J.M. Zambrano Interview

1: What is the most productive time of the day for you to write?

I'm a morning person, but sometimes I write long hours at a stretch. 

2: Do you start your projects writing with paper and pen or is it all on the computer?

I used to always start with pen and paper--still do at the start of a project.  Once into it, I go straight to the computer.

3: What do you draw inspiration from?

Mostly from kernels of truth drawn from life experiences, newspaper articles, etc.

4: Do you set goals for yourself when you sit down to write such as word count?

I don't set goals in terms of word count, but I may set a goal to accomplish a certain scene or event without thought to actual word count.

5: Are you a published or a self published author and how do you come up with your cover art?

I'm self published--newly so.  My publish date on Kindle shows May 2010, but it took me until more like July or August to get the kinks out of the formatting and to add a proper cover and copyright page.  Julie Ortolon did my cover.  My upcoming second novel, Pool of Lies, has a cover by Kit Frazier. They both do great work and are reasonably priced.

6: What drives you to choose the career of being a writer?

I believe one is born with a compulsion to write.  I printed and illustrated my first "book" in pencil at about seven years of age. If I'm not writing, I have a vague sensation of discontent.

7: Do you own an ebook reading device?

Not yet.  I downloaded the free Amazon software for Kindle on PC.  I'm hoping to get a Kindle soon.

8: Who are some of your favorite authors and What are you reading now?

So many favorites!  For suspense/mystery genre, I enjoy Harlan Coben and Elizabeth George.  They have very different styles, but I enjoy them both--have never been disappointed with one of their novels.  Other favorites living and dead: Louise Erdrich, Daphne DuMaurier, Ayn Rand, Nicholas Evans, Nikos Kazentzakis are just a few.  Right now, I'm reading three books:  "The Plague of Doves" by Louise Erdrich, "The Girl Who Played With Fire" by Steig Larsson, and "The Psychopath Next Door" (non-fiction) by Dr. Martha Stout.

9: What do you think of book trailers and do you have any plans to have any?

I'm not familiar with book trailers.  Are they like a filmed snippet of the story?

10: How did you come up with the title of your latest book?

The book I will be working on after I finish editing "Pool of Lies" is entitled "Chimera."  I can't tell you how I came up with the title without revealing too much of the plot.

11: What are you working on now that you can talk about?

I'm editing "Pool of Lies."  I have two great beta-readers, and I'm now going through their notes and making changes and corrections.  Hope to be finished in time for a November release.