Sublime Paralyses

AUTHOR INTERVIEW: MAJESTY’S JAY E. TRIA

First of all, I apologize about how much of a disservice this interview is. If I could have my way, I’d be asking a lot more questions and be delving more deeply into how author Jay E. Tria made Majesty or how she weaves her stories in general. I just take comfort in the fact that this wouldn’t be the last time I can interview her. Before heading on to the actual interview, a bit of Background about Majesty:

What would you do if the ghost of someone you loved appeared in front of you? 'Majesty is a beautiful ghost, with her hair of fire and eyes gray like smoke.' That was Andy Fey’s first thought when the ghost of her best friend Majesty Hall appeared in her bedroom, only two months since her death. Majesty doesn’t know why she’s there, why only Andy can see her. Andy wasn’t sure if she could tell Gale, that boy who claims that he and Majesty were in love. Funny, sarcastic, and a self-proclaimed serial heartbreaker, Gale is proving to be a good friend in grief, though his trail of broken hearts could soon include hers. As Andy and Gale wade through their sorrow, Andy wonders if Majesty is here to help ease her into this new, complicated friendship, or if she has a mission all her own.

Here are the questions I threw her way:

·  Can you tell me about the inception of the story Majesty?

Jay: I’ve had the idea in my head for about three years before I got a chance to write it. A good chunk of those three years was spent wishing and wondering just how it would be to talk to someone you’ve lost. I was utterly consumed by the idea. I was terrified of the thought of that happening, but at the same time I was aching for it.

·  What did you hope to achieve with the story?

Jay: I wanted to write about friendship, and about a different kind of heartbreak. I wanted to write about a ghost that was not scary and whose ass Suze Simon doesn’t need to kick.

·  Which scene is your favorite?

Jay: I liked the sake-at-the-grave scene. That one played very vividly in my head. I liked the one where Majesty tells Andy that just because she’s a ghost doesn’t mean she’s always right.

·  Who are your influences/inspiration, it can be for this particular story or just authors you look up to in general.

Jay: I keep saying her name, and I’ve only read two of her works, but I love Banana Yoshimoto. Her books are translated, I know! But I love the simplicity of her prose, how it flows like music, then hits you right where it hurts.

·  Any roadblocks encountered while writing this story?

Jay: Memories were a literal pain! Haha.

·  Tell us a bit about your writing process, how you get the inspiration for your stories, to outlining them or anything and everything you can tell me about how you write.

Jay: I get ideas from the same places you do—dramas you like, people you like, a song that lives in your head. When the ideas turn into dialogues, I write them down, then I follow with an outline. I know a few people who can work without an outline but I just can’t. I tried working without it, I nearly drove myself crazy. I build character profiles too, and I free write the premise, the world the characters live in, their conflict, the questions in their heads and all that. When I get stuck, I free write again.

·  Finally, what's one piece of advice you can give to a less experienced writer?

Jay: Oh, nothing groundbreaking. Read and write, and repeat. When you get stuck, get a chocolate bar, go out and watch a movie, dance to a song you don’t know, hang out with a friend who missed you while you’re in your writer’s hole, then go back and write again. Writing is not always fun, but life is a lot less fun without it.

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More about the author:

Jay E. Tria writes contemporary Young Adult and New Adult stories about characters that live inside her head, about people she meets and people she wishes to meet. She also reads, daydreams, and blogs. She loves skinny jeans, sneakers, live gigs, and adopted cats. She is not a cool kid. Books: Blossom Among Flowers | Songs of Our Breakup Official site: www.jayetria.com Facebook, Twitter, Wattpad: jayetria