Our new FEATURE FRIDAY program starts with a bang!!! Our past featured author, Javier Robayo is interviewed by Hotlit Books co-founder Xavier Zyta and talks about his sequel to his successful book The Gaze which is The Next Chapter.
The Next Chapter
Javier Robayo
Being
that The Next Chapter is a continuance of The Gaze, did you know you were going
to continue the story before you finished The Gaze?
No, if anything I always said I wouldn’t write a series,
but something happened with Gaze. One of
the main characters nearly stole the show and I had a feeling readers were
going to want more. It didn’t take long
to come up with the story and I committed to it by writing the three chapter
excerpt at the end of Gaze.
I
understand the Gaze’s cover was your wife, how did you approach her to do
it. Why did you not continue with her on the cover of The NextChapter?
Oh, my Sheri gets a kick out of people thinking that’s
Samantha’s face. Her eyes are as
beautiful as gems to me, and nothing spoke the name of the novel like her gaze
did, and so I asked her to show me a series of emotions until we got The Shot. I went all paparazzi on her for at least an
hour and some fifty decisions later, found the perfect combination of ambiguous
intensity. It came out better than I
ever dreamed! It looks so much better in
the newest cover.
The Next Chapter is a story onto its own and I wanted
something that held the most symbolism within the story. I was researching the meaning of colors and
came across this legend of the Autumn Harvests.
People celebrated not only the change of the seasons, the death of a
year and the rebirth of another, but they all hoped to change themselves. This was a change for their next life in the
new year. It tied in with Lewis’s
journey perfectly.
Do
you do an outline before you start a book or do you just do it as you are
writing it?
I don’t do outlines at all. I’ve tried and it just doesn’t work for
me. I like getting to know my characters
and once they are fused into my mind, they literally take over the story. I’ve deleted entire chapters because I’d feel
Samantha or Gwen telling me, “that’s just not what I would do.” I will take credit for the situations, but
the emotional reactions that drive the stories are all theirs.
What
is the hardest thing for you when you are writing?
The hardest thing for me is to stay detached from my
characters. In Gaze, Samantha’s
reactions and feelings are so overwhelming I’d end up laying my head on the
keyboard in tears. I couldn’t talk about
what I was writing with Sheri because I’d end up choking up bad. Even after finishing the novels, I go through
this emotional crash where I feel as though I miss them terribly. It happens to many authors, but after
investing so much time into creating their lives, they come to mean so much to
you. Such strong emotional response
often got in the way of where I wanted to take the story.
Do
you suffer from distractions when writing?
Ha! I work swing
shifts at a steel mill full of its own brand of never-ending drama, and at
home, I have two little girls who demand my attention along with the upkeep of
the house and life in general. Most of
my writing takes place once everyone goes to bed. There were many times when my alarm would go
off, making me aware that I’d been at the keyboard the entire night. I paid for it dearly as I tried to get
through the day.
Do
you have a hard time setting time aside to write?
Yes. For me,
writing comes easier when I’m in the mood to write and those moods have no
specific schedule. I’ve gotten up at 3am
to write because my mind just had to get everything out, and other times,
despite Sheri taking the girls to visit friends, and giving me time to write, I
couldn’t compose a single word.
I wrote the first draft in about ten months, add to that
two more of editing and if I peek, I could probably keep writing it. A solid year went into it.
With the characters and the setting already established, I
was able to produce a final draft in four months then spent one more adding and
editing. It wasn’t that I had all this
time, it was just that my characters helped me move the story along at a good
clip.
Did
it seem easier to write The Next Chapter?
I’ve learned so much after writing Gaze. Honestly, the easy part was writing the
novel. The promoting is its own
monster! Writing, like any skill, is
something that gets better the more you do it.
I took a risk by going into active present rather than a retrospective
voice like Gaze. I wanted my reader in
the moment, unable to figure out what would happen next. I didn’t have to do as much research as I did
for Gaze and that helped me a great deal.
How
much of The Next Chapter would you put in the first book if you had to do it
all over again?
Well, that’s a tough one.
The worst review I’ve had on Gaze was centered around its length. Dramas tend to be on the long side and I’ve
learned that as an author, I’d better justify its volume by providing good
content. I could’ve easily threaded a
large percentage of Chapter into Gaze, but that would’ve put that novel over the
1200 page mark.
Would
you want to be one of your characters and if so which one?
Aw man! That’s just
not fair! I’d love to be Tony, just
because he’s cool and grounded. I’d love
to be Jason Stephen, because well, all the girls want him and he’s pretty much
everything a guy would like to be in the eyes of a girl. Of course, there’s Lewis, who’s had a huge
following since the first time he graced the pages of Gaze. I’d like to be a friend like him. I’d love to have a friend like him.
I can’t choose just one.
Gwen, Samantha, even Audrey have such strengths and allure, I’d be happy
to be any one of them.
What
is your favorite movie?
The Shawshank Redemption, the writing is so rich,
incredibly emotional.
Would
you like to make The Gaze and The Next Chapter into a movie?
It’d be a dream come true.
I’ve been blow away by the connections many of my readers have
developed. I’ve often been asked what I
did to make a reader go on and on in their reviews. There have been some personal emails in which
readers have told me just what Gaze has done for them. If the novels ever made into movies, I’d be
so interested to see just how many people connected to the characters and
identified with their weaknesses and strengths.
Who
would you want to play the lead characters?
This is one I’m always ready to answer
Kate Beckinsale as Samantha Reddick
Jude Law as Lewis Bettford
Sophia Bush as Gwen Amaya
Adam Garcia as Tony Amaya
Rachel McAdams as Quinn McDermont
Chris Evans as Jason Stephen
Chris Hemsworth as Brooks Waldenberg
And the incredibly talented singer Adele as Audrey Burton
Will
there be Another Chapter?
Before releasing The Next Chapter, I fought a losing
battle against the fear that I did not meet the expectation of Gaze
readers. I was wrong. I’ve even had a few tell me they liked
Chapter even better. As it happened in
Gaze, there is a slew of seed that could blossom into a third installment. My closest friends and my editor pretty much
demand another installment. I’m
committed to writing two other novels, but after that, we’ll see…
Tell
us about your VP's and distribution center employees. ie; your girls and how
your family plays a role in you being in an author.
I have to take a bit of time on this one. It all starts with my dad. He taught himself computers and everything to
do with them since we arrived in 1988.
None of us ever thought how vital his skills would prove to be once I
started writing. He also has an artistic
background and both covers were finalized by him. My Sheri is my most brutal critic and harsh
observant. It took such a big effort to
evoke a little shimmer in her eyes with Gaze.
Once I moved her to blink a tear or two down her cheek, I knew I had a
chance.
My VP of distribution, Kendra Marie, makes sure I stay
grounded and remember what is most important in life. Her smiles and little words of encouragement,
along with her understanding for the hours and hours on the keyboard, are
tremendous help.
My little Inventory Manager, Amber Gabrielle, is a
pistol. She has no qualms in coming down
and getting in my face, hands fisted at her waist, “enough writing, let’s go in
the pool, Dad!”
I’ve drawn so much inspiration out of their observations
and the way they look at life through new eyes, forcing me to see it all for
the first time. They are my motivation
to establish a writing career that will enable me to be always around them. I’ve missed more than a few things by working
weekends, holidays, and strange hours that kept me from seeing them. Along with my wife, they are my everything.
Lastly, thank you Hotlit Books so so much for the
opportunity to be a small part of your growth and I hope that you know I’ll
always do what I can for Gabriella Deveraux and company. It’s been a real pleasure.
If you want to forward on please do,
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