J. M. Snyder
  Interview at Sexy Reads

Originally appeared online in February 2008 at Sexy Reads

Sexy Reads: We're lucky to have the Talented JM Snyder answering some questions for us today :) What inspires you to write?

J.M.: Writing to me has always been a way of escape, I guess you could say. It's a mixture of journaling, cheap therapy, and daydreaming out loud. When I'm not writing, I'm not me. I find inspiration in any and everything -- the world around me, strangers I see in passing, snippets of overheard conversations, phrases in books or songs ... most of the time, it's just the way something strikes me, seeing things in a different way, thinking about them differently. It depends. Sometimes I have a theme I want to write about and I mull it over until I find a story to tell. Other times, the story finds me.

Sexy Reads: Do you consider yourself to be an author or a writer or both? Why?

J.M.: First and foremost, I am a writer because I write. Even if I didn't publish what I wrote down, I would still put pen to paper. In 2002 I became an author, because I began publishing my writing for profit.

Sexy Reads: What is your latest novel all about?

J.M.: My current work in progress is a novella entitled With This Ring. It's a continuation of my superhero series, The Powers of Love. In this series, Vic Braunson has discovered his lover Matt diLorenzo transfers super powers to him during sex. I have published three books in the series already, and have a spin-off series called The Positions of Love. They're published by Amber Quill Press, and With This Ring is slated for a May release by that publisher, as well.

In With This Ring, an ex-lover of Matt's blabs about his condition to a tabloid, which catches the attention of a research engineer at a condom factory. Dr. Channarayapatra claims to have a solution to Matt's problem, and after giving Vic a particularly bad power, Matt decides to take the doctor up on his offer. But he learns that the man's motives might be less than honorable, and losing the telepathic bond he's created with Vic over the years makes Matt wonder if the cure isn't worse than the problem.

Sexy Reads: Do you know exactly what you're gonig to write beforehand or do you just follow where your inspiration leads?

J.M.: I have to at least know the next scene before I begin writing. Whether it's the first scene of the story or the next scene in the book, I have to know where I'm going before I sit down. However, I don't like to think a story through to the end until I'm at least halfway there. If I think it through completely before I write it out, I find that I lose interest in it and don't get it done. So I have to know a little bit, just enough to get me moving along, but I can't know the whole thing, not all at once.

Sexy Reads: Are you organized?

J.M.: Yes and no. My apartment is a mess, but my computer files are very organized (my backup files are saved by date, and I have extensive spreadsheets for sales, royalties, expenses, etc). I don't really make many notes on a story while I'm writing it, which I should probably do to keep myself straight, yet I have a spreadsheet updated daily with my word count so I know how much I write. I have every receipt for business expenses from 2007, organized by date, but my sink is full of dishes, so go figure!

Sexy Reads: What helps you to keep on writing when you get discouraged?

J.M.: I remind myself that I don't write for anyone else -- I write for me. It's nice that others out there enjoy reading it, but in the end, if I'm happy with my writing, then that's all that matters to me.

Sexy Reads: Do you write in silence or do you need some background noise to concentrate?

J.M.: I prefer silence when I write, unless I'm listening to music without lyrics (I tend to sing along and that breaks my concentration).

Sexy Reads: Tell us where we can find out more about you and your books.

J.M.: I have an extensive web site with book excerpts, reviews, free fiction, and purchasing information at http://jmsnyder.net. I also keep an online blog at http://jmsnyder.com, and maintain a web site for my superhero characters at http://www.vic-and-matt.com (coming February 3rd). My e-books are available from the publishers' sites (Aspen Mountain Press, Amber Allure Press, and Torquere Press), as well as from online bookstores such as Fictionwise and All Romance eBooks. I also have self-published fiction available at iUniverse, Lulu Press, and Amazon.com.

Sexy Reads: Thank you for your time and interesting answers!