Today Bethany Maines uses her blog space to interview first time novelist J.M. Phillippe about her debut novel Perfect Likeness.
J.M. Phillippe has lived in the deserts of California, the suburbs of Seattle, and the mad rush of New York City. She worked as a freelance journalist before earning a mastersā in social work. She works as a family therapist in Brooklyn, New York and spends her free-time decorating her tiny apartment to her cat Oscar Wildeās liking, drinking cider at her favorite British-style pub, and training to be the next Karate Kid, one wax-on at a time. You can follow her on Facebook or Twitter.
Q1: J.M. Phillippe tells us a little about your book!
A1: My book is about a woman who is not super happy with her everyday life, so she creates a fantasy version of herself and goes off on adventures in her head. But then one day, the fantasy version of herself becomes real — and begins to haunt her. I really wanted to tap into the feeling a lot of people have of not feeling like who they are and the life they live is “good enough.” What would happen if that little voice in your head stepped out of your head and started talking to you as an actual being?
Q2: As a mystery / adventure writer I was intrigued because I felt that the core of Perfect Likeness was Ally’s unraveling the mystery of what was wrong with her, but the book isn’t a traditional mystery. Have you ever written mysteries or were you inspired by mystery novels?
A2: I love mystery novels and have been reading them since I was a kid. My aunt gave me a complete set of Agatha Christie books and that’s what really started it for me. I particularly like mysteries with strong characters and dark themes, like the Dashiell Hammet books or Elmore Leonard books. But I also love a good sense of humor with my mystery like the Janet Evanovich books. I think ultimately every book has a question it poses, and tries to answer, and there is an element of mystery in more books than people realize. Even the Harry Potter series — every book has a different mystery to solve, but it’s not seen as a “mystery series.” But you also can’t beat a classic “whodunit”.
Q3: What is your number one tip for writing?
A3:The number one tip I can give other writers is to not listen to any voice in — or outside — your head telling you that you’re not good enough, or what you are writing is not good enough. Embrace the drafting process and get something completed before you judge it — and then revise, revise, revise.
Q4: What are book are you working on next?
A4: I am actually working on a sort of zombie story, which is very different than Perfect Likeness, although I’m interested in exploring many of the same themes. It’s called “Infected” and is about a woman who is attacked — and doesn’t get away. I’m really enjoying writing the action scenes.
I donāt always go on vacation, but when I do I prefer to call it research. Part of the fun in writing the Carrie Mae Mysteries featuring a group of super-spy girls is that my characters travel around the world to exotic locales. Which means that if I want to have authenticity in my writing I also need to travel to exotic locales. The problem with this experiential approach to research is that you find yourself thinking, āWhere can I find an AR-15 to shoot?ā or in the case of my latest manuscript, āWhere can I find a plane to jump out of?ā
Donāt ask about the boots. I emulate my characters actions, not their keen fashion sense.
As it turns out, the AR-15 is not so hard to find (I called my brother). But jumping out of a plane is a little more expensive and even if you get a Groupon you still only get to tandem jump. And since I have an 18 month old, I donāt really have $200 to throw around on random research. Also, when I mention my new research need (my need for speed) suddenly everyoneās all āBut you could die!ā Apparently when you become a mother people become even more likely to judge your actions ā who knew? And in response I would like to point out that, number one, of course I could die! Thatās the point of doing 90% of the fun things in life. And number two, Iām not going to. In 2014 there were 3.2 million jumps and 24 deaths. Iām literally more likely to get hit by bus.
Being the person that I am, that kind of nonsense makes me want to jump out of a plane more just to prove that I wonāt die. But that doesnāt change the fact that I still donāt have to $200 to waste on jumping out of a plane for a not truly accurate experience of what it feels like to fly yourself. (But hear this world ā Iām not jumping out of a plane because I said so, not because you said so.) But then my genius mother-in-law came up with a great idea (and a great gift): indoor skydiving. Itās a giant wind-tunnel, less than half the cost, and all of the free fall experience. And what did I learn? Itās a lot harder than it looks. And uses a lot more muscles than you might think. And itās fun. Thatās my kind of research.
https://bethanymaines.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/beth-ar-scaled.jpg19202560Bethany Maineshttps://bethanymaines.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/Aug2016-Logo-op3-300x69.pngBethany Maines2015-10-14 00:17:452015-10-14 00:17:45The Reality of Research
Originally, this was a post about publishing.Ā Iāve been singing this song for the better part of a month feeling that it related to my efforts in self-publishing. Having the ability to have live updated sales results is not really as fun as it sounds. Or at least itās not good for ongoing peace of mind. The world of publishing has changed. Now every author must do the work that previously was performed by publishing houses ā namely, marketing. And the secret thing about marketing that every marketing professional would prefer you not know, is that you can never quite tell whatās going to work. So with every fresh effort, I flip back to the chart to see if thereās rain or not. Some sprinkles, some gushers, some droughts ā and that is the way of the writing life now.Ā But thereās more to that song, and the rest of the lyrics are more applicable to the real world right now than they are to any personal concerns I have about my writing and sales.
