Tour Stop: Triplicity by J. Mercer - Interview - Giveaway!

Triplicity
by J. Mercer
Genre: YA Contemporary Fiction
Release Date: January 2019

Summary:

One week on an Alaskan cruise, three teens, and an endless trail of lies.

Enter a series of thefts on board and they all fall under scrutiny. Though Navy acts a proper preacher’s daughter, she did end up with someone else’s purse in her hands, and Jesse knows way more than he should about what’s gone missing. Isaiah, however, is the one with motive—enough money and he could get back to his ranch. Each holds a piece of the truth, but exposing the thief could damn them all. They must navigate through the lies they’ve told, choose between standing together or saving themselves, and decide if innocence is worth facing their ugliest secrets.

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Purchase links:

Paperback: https://www.amazon.com/Triplicity-J-Mercer/dp/1732133247/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1545319729&sr=8-1

Kindle: https://www.amazon.com/Triplicity-J-Mercer-ebook/dp/B07JBK2GMB/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1545319729&sr=8-1&keywords=triplicity

Hello and thank you for little me interview you today. 

Of course! Happy to be here. 

Was writing your first love? 

Yes, I guess I’d say it was. Reading and writing, but I think it’s logical that reading comes first. I remember walking home while reading a book, and I started writing in middle school. I had less time in high school and none in college, but when I came back to it, I was sort of stunned, like, why did I ever stop doing this??

Where do you like to write? 

At retreats in the northwoods mostly. But otherwise, it’s more a when and with what than where. I prefer writing in the morning, when it’s quiet and peaceful and I’m the only one awake. And coffee helps, as do old-fashioned lemon drops, when things get serious ;)

Is writing everything you though it would be?

Well, I have this problem about never really thinking about what something will be like before I decide to do it. Instead, I spend all that brain energy on worrying about what probably won’t actually happen. You know, pointless backup plans instead of realistic planning? So I can’t say I thought much about what writing would be like before I started doing it. Producing and marketing, however, are more fun than I ever thought they would be. I thought they’d be terrible, but they’re a different kind of creative output, satisfying just the same, and a nice break sometimes from the actual writing itself, which takes more from my brain.

Who is/was your favourite character to write about?

Oh boy. Tough question. I guess I’ll say Isaiah, which I wouldn’t have thought starting out. But he was the hardest one, with the most complicated insides. It was fun working with his motivations, and there’s a freedom in writing someone who is so singularly focused. Isaiah is blunt and sees things clearly from his vantage. It was interesting writing him so the reader wouldn’t hate him after seeing his choices from Navy and Jesse’s points of view. Though, I think a few people do anyway. It’s interesting to hear from readers – some have said they could lose Jesse entirely, while others feel that way about Isaiah!

How do you form your story ideas? 

My story ideas generally start with a theme. For Triplicity it was that there are three sides to every story – yours, mine, and the truth. For After They Go, it was about the natural competition between sisters that I saw in small ways with my very young daughters. My youngest always compared herself, from when she could barely talk, and we spent a lot of time training her out of that habit. Then the characters come, forming themselves a bit from that theme, and the plot. There is a big give and take between the plot and characters too, as they hone each other for the sake of the theme and overall culmination of the book.

Do you keep notes during the day, in case something inspires you or, if you had a lively conversation and thought Hey that would be great in a book?

Seldom, but yes! In the notes app on my phone. Often it’s a stranger I’ve interacted with, something random about them I think would be great in a book. For example, a cook who wears nothing under his chef jacket but some chest hair. Usually I say it out loud when I see it – this should be in a book!

What was the last book you read, did it live up to your expectations?  

Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo, and for whatever reason, though it’s gotten a ton of hype, I wasn’t really excited about it, so yes. I was really impressed with most of it, though it petered out a bit for me at the end, so I guess also no. I think I have very high expectations as a reader, and that’s sad for me because I want to be excited through every book I read and I’m plenty times frustrated instead. There’s a lot to study in Leigh Bardugo’s writing though, don’t get me wrong. Her characters and world-building, her vocab and dialogue, all top notch.

Do you like warm or cold day?

Cool is my favorite, or warm but not hot. If I had to pick between cold and sweltering, I’d pick cold!

Tea, coffee, or rum? (or preferred drink, I’m a wine person myself but I do love a good latté)

Coffee, 100%. I often drink coffee in the evening while my friends are drinking wine ;) Not that I don’t like a glass of wine once in awhile, but generally I’m needing to stay awake so coffee works better!

Do you write in one sitting or in bursts?  

Hmmm, both I guess. It helps to draft in one sitting to get a book started, but often after a solid morning or a good few chapters, my brain is sort of like, um, that’s good for today, let’s go do something else.

Thanks again >.<

Thank you! Happy reading 

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J Mercer grew up in Wisconsin where she walked home from school with her head in a book, filled notebooks with stories in junior high, then went to UW Madison for accounting and psychology only to open a dog daycare. She wishes she were an expert linguist, is pretty much a professional with regards to competitive dance hair (bunhawk, anyone?), and enjoys exploring with her husband—though as much as she loves to travel, she’s also an accomplished hermit. Perfect days include cancelled plans, rain, and endless hours to do with what she pleases.

For updates and news, you can find her on Facebook, but she’s more often on Instagram, talking about what she’s reading and other bookish things. Go there for book recommendations, reading-inspired writing tips, or even to read along. If you prefer everything delivered directly to your inbox, click here to get on the email list