Click here to browse our fantastic gallery of FREE or hugely discounted novels

Interview with JV Stanley, author of Faces In Still Waters

image

image image

There’s a bit of darkness in everyone’s heart and it sneaks up on us at the most inopportune moments, when we are at our most vulnerable. Our guilt consumes us with its acidic nature and eats away at the soul.

Faces In Still Waters is a book that I had started years ago after visiting a local museum.  The winters in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan are harsh, to say the least and the museum had a particular display honoring a man who had disappeared upon the lake one winter.  I thought to myself, “What if he didn’t disappear?  What if every individual who had drowned within a body of water was trapped forever within the depths?

That is an interesting premise for a novel. What’s the story?
The story is told from the perspective of Kara, a young, impressionable college student who comes from a disjointed family and a grisly past.  Her brother had died in a tragic fire and for years
she blamed herself.  Her best friend and rival (frenemy) Samantha convinced her to move with her to attend college in the Upper Peninsula as a way to escape her dark past and have a fresh start.  As soon as she arrives, however, she is greeted by the ghost of a boy that resembles her late brother.  Shortly after, she witnesses the reflections of those about to die upon the water’s surface. 

There are other spirits within the lake that have a more macabre intention for Kara.  These dark spirits have a psychic connection to the guilt that individuals feel and thus lure them to the lake.  The guilt that individuals feel is like an acid that tears away the individual from the inside out.

Between the mysterious murders that have plagued the area, the unexplainable disappearances, and the supernatural phenomenon occurring around the lake, Kara finds herself facing her past to determine her future. 

We haven’t even asked what genre this is?
It’s a horror story with elements of mystery and the supernatural. 

Complete this sentence for us: if you like _________________, you’ll love my book.
movies like ‘Wrong Turn’, ‘House Of Wax’, and ‘Jeepers Creepers’

Tell us about Samantha, her frenemy Samantha and anyone else we need to meet.
Kara resembles the girl-next-door in a lot of ways, but her insecurity causes her to be a doormat.  Her nice, complacent attitude is often mistaken as a weakness that is taken advantage of and exploited  by her best friend, Samantha.   As the novel progresses, Kara begins to recognize her strengths and uses them to her advantage.  By the end of the novel, she begins to assert herself. 

Samantha is the friend you love to hate and personifies everything Kara wishes she could be. Popular, beautiful, desired, and charismatic.  I would describe her as being ‘morally flexible’. 

Clayton Parker is the mysterious Englishman who lives across the lake. He’s charming, good looking, charismatic, but lives a very private life.  His past and his lifestyle has made him the talk of the town.

Have you written any other books that we should read next?
I have a collaborative collection of poetry I wrote with my best friend titled ‘Fire And Water’.

We love poets here at Indie Author Land.
I’ve been writing stories and poetry since before high school.  I took Creative Writing in high school twice because I loved the class so much.  I even begged my classmates to let me do their homework for them just so I had an excuse to write more stories.  I later developed my poetry and writing skills through various courses in college.  I’m currently five classes shy of earning my BA in English with a minor in Communications at the University of Phoenix and I plan to continue on in my education by going for my Masters immediately after. 

I currently reside with my fiance and two young children in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan around the Marquette area.  I’m also known for my ambitious nature.  Some of my adventures include: DIY renovations, working as the Marketing and Development Director at Miracle Ezine, and being a student and mother.  I also own and operate Writerz Block – an editing service geared toward independent authors and students, marketing for up-and-coming independent authors. 

My hobbies include hiking, hunting, fishing, reading, playing video games, and walking on waterfalls during the summer months.  Yes, I walk on waterfalls.

Do you have a website where we can keep up with your work?
I currently have two websites. 

The Writing of J. V. Stanley Official Website is where you can keep updated on my work, credentials, and current projects.  You can visit by going to the following link.

If anyone is interested in the editing services I can provide, they can learn more by visiting that website as well.

How can we follow you on Twitter and/or Facebook?
Follow me on Twitter @jvstanleyWB

My professional author page on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JVStanley.editor.author.poet?ref=ts&fref=ts

Writerz Block  editing service Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/pages/Writerz-Block/183631025056560?fref=ts

How easily do new storylines come to you? If we give you four random words – Man, Woman, Airport, Darkness – can you give us a brief storyline?
Usually storylines hit me like an epiphany.  I keep a journal handy at all times to keep a record of them.  Some I have developed into stories while others remain ideas I may or may not use at a later date. 

Using the above words, this situation comes to mind:

She was alone within the pitch-black void of darkness.  Her heartbeat racing within her chest it echoed within her ears and seemed to bounce off the walls of the empty bathroom.  Convinced he would hear its sound, she gripped her chest, hoping to slow its rhythm.  He continued stumbling toward her, his breathing like the roar of a jet engine.  He was no longer her husband, that she knew for sure.  The remainder of reality took off with the rest of the passengers of flight 307 that day, leaving her to the mercy of the indestructible virus that turned the greatest love of her life to the greatest weapon this world has ever known. 

What’s next?
I’m currently working on a few other novels at the moment.  The current novella I’m working on  is a lyrical epic-style poem titled ‘Irony, Karma, and Fate Walk Into A Bar…’.  This novella personifies Irony, Karma, and Fate as women who interfere and influence individual’s lives.  With scathing humor and philosophical aspects, this story is what I consider my personal masterpiece.  I have also included with it a collection of my longer poetry and a few short stories that run along a similar theme.  I anticipate its publication within the next six months. 

Leave a Facebook, Google+ or Wordpress Comment

Loading Facebook Comments ...

Leave a Reply