Turned on the weather man just after the news
I needed sweet rain to wash away my blues
He looked at the chart but he look in vain
Heavy cloud but no rain
Much of the state of Washington, my state, is on fire. This song isnāt much of a metaphor; itās what weāre all doing. Weāre literally out of firefighters and the ones that are on the line are working days in a row with little to no sleep. Firefighters from Australian and New Zealand arrived on Monday to help and we couldnāt be happier to see them. We literally need all the help we can get.
There is a line of mountains between the fires and my house and still the sky is frequently a hazy yellow from smoke. Yesterday, I could look at the sun directly because there was so much smog that it was only a burning circle of orange in the sky.
Sometimes my state feels culturally divided by that chain of mountains, but this fire has turned us all into obsessed weather forecast watchers. My facebook feed is filled with pictures of rain ā a virtual rain dance for our home and our friends. Weather forecasting has taken a giant step forward due to computing speeds and modeling, but Washington is still one of the toughest places to forecast. All the data in the world canāt entirely predict if rain is going to fall. We all watch the chart, but so far, heavy cloud, no rain.
So, if youāre a praying person, pray for some rain. If youāre a donating person, you can view this article from local reporter Jesse Jones, for where to send donations.Ā Washington thanks you.
Promotion, for a writer, is the seventh ring of hell. By nature we are quiet types who like to sit at home in our PJās, eating things like cereal and wine out of boxes and inventing people to talk to. (Yes, Iām aware thatās also the description of crazy people, but I donāt think we need to point that out at this juncture ā thank you very much.) So promoting the book, being out in the public, is a terrible fate. Only slightly less awful is talking about promotions in front of other authors. (Oh God, oh God, oh God, what if Iāve been doing it wrong? Theyāre all going to know Iām a fraud!) But since my other job is a graphic designer, Iām privy to a great marketing secret: you canāt do it wrong because none of it works. Or all of it works depending on your point of view.
Legend has it that when Google presented all their brand new ways of tracking online digital ads to Viacom President and one-time ad man Mel Karmazin, he blurted out, āYouāre fucking with the magic!ā But the paradigm of ads and marketing being more art than science is still more true than anyone would like to admit, even in this age where digital data practically streams from our ears. Digital tracking will accurately tell you when and where a sale was made, but it never fully encompasses why a sale was made. But at the end of the day, one thing is still true, the only sure fire way to make a sale is to tell someone that you have a product for sale. Marketing is just selecting how youāre going to tell someone about your product.
Iām not a marketing expert, but I know enough to get myself in trouble. So Iāve tried a variety of promotional vehicles that break down into three basic categories: on-line, print, and person to person. By far and away the most successful vehicles are person to person. People telling other people, or the author telling someone to go buy their book works better than just about anything else. (I once sold a book to my state representative when she came doorbelling for votes.) But in the end, you canāt reach everyone you might want to reach in person.
My print experience has been minimal and I think we can all agree that newspapers are dying, so Iāll just skip straight to on-line. Iāve tried Facebook ads & boosts, newsletter ads, and google ads, just to name a few. And in my experience, very few of these things work optimally alone. I get the best results when I do multiple things at once ā run a sale and an ad, and then boost the sale on Facebook. This shotgun approach makes it hard to track the mythical beautiful data of click-throughs, but it is very clear when I take one channel away that sales dip. The hard part comes at the end, when I must assess the ROI (Return on Investment) and whether or the sales justify the expense of a particular marketing channel.
Each author must find what works for them. My only real words of advice are to keep trying. Keep talking. And keep writing. And by the way, have I mentioned that I have a book on sale? An Unseen Current ā a great late summer read for only $4.99.
https://bethanymaines.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/hell.jpeg194259Bethany Maineshttps://bethanymaines.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/Aug2016-Logo-op3-300x69.pngBethany Maines2015-08-25 16:30:192015-08-25 16:30:19Welcome to Hell
Originally published on The Stiletto Gang 07.22.15
Dear Brain,
While I appreciate your many efforts and strong creative solutions, I would very much appreciate it if you could focus on the problems at hand. Thanks so much.
Sincerely,
Self
I have a writing calendar that tells me what Iām supposed to be working on. Outlining, editing, actually writing, itās all scheduled out. Since the release of High-Caliber Concealer, third book in the Carrie Mae Mystery series is right around the corner (November 17!), that means I should be busy working on draft one of book 4 ā Glossed Cause. That also means that last month I should have finished an outline of said fourth book. Do you know what I have not completed? Yes, thatās right ā the outline. I had completedĀ about 75% it and stopped becauseā¦ Well, I donāt hate it, but I donāt love it either. And then last week I realized what was wrong with it. Not that I know how to fix it, but at least I know why Iām not excited about it. So Iāve been twiddling my thumbs, enjoying the summer, pretending that I have all the time in the world, and hoping that inspiration would hit.
