Page 23 - Novelist Post – J.D. Barker and more

I maintain one website for both names, it’s a bit more difficult to juggle different personas on social media platforms.
How do you approach creating complex characters like Astrid Johansen and Phoebe Glassman, who are navigating personal tragedies and mysteries?
Phoebe Glassman has lost her family and works in a funeral home in my novel, In Another Light, which all sounds very dark, but the story ends on a hopeful note. I read about her profession, interviewed the coroner, and visited the county morgue. I tapped into universal emotions— grief, loneliness,
and guilt, which we
all have—to deepen Phoebe’s character.
In Dreaming of Water, Astrid Johansen feels responsible for the long- ago accidental drowning of her little sister. Again, the story ends on a hopeful note, a mystery woven throughout. I tried to put myself in Astrid’s shoes, learned about her profession, and interviewed a court-certified forensic document examiner. As I wrote each book, Phoebe and Astrid came to life and helped to guide me through their stories.
What was your experience like having your novel "Looking for Bapu" adapted into a film, and what role did you play
in the adaptation process?
The experience was
and still is surreal. The
incomparable, talented
filmmaker, Sudeshna
Sen, did a wonderful job
of adapting Looking for
Bapu into the movie,
Anu. She shared the
script with me early in
the process and even
asked for my input, which I appreciated. I supported her decision to make the main character a girl. He’s a boy in the book. The movie remained faithful to the novel—retaining the humor and pathos—but was also wholly Sudeshna’s project. I stepped back during
the adaptation process, as I did not want to influence her decisions. But I was delighted to attend the sold out premier of the film at the Seattle International Film Festival!
Can you share insights into how you balance creating suspenseful plots
without losing the emotional depth in your stories?
Nowhere else have I walked on a rugged beach without another human in sight – only river otters and harbor seals gliding through
the waves, magnificent ospreys and bald eagles soaring overhead. We live in a stunning state with mountain ranges, three national parks, 3,026 miles of coastline and 170 named islands in the San Juan Islands archipelago. At low tide,
In my view, suspenseful plots are inextricably tied to emotions, as often the twist involves
the main character uncovering the secrets of those closest to her. In The Twilight Wife,
Kyra Winthrop, a marine biologist, has lost
the islands might number up to 700. The mists, forests, and wild beaches have infused nearly all of my recent novels, especially Looking for Bapu, Haunting Jasmine, The Twilight Wife, The Poison Garden, and Dreaming of Water. How could they not?
her memory and must unravel the mystery
of her past. Each discovery comes with an emotional revelation. In Dreaming of Water, Astrid Johansen feels responsible for her little sister’s long-ago death and feels terrible guilt, depression, grief. As she investigates the truth, her discoveries alter her emotions in a profound way. Each concrete plot twist also comes with a psychological revelation.
How does living in the Pacific Northwest influence your settings and atmospheric elements in your writing?
What advice would you give to aspiring authors who want to explore writing in multiple genres or under different pen names?
I recommend starting with
one name and writing a novel
that only you can write. Read widely, learn the craft by taking workshops and attending conferences, and connect with other writers. Write every day. Practice, practice. Treat writing as you would any profession. Then think carefully about why you might want to use more than one name. Often, the same author can write a variety of stories under the same name. But if you want to
try something radically different, shifting from romance to a thriller, for example, you might consider a pen name to let readers know what type of book they’re buying. In my view pen names exist for the reader’s benefit, to identify a brand or genre. For example, Jayne Ann Krentz writes contemporary romantic suspense, but she also writes historical romantic suspense as Amanda Quick and futuristic/ paranormal romantic suspense as Jayne Castle. The name indicates the type of book
"I’ve always loved stories that keep me guessing,
and I hope to surprise readers with unexpected twists and turns.
– AJ Banerjee
NOVELIST POST II 23