Welcome contemporary horror author J. L. Petty who took a break from working on her
masters degree to fill us in on her first published work. Inspired by a real event, DEATH AND THE JOURNALIST (Solstice Publishing) tells the story of a journalist who disappears one night
following a plane crash upon meeting some kind of supernatural force. The story is “a thoughtfully entertaining
read that puts a fresh spin on one person's encounter with Death,” according to
a reviewer. In addition to writing contemporary horror short stories, J.L.
Petty has written suspense, science fiction, and fantasy fiction, and has
published works in a variety of magazines and anthologies.
She has a dog named Chewbacca, and her favorite author is Michael Crichton.
Q: What do you
consider “horror”?
J.L. Petty: I
consider a shuddering feeling of fear the definition of horror.
Q: How do you make
your stories “scary”?
J.L. Petty: I make my stories scary by having really
horrifying villains. I think having a great villain makes the story great.
Q: What inspires you to write horror
stories?
J.L. Petty: I am inspired to write horror stories
by watching horror movies. I particularly like the indie movies because they
always have fresh concepts that haven’t been seen with mainstream audiences
yet.
Q: How do you make us
care about your characters?
J.L. Petty: I make readers care about my characters
by using vivid imagery when describing them. Most writers struggle with showing
versus telling. I always try my best to paint a really vivid character
description.
Q: Are you in control
of your characters? Or do they push you around?
J.L. Petty: I am definitely in control of my
characters. lol. I may have an idea of how I want the characters to be that is
stuck in my head. But then, when I start writing, I completely change my mind.
Q: What makes a
hero/heroine? What makes a villain?
J.L. Petty: Unwavering
bravery makes a hero and pure deceptive intention make a villain.
Q: How important is
back story? Do you do any research for credibility?
J.L. Petty: I
think back stories are extremely important; so that the story flow makes sense.
I do a lot of research for credibility. It is extremely important because
readers will email me with criticism and that can be embarrassing lol.
Q: Why are you a
writer? When did you first know
that you wanted to be a writer?
J.L. Petty: I am a writer because I grew up
reading. My mother is a school teacher and she would always promote literacy in
our house. So from an early age, I always had an aesthetic appreciation for
literary arts and writing. I knew I wanted to be a writer when I was 9 years
old. I would write short stories to my mother in class. She was always
encouraging me.
Q: Tell us something about yourself,
e.g., do you like to read? Eat? What’s your favorite charity, holiday, book,
author, character, play, movie, celebrity? What do you do when
you’re not writing? Do you have a muse? Do you like dogs or cats?
J.L. Petty: When I’m not writing, I am in school working on a master’s
degree in education. I have a dog named Chewbacca; so I am a dog lover. My favorite author is Michael
Crichton…and my favorite book is Congo. My favorite movie is Casino. I don’t have
a muse yet; though, I’d love to have one someday. My favorite holiday is
Christmas. Also, my favorite play is Lion King; it has beautiful scenery. My
favorite celebrity is Robert Dinero and my favorite charity is water.org.
Around the world, there are thousands that don’t have fresh drinking water. I
donate to their cause once a year.
Author Bio
J.L. Petty is an author of several short stories. She
published her first book DEATH AND THE JOURNALIST with Solstice Publishing,
February 14, 2011. Her stories range in contemporary horror, suspense, science
fiction, and fantasy fiction. Over
the years, she’s written for various magazines and has been featured as an
author in several anthologies. Petty discovered her love of writing at an early
age and started working as a contributor for The Virginian Pilot Newspaper.
After working with the local newspaper in her hometown, J.L. Petty embarked
upon a career in entertainment journalism and also worked for United States
Congress. She is currently working towards a Masters degree and resides in
Virginia.
Set in the fall of 2001 and purportedly based on actual
events. Michael Devoe, journalist for the New York Times, is the victim of the
most compelling evidences of disappearances ever documented in United States
History. After a plane crash, Michael disappears one night during an encounter
with an unexplained supernatural force. Authorities report that his body was
never found.
Excerpt
The flight attendant faced the
passengers. Over the roar of the engine, she spoke in a firm voice with a hint
of quiver, “We are going to be okay, please put your oxygen masks on,” then she
sat down and buckled her seat belt. The fat man and I were still standing.
Grimacing at my cramping hands, I kept my grip on the black metal bar.
In the midst of the now-panicked
passengers sat one woman, calmly flipping the pages of her Cosmopolitan
magazine and taking occasional sips of her Pepsi. She seemed so calm and
serene; I couldn’t take my eyes off her. She had long black hair and her face
was like that of a fashion model or actress. She was wearing a black dress and
needed no jewelry to define her long ivory-colored neck. This woman had the
whitest skin. Her limbs were long. She seemed to ignore everything around her
and was patiently waiting for the plane to crash.
As though
she felt me staring at her, she turned to look at me. Gooseflesh popped up all
over my skin when I looked into her cold gray eyes, then shifted my eyes to the
ground. I could smell the heavy smoke rising from the engines I stared at the
rain drops that splattered against the exit window. Smoke drifted into the
cabin of the plane.
Publisher: Solstice Publishing
I found your great blog through the WLC Blog Follows on the World Literary Cafe! Great to connect!
ReplyDeleteLoved this interview. What sort of dog is Chewbacca--does the name fit? Sounds wonderful.
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