Then last night it did hit. I woke up with a fantastic idea.
For a different book.
I came up with a great idea for the sequel to my recent release ā An Unseen Current. I even have a great name for it, which practically never happens. Itās really, really exciting and not at all what I need. But if Iāve learned anything about creativity itās that if you fight it sometimes it stops all together. What do you think? Should I work on this new idea for a bit and see if inspiration strikes for Glossed Cause or should I set the new idea aside and focus, focus, focus
The 4 Question Interview
/in General WritingToday Bethany Maines uses her blog space to interview first time novelist J.M. Phillippe about her debut novel Perfect Likeness.
A1: My book is about a woman who is not super happy with her everyday life, so she creates a fantasy version of herself and goes off on adventures in her head. But then one day, the fantasy version of herself becomes real — and begins to haunt her. I really wanted to tap into the feeling a lot of people have of not feeling like who they are and the life they live is “good enough.” What would happen if that little voice in your head stepped out of your head and started talking to you as an actual being?
Q2: As a mystery / adventure writer I was intrigued because I felt that the core of Perfect Likeness was Ally’s unraveling the mystery of what was wrong with her, but the book isn’t a traditional mystery. Have you ever written mysteries or were you inspired by mystery novels?
A2: I love mystery novels and have been reading them since I was a kid. My aunt gave me a complete set of Agatha Christie books and that’s what really started it for me. I particularly like mysteries with strong characters and dark themes, like the Dashiell Hammet books or Elmore Leonard books. But I also love a good sense of humor with my mystery like the Janet Evanovich books. I think ultimately every book has a question it poses, and tries to answer, and there is an element of mystery in more books than people realize. Even the Harry Potter series — every book has a different mystery to solve, but it’s not seen as a “mystery series.” But you also can’t beat a classic “whodunit”.
Q3: What is your number one tip for writing?
A3:The number one tip I can give other writers is to not listen to any voice in — or outside — your head telling you that you’re not good enough, or what you are writing is not good enough. Embrace the drafting process and get something completed before you judge it — and then revise, revise, revise.
Q4: What are book are you working on next?
A4: I am actually working on a sort of zombie story, which is very different than Perfect Likeness, although I’m interested in exploring many of the same themes. It’s called “Infected” and is about a woman who is attacked — and doesn’t get away. I’m really enjoying writing the action scenes.
Perfect Likeness is on sale now!
The Reality of Research
/in Carrie Mae, General Writing, Girlfriends Book Club, LifeOn Sale Nov. 17, 2015!
Donāt ask about the boots. I emulate my characters actions, not their keen fashion sense.
As it turns out, the AR-15 is not so hard to find (I called my brother). But jumping out of a plane is a little more expensive and even if you get a Groupon you still only get to tandem jump. And since I have an 18 month old, I donāt really have $200 to throw around on random research. Also, when I mention my new research need (my need for speed) suddenly everyoneās all āBut you could die!ā Apparently when you become a mother people become even more likely to judge your actions ā who knew? And in response I would like to point out that, number one, of course I could die! Thatās the point of doing 90% of the fun things in life. And number two, Iām not going to. In 2014 there were 3.2 million jumps and 24 deaths. Iām literally more likely to get hit by bus.
Chart Watching
/in General Writing, Life, The Stiletto GangHe looked at the chart but he look in vain
Heavy cloud but no rain
– Sting, Heavy Cloud No Rain, Ten Summoners Tales
Originally, this was a post about publishing.Ā Iāve been singing this song for the better part of a month feeling that it related to my efforts in self-publishing. Having the ability to have live updated sales results is not really as fun as it sounds. Or at least itās not good for ongoing peace of mind. The world of publishing has changed. Now every author must do the work that previously was performed by publishing houses ā namely, marketing. And the secret thing about marketing that every marketing professional would prefer you not know, is that you can never quite tell whatās going to work. So with every fresh effort, I flip back to the chart to see if thereās rain or not. Some sprinkles, some gushers, some droughts ā and that is the way of the writing life now.Ā But thereās more to that song, and the rest of the lyrics are more applicable to the real world right now than they are to any personal concerns I have about my writing and sales.
Turned on the weather man just after the news
I needed sweet rain to wash away my blues
He looked at the chart but he look in vain
Heavy cloud but no rain
Much of the state of Washington, my state, is on fire. This song isnāt much of a metaphor; itās what weāre all doing. Weāre literally out of firefighters and the ones that are on the line are working days in a row with little to no sleep. Firefighters from Australian and New Zealand arrived on Monday to help and we couldnāt be happier to see them. We literally need all the help we can get.
