Interview Joel Jurrens
by
C. W. Kesting
1) Joel, it appears that this is your first published
work with Wings Press. Can you tell us a bit about your career thus far?
I have had several short stories published in different magazines, but In the Sticks is my first published novel.
2)
How would you classify the genre you prefer to create
in?
I write mysteries with enough romance thrown in to keep it interesting.
3) Tell us about your book, In The Sticks. Where did
the inspiration come from?
I watched a documentary on Dennis Rader, the BTK killer. He was a deacon in his church and an upstanding citizen. Nobody suspected that he went out and killed people. It started me thinking about the dark secrets other ordinary people might have.
4)
Where do you get inspiration when creating characters
for a story? Do you have a favorite character?
Many of my characters are me: the me I think I am; the me I want to be; the me people see; and the dark me I keep buried inside. Rhonda Oleson is my favorite character in In The Sticks. She is a minor character, but she’s bold, brassy and intimidating. She stole every scene she was in.
5)
Which authors do you feel have influenced you the most?
I was a big Stephen King fan when I was young, but that has waned. I still think he does an excellent job of getting inside his characters’ heads.
6)
Are there any life experiences that you feel have
inspired or influenced your writing?
I have been in law enforcement for over twenty years. I know the ins and outs.
7) Describe your creative process. In other words, how
does a story unfold for you and how do the words make it from mere idea to
paper?
A scene comes to me and I start writing. It doesn’t have to be the first scene in the story. Sometimes the scene doesn’t even make it into the story. I start with the scene and work the story in both directions.
8) How do you combat and defeat “writers-block”?
Once I get a story going, I make a rough outline of each chapter. If my muse falls asleep, I’ll skip to a different chapter with different characters and a different setting. That usually wakes up my muse.
9) What is your next challenge?
I’m currently working on a western mystery, with just enough romance thrown in to keep things interesting.
10) What does Joel do when he’s not writing?