Interview with
J.L.Canfield
When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?
I wrote my first play in second grade where it was performed in class. every year until grade six, I wrote a play and entertained the classes. That was where my love of writing began.
How long does it take you to write a book?
It depends on how much research I need to do and on the twists I make. It can years, it can take months.
What was one of the most surprising things you learned in creating your books?
That I was really creating ways for people to escape from life for a while. I also see how much I've grown as a writer in each work.
Do you hear from your readers much? What kinds of things do they say?
Usually they ask where do I get my ideas and that's a question that can be hard to answer. I love it when they tell me how much they are enjoying my book. But what writer doesn't like to hear that?
Does writing energize or exhaust you?
It energizes me. I feel alive when I create a tee shirt design or am crafting or editing a manuscript. A good day of writing and creating is the best high in the world.
What is your writing Kryptonite?
A invite to the beach.
Do you try more to be original or to deliver to readers what they want?
I think a good writer can do both. readers want to read new works and writers want to create them. If you stick to a basic formula, your readers grow tired of you. If you keep flexing your creative muscles for them and pushing yourself to grow as a writer, you and the reader stay happy and satisfied.
What authors did you dislike at first but grew into?
Hemingway. I read him first in 9th grade and found him to be boring. later in life, I read another work of his and saw how good he was.
At what point do you think someone should call themselves a writer?
Other people say when you write your first piece or feel a desire to write, but I really don't know. For me, I still have trouble saying I'm a writer or author, even though I have had three books traditionally published. I'm think I will be able to stay those words when I'm making a living doing this.
What do the words “writer’s block” mean to you?
It's an excuse not to write.
Are there therapeutic benefits to modeling a character after someone you know?
I think so. You can inflect harm, even symbolically kill a person who has ticked you off or upset you in some way. For example, an ex-spouse, or the salesperson who talked you into buying something you don't really want, even a person who just annoys you for no pinpoint reason. Putting the person who you less like in a book helps you to work through those feelings and get them out of your system.
When you put a person you admire in your work, naturally they are going to come out on top. Person you enjoy being around make for a great supporting character. These are the people who you feel are with you in the writing journey and the their character creations are the one who keep you moving on in the work.
What comes first for you — the plot or the characters — and why?
Plot. Its the idea of the story, the foundation on which you build the story house. When that's together, or nearly so, you know what kind of character is need to make this happen.
How would you describe your book’s ideal reader?
Someone who likes a facts mixed with fiction. A person who enjoys seeing the same characters, (the detective here were used in another book) in a different storyline. A person who wants to escape from their chaos and join my characters in theirs.
How much research did you need to do for your book?
This one required a bit but it was well worth it. The background to this piece were events that did take place in Ireland in the Mother and Baby home and in parishes throughout the world. Recently, England began a investigation in orphanages run by the Catholic Church and in India a priest was charged with raping a nun.
Tell us more about your book/s?
My first two are no longer available but I 'm hoping to bring them back with a different publisher. Every book has a different message, so read them all.