The Traveling Sisters were lovely enough to host and invite me to their group Behind the Pages with the Traveling Sisters! So I had the great fortune to get to join in on a Q&A with J.D. Barker, author of 4MK series, She Has a Broken Thing Where Her Heart Should Be, and many others! Co-author with James Patterson of The Coast-to-Coast Murders, coming this fall!
From Barker's Bio on his website: J.D. Barker (Jonathan Dylan Barker) is an international bestselling American author whose work has been broadly described as suspense thrillers, often incorporating elements of horror, crime, mystery, science fiction, and the supernatural.
Barker was born January 7, 1971 in Lombard, Illinois and spent the first fourteen years of his life in Crystal Lake, Illinois. A staunch introvert, he was rarely seen without a book in hand, devouring both the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew series by the age of six before moving on to classics such as the works of Dickens and Twain. The discovery of Shelley, Stoker and Poe fueled a fire and it wasn’t long before he was writing tales of his own which he shared with friends and family. These early stories centered around witches and ghosts thought to inhabit the woods surrounding their home.
J.D. Barker - I am so excited to have you here! She Has a Broken Thing Where Her Heart Should Be is an absolute favorite of mine! That book blew me away! I have so many questions!! Thank you so much for coming and talking with us! I am a big fan! :)
Me: I loved the literary references to Great Expectations! As a fan of classical literature, I found this to be so original and brilliant! Is Dickens your favorite classical author? This story was so unique, where did you find the inspiration?
J.D. Barker: Great Expectations has always been a favorite of mine and when I had the initial idea for this book, I knew I wanted to mix them together. As far as how this one came along, once I had the opening paragraph (below) I just let it rip. I don't plan or outline in advance, I let the characters tell me the story.
OPENING:
Her name was Stella and I loved her from the first moment I saw her. Even after watching her kill a man who looked a lot like me, I couldn’t help but love her.
I didn’t know she had killed him, not at that time, I couldn’t possibly know, I only watched them kiss, but that moment spelled his end as surely as water runs downhill.
We would hide the body together, amid her apologies for what she had done.
Then she would be gone, disappearing into the night.
And I could do nothing else but follow, my heart filled with ache, her scent pulling me so.
—Jack Thatch | 22 Years Old
Me: Your characters in this novel were superbly done. They felt real to me and I had a real emotional connection to them. How do you think you accomplish this?
J.D.: Before I start any book, I always work out detailed character sketches. I knew as well as I know my best friends. I think that's key. If an author doesn't do it, the characters don't feel real and nobody is invested in what happens to them.
Me: This book reminded me a lot of Stephen King in that regard. He is a favorite of mine and I always enjoy and bond with his characters. Do you read Stephen King?
The answer to this question is pulled from J.D. Barker's extended bio on his website: "Stephen King read portions of Forsaken prior to publication and granted Barker permission to utilize the character of Leland Gaunt of King’s Needful Things in the novel. Indie-published in late 2014, the book went on to hit several major milestones" (Safe to say he has read Stephen King... and more impressive - Stephen King has read him!)
Me: When writing do you outline your story from start to finish, or are you led by the characters?
J.D.: ...I don't plan or outline in advance, I let the characters tell me the story.
I usually know how I'd like a book to end but it doesn't typically go that way...
Me: Finally, have you considered writing a sequel to She Has a Broken Thing Where Her Heart Should Be? I just can't let the characters go!
J.D.: I'm sure Jack and the family are doing well but I have no plans to revisit them in a sequel at this time. Too many other books to write!
Brenda - Traveling Sisters Book Reviews asked: "What would you like your readers to get from your books? Is there anything you would like us to know?"
J.D.: I write literary popcorn. I just want to offer readers a little bit of an escape.
Kelli asked: ...I'm already feeling needy for another J.D. novel! Do you have anything in the works that you could tell us about or share?
J.D.: I've got a new book going out to publishers next week. Can't provide any details yet. You can probably expect something new out of me about every six months or so :)
Me: Thank you so very much for taking the time to answer our questions! Looking forward to any books you put out in the future! I plan to read every single one!
My reviews on J.D. Barker's books:
UPCOMING!!
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