Q & A with DC Juris

Hi folks! ::waves:: DC Juris here!

So, I must confess, I couldn't come up with a single thing to write about this morning. Or rather, I came up with about a hundred things, but they all seemed stupid. LOL

I thought what I'd do instead, is post some reader questions that I've received in e-mails or messages, and the answers I gave. Sort of a mini interview, but by the readers. Kind of. Anyhow, here it is!

Q: I loved Calliph's name! How do you come up with character names? 

A: It depends. Sometimes, if I'm stuck on a name, I'll ask my husband, and just keep shooting down suggestions until he lands on something I really like. Also, I'm fond of taking my friends names and screwing them around until something interesting comes out of it. Calliph's name is a combination of my friend Phillip's first and last name.

Q: You write a lot but you have a day job, right? How do you stay focused on writing and not let the real world intrude?

A: For me, writing is a constant. It's something I do everyday, all the time, even if I can't physically get the information out of my head. For instance, right now, I'm thinking in my head “he typed” after each sentence. When people speak to me, I follow their words with mental additions of my own, such as “he said, raising an eyebrow at me in annoyance.” I literally live my life in a book, so there isn't a point when I'm not writing. I've learned over the years to scribble what I can, when I can. I write on scraps of paper, napkins, envelopes – whatever. Back in the day, when I worked for Publix supermarkets in Florida, I wrote whole stories on Presto slips, which are about the size of a personal check in length, and not as wide. :-)

Q: How do you make up your characters?

A: I don't. They come to me fully formed, of their own accord, and tell me about themselves. I don't sit down and think, “I'm going to write a story about a werewolf.” My characters just tap me on the shoulder and start talking.

Q: How do you keep all your characters straight (no pun intended!!)?

A: The same way I keep all the people in my life straight - I just know them. I do have notebooks for each couple, but I haven't as of yet made any character outlines, or anything like that. They're like my friends. I just know them.

Q: You write about a lot of kinky sh*t. Do you do any of that stuff?

A: Some of it. ::grin::

Q: Will you marry me? (Seriously…this was a question.)

A: No. Maybe. Buy me dinner and we'll talk.

Q: I downloaded your memoir from your website and it made me cry. Did all that stuff really happen? Did your family, like your extended family, not know enough to help you? How did you go from there to where you are now? What kept you going to get here?

A: Yep, it all happened. My extended family knew some of what was occurring. You have to realize, we lived over an hour from all of them, so it wasn't like they were at our house all the time. That being said, most of them did know the conditions I was living in, and no, they didn't help.

I got from there to here by perseverance and seeking to better myself through all avenues available. I moved out of my parents' house as soon as I could. I got therapy and anger management. What kept me going was that I didn't want to be a statistic - I wanted to be that guy who people would say, "you'd never know he'd been abused." I didn't want my past to dictate my future.

That's all for now. Thanks for stopping by!

~DC

YOU NEVER CARED by Michele Montgomery...a Free Download, Too!

I had the privilege of reading Michele Montgomery's new story, YOU NEVER CARED, and I was pleasantly surprised. I'm a fan of a lot of Michele's books, which include one of my all time favorites, TONY AND RYAN. But this book, YOU NEVER CARED, really drew me in because the storyline revolves around young adults, social images, and bullying. And, as always, Michele's books are written with a neat style that keeps the story moving forward at all time.

This line hit me fast: I never realized what my words and actions could do to another person. This is where the magnitude of what he's been doing hits Jordon, the one who is telling the story.

This time the story is told from the bully's POV, and how he regrets his decisions. He's tired of being what his father thinks he should be. And he's tired of trying to live up to everyone's expectations of what they think he should be. But more than that, he knows in his heart he's been wrong all along. And, this is why I love Michele's work. It's filled with emotion on all levels.

Another line that stopped me short for a moment was this: That was the worst of it for me at that moment, watching Samuel deal with the loss of the guy he loved, and it was all because of me. Jordon's talking about Sammy's dead lover, Casper. And I could feel Jordon's regret as I read this.

Once in a while we read something that inspires us. YOU NEVER CARED did this for me. This is a story about facing demons and regret, growing up and learning tolerance...even if it's a little too late in some cases. And that every single action in the universe...karma...causes a reaction in one way or another. But most of all, it's a story about redemption. And it's never too late for that.

Here's a quick blurb, and the story can be downloaded for free here.
I can't recommend it enough to all readers.

Jordan is a golden child—wealthy, popular, the self-professed ruler of the senior class. Jordan is also a bully, a bully whose group of friends mercilessly tormented seventeen-year-old Casper for being different, for being poor, for suffering silently. Random acts of abuse from his classmates were par for the course in Casper’s life, until one night, the bullying evolved into a hate crime and he, unable to endure, longing for peace, finally took his own life.

You Never Cared is the heartbreaking tale, told in Jordan’s words, of a life stolen, of love lost, and of a soul compromised. But ultimately, it is a story of forgiveness and redemption. As Sammy, Casper’s friend and lover, attempts to cope with the anguish of his boyfriend’s loss, Jordan attempts to own his part in the crime, trying to make amends but knowing his only hope is to carry on Casper’s legacy, to work to build a better future for boys and girls who, like Casper, just need a strong voice to encourage and stand up for them.


Thanks for stopping by!


~Ryan Field