Thank you for reading, and please
buy a copy of "GONEAWAY INTO THE LAND." It was not written for
me, it was written for you.
Geri: Thank you for your time. It was very interesting, and enjoyable. I wish
you very much success.
Jeffrey: You're welcome.
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