Author's Interview with J. P. McAndrew.
1. Could you please introduce yourself to us?
I'm J. P. McAndrew, author of the magical realism romance "Venus in Twilight."
2. Congratulations on your book! What inspired you to write it?
It started as a conversation with a coworker. We were having lunch together one day. I think it was a Friday. I asked him if he had any plans for the weekend, and his reply made it clear that his marriage and family were very unusual. I can't tell you exactly what he said because that would be a spoiler.
3. What is your book about?
At it's root, it's about love in its different forms: love between a husband and wife; love between parents and children; even love between the gods and human beings. And the idea that love doesn't have to follow social constructs to be valid.
4. Why did you choose this genre for your book?
That's a good one! I still haven't chosen a genre. I just wrote the story and tried to fit it into genres afterward, strictly for marketing purposes. That's another thing about this story, and me personally: I don't really believe in labels. They serve a purpose; I just don't put too much stock in them. I'm describing it as a "magical realism romance," even though it doesn't follow any of the tropes of romance. The core relationship in the story gets destroyed and rebuilt beyond recognition. "You have to break some eggs to make a good quiche," is something my Venus character says.
5. How long did it take you to complete the book?
The conversation with the coworker happened in 2008, and I started outlining right away, and worked on it when I could. I retired from my job as an industrial electrician in 2020, and was able to devote the time to write an actual manuscript. I wrote the first draft of a screenplay that year, and it took about six months. I talked myself into novelizing the story in 2022, and it took about a year. In one sense, the book took a year to write. In another sense, it took 15 years.
6. What makes your book special?
I have a basic distrust of social constructs and societal expectations, and those things permeate this book. I'm also neuro-divergent. I'm introverted, much like my main character, and awkward around strangers, especially members of the complimentary sex. And I've practiced Zen Buddhism for quite a while, so that colors my writing.
7. When can we expect your next book?
I'd like to say January of 2025, although I'm a slow writer, and a picky one. I have uploaded about 20,000 words of my work in progress to Kindle Vella. Amazon just announced that they're "pulling the plug" on Vella, so there's no point in continuing there. I may cross over to Wattpad or another serial platform until I finish it. The working title is "April's Flying Horse," and is a modern re-telling of the Wing Chun legend. It's cloaked as an enemies-to-lovers romance, but it's more of a dialogue of power dynamics between the sexes and wealthy people vs. poor people. It's also an opportunity to spread some Buddhist wisdom. The women in the original story were Zen Buddhists.
8. Did you experience writer’s block while writing? What advice would you give to others who face it?
Oh, yes! It used to be my nemesis when I was in college, but now I just accept it as part of the process. Here's how I cope with it today: I usually have a loose outline before I start writing. I try to follow the outline chronologically, but if I get stuck, I skip to a scene that feels like it would be fun to write. A fun scene is an easy scene. After that, I go back to the scene that was causing problems, and usually, my subconscious has smoothed out all the wrinkles.
9. Besides being a talented author, what are your other hobbies?
I've studied violin and guitar since I was seven years old; Asian martial arts since I was 16; Zen since I was in college, and video production. And reading, of course.
10. Last but not least, how did you feel during this interview?
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