About Jinx James:
Humorous crime fiction author Jinx James was born in the UK, and lives in Australia. He has worked in music, advertising, and TV comedy.
He now lives in a wine-growing area in regional Australia with his wife and two dogs.
He used to collect guitars. Now he collects wine.
Jinx James has always been fascinated by charisma, satire, and what makes people laugh. These are the elements he aims for in all his stories.
His love of Classic Rock and Soul and the thrills and spills of showbiz take centre stage in his new series starring ageing Australian rock star Marc Charles. It’s a thrilling crime scam series with scandal, dodgy schemes and even dodgier contracts, plus intrigue, sexy back-up singers and, of course, dark humour.
What inspires you to write?
I often get asked why I chose to write dark comedy.
It’s just the way I see life, I guess. People in ShowBiz tend to look back on the close calls they’ve been in, and see the funny side of it, especially years afterwards when they’re a bit pissed with their mates. Some anecdotes I’ve been told would make your hair stand on end, and yet they’re screamingly funny.
I always wanted to write about this stuff because of my Dad. He had to be the greatest Classic Rock and Soul fan ever, a prolific reader and terminal magpie. The old man kept it all, books, records, old videos, CD’s, the lot – and I still have rooms full of them. And, of course, I spent some time working in the music industry, so I know the real deal.
What authors do you read when you aren’t writing?
Because everything I write has humour, satire and a bit of the dark side to it, that’s where I normally go.
All of the Gore Vidal funnies, especially Duluth. Everything from Carl Hiassen, and PG Plum. Jennifer Egan’s Goon Squad, Chuck Palahniuk’s Survivor and John Lanchester’s arch and ultra-wicked The Debt to Pleasure. I couldn’t leave out Look Who’s Back from Timur Vermes or the very dark David Grossman’s A Horse Walks Into A Bar. Anything from Janet Evanovich, and of course, lurking in the bushes there’s always Vlad The Impaler–although it was mostly butterflies not people that Mr Nabokov used to stick. Lolita, of course, plus Ada and Pnin, but especially for me, my hero’s wicked masterpiece, Pale Fire.
Tell us about your writing process.
These days I write in Scrivener. It's easy to see where your story is going. The events in my plot are inextricably intertwined, and that makes for all sorts of complications whenever I decide to make radical changes, like when new characters pop up.
For Fiction Writers: Do you listen (or talk to) to your characters?
My characters seem incredibly real to me. An idea might pop up, and I'll say "no, Marc would never do that." I even know what he'd like for dinner. He cooks a bit – nice, especially for a rock
What advice would you give other writers?
“Keep on Pushing” One of my Dad’s favourite 60’s Civil Rights songs by The Impressions. The lyrics are perfect for the most daunting of challenges that writers have to face and must overcome, and as an added bonus, the music, playing and singing are sublime. Vale Curtis Mayfield!
How did you decide how to publish your books?
If you want to be sure of getting published, self-publish! End of story. But. I would heed the advice o Mark Dawson, do your research beforehand. It helps if you're writing in a major genre, too, which I'm not, and I'm still learning the game.
What do you think about the future of book publishing?
Something is bound to shake up the status quo. Who knows what or when.
What genres do you write?: Humor & Satire
What formats are your books in?: Both eBook and Print
Website(s)
Link To Jinx James Page On Amazon
All information in this post is presented “as is” supplied by the author. We don’t edit to allow you the reader to hear the author in their own voice.