There is a line of mountains between the fires and my house and still the sky is frequently a hazy yellow from smoke. Yesterday, I could look at the sun directly because there was so much smog that it was only a burning circle of orange in the sky.
Sometimes my state feels culturally divided by that chain of mountains, but this fire has turned us all into obsessed weather forecast watchers. My facebook feed is filled with pictures of rain ā a virtual rain dance for our home and our friends. Weather forecasting has taken a giant step forward due to computing speeds and modeling, but Washington is still one of the toughest places to forecast. All the data in the world canāt entirely predict if rain is going to fall. We all watch the chart, but so far, heavy cloud, no rain.
So, if youāre a praying person, pray for some rain. If youāre a donating person, you can view this article from local reporter Jesse Jones, for where to send donations.Ā Washington thanks you.
Welcome to Hell
/in An Unseen Current, General Writing, Girlfriends Book Club, Graphic DesignPromotion, for a writer, is the seventh ring of hell. By nature we are quiet types who like to sit at home in our PJās, eating things like cereal and wine out of boxes and inventing people to talk to. (Yes, Iām aware thatās also the description of crazy people, but I donāt think we need to point that out at this juncture ā thank you very much.) So promoting the book, being out in the public, is a terrible fate. Only slightly less awful is talking about promotions in front of other authors. (Oh God, oh God, oh God, what if Iāve been doing it wrong? Theyāre all going to know Iām a fraud!) But since my other job is a graphic designer, Iām privy to a great marketing secret: you canāt do it wrong because none of it works. Or all of it works depending on your point of view.
Legend has it that when Google presented all their brand new ways of tracking online digital ads to Viacom President and one-time ad man Mel Karmazin, he blurted out, āYouāre fucking with the magic!ā But the paradigm of ads and marketing being more art than science is still more true than anyone would like to admit, even in this age where digital data practically streams from our ears. Digital tracking will accurately tell you when and where a sale was made, but it never fully encompasses why a sale was made. But at the end of the day, one thing is still true, the only sure fire way to make a sale is to tell someone that you have a product for sale. Marketing is just selecting how youāre going to tell someone about your product.
Iām not a marketing expert, but I know enough to get myself in trouble. So Iāve tried a variety of promotional vehicles that break down into three basic categories: on-line, print, and person to person. By far and away the most successful vehicles are person to person. People telling other people, or the author telling someone to go buy their book works better than just about anything else. (I once sold a book to my state representative when she came doorbelling for votes.) But in the end, you canāt reach everyone you might want to reach in person.
My print experience has been minimal and I think we can all agree that newspapers are dying, so Iāll just skip straight to on-line. Iāve tried Facebook ads & boosts, newsletter ads, and google ads, just to name a few. And in my experience, very few of these things work optimally alone. I get the best results when I do multiple things at once ā run a sale and an ad, and then boost the sale on Facebook. This shotgun approach makes it hard to track the mythical beautiful data of click-throughs, but it is very clear when I take one channel away that sales dip. The hard part comes at the end, when I must assess the ROI (Return on Investment) and whether or the sales justify the expense of a particular marketing channel.
Dear Brain…
/in An Unseen Current, Carrie Mae, Life, The Stiletto GangOriginally published on The Stiletto Gang 07.22.15
Dear Brain,
While I appreciate your many efforts and strong creative solutions, I would very much appreciate it if you could focus on the problems at hand. Thanks so much.
Sincerely,
Self
I have a writing calendar that tells me what Iām supposed to be working on. Outlining, editing, actually writing, itās all scheduled out. Since the release of High-Caliber Concealer, third book in the Carrie Mae Mystery series is right around the corner (November 17!), that means I should be busy working on draft one of book 4 ā Glossed Cause. That also means that last month I should have finished an outline of said fourth book. Do you know what I have not completed? Yes, thatās right ā the outline. I had completedĀ about 75% it and stopped becauseā¦ Well, I donāt hate it, but I donāt love it either. And then last week I realized what was wrong with it. Not that I know how to fix it, but at least I know why Iām not excited about it. So Iāve been twiddling my thumbs, enjoying the summer, pretending that I have all the time in the world, and hoping that inspiration would hit.
Then last night it did hit. I woke up with a fantastic idea.
For a different book.
I came up with a great idea for the sequel to my recent release ā An Unseen Current. I even have a great name for it, which practically never happens. Itās really, really exciting and not at all what I need. But if Iāve learned anything about creativity itās that if you fight it sometimes it stops all together. What do you think? Should I work on this new idea for a bit and see if inspiration strikes for Glossed Cause or should I set the new idea aside and focus, focus, focus