Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m a native New Jerseyean with superhuman strength who rejected the superhero life after accidentally burning down his ancestral home with his heat vision. I turned to the literary life and have published nine novels and dozens of short stories and every day I resist the urge to destroy people using my superpowers for minor infractions of the Rules of Polite Society. And yet no one offers to buy me a drink. Read more about me at www.jeffreysomers.com.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest books is We Are not Good People (Pocket/Gallery; wearenotgoodpeople.com). It was inspired by two things: A horrified certainty that if magic actually existed, it would be exploited and used by the worst possible people, and a disdain for the common trope in SF/F books of a “The One” character who simply is born with or is granted tremendous power without having to work for it. In the universe of We Are Not Good People, magic *costs*, buddy. And it costs big.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Does pantslessness count? Because between being absent-minded, drinking heavily, and not owning any pants, I usually write while pantsless.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
Jim Thompson wrote some of the tightest, meanest books in the world, and I always strive for his level of economy and power. Chandler, Hammett, Leonard, certainly. Jack L. Chalker, Frederick Pohl as well.
What are you working on now?
A couple of short stories, and a few novels that are in such early stages they can barely be considered coherent. Although if my past publishing history is any indication, coherence in your writing is largely deprecated anyway.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Sweet lord, I’m a writer – you’re asking the wrong person. But I think the order of magnitude is 1) Your own blog, if you update it frequently; 2) Twitter, if you hit it every day and interact with Followers; 3) Goodreads; and 4) Facebook, but only if you’re willing to spend a little $$$ to promote the occasional post.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Best and only all-purpose advice: Write first, sell second. Don’t get bogged down in whether or not a novel has a “market” – just write something you’re in love with and the rest will follow, someday.
Sub-advice: Get a good agent. A good lit agent will a) have drinks with you (and buy); b) get you better and more frequent deals; and c) handle all the market and selling stuff you don’t want to bother with.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
“Wait five seconds, then go after her.”
What are you reading now?
The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt. It’s … good. But not Pulitzer good, IMHO.
What’s next for you as a writer?
I’ve started four novels this year. Finished the first one, and no one liked it much – it might be revised. The second and third sank into the swamp. The fourth one’s gonna make it, or I’ll eat my socks.
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
The Little World of Don Camillo, by Giovanni Guareschi
The Killer Inside Me, by Jim Thompson
A Distant Mirror, Barbara Tuchman
The Man in the Empty Suit, by Sean Ferrell
Author Websites and Profiles
Jeff Somers Website
Jeff Somers Amazon Profile
Jeff Somers’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account