Hi, guys, I’m so excited! J. Vaughn is back to talk about her awesome trilogy, Rough Boys, that I’ve recently reviewed (I’d like to believe I was objective, but no worries, very soon i’ll write my own view on book reviews, so stay tuned, so to speak). With no further ado, here’s my interview with J.:
Hello, J. Thank you for taking the time to visit.
You’re here to talk about your trilogy, Rough Boys.
What are the main themes of the trilogy?
J. – I touch on a lot of themes in the novel. The main one is triumph over adversity. I wanted to show the seduction of alternative life styles, how easy it can be to follow the allure, but also how dangerous it can be. I wanted to give the message that you can recover from drug addiction and abuse. That even though life sometimes seem so dark you forget what light is, it’s still possible to make it out of the tunnel.
Another more subtle theme, one I was happy to see that you picked up on in your review of Rough Boys, is the idea that you usually reap what you sow. Most of the main characters in the novel make mistakes, and most of them pay for those mistakes one way or another. Sometimes life throws stuff at you for no reason whatsoever—it can be cruel and unfair, but how you react to events can play a big part in the outcome. I’m a big believer in karma.
There are other more minor themes too: love, hope, abuse, prejudice, religion, family ties… I tried not to be too preachy in the novel, to just the let the lessons come out naturally as the story unfolded, but I sound awfully preachy to myself in this interview. *laughs* Sorry about that.
You certainly don’t sound preachy. Every good book gives reader valuable life lessons.
Do you have a personal favorite character in the series? What about a particular character that gave you a hard time?
Do you have a personal favorite character in the series? What about a particular character that gave you a hard time?
J. – I like all of my main characters, but I would have to say my favorite is Ty. In his heart he’s a really sweet person, and life keeps throwing stuff at him that’s almost too much for him to handle. He doesn’t think of himself as strong, but he is. I enjoyed writing about his inner struggles and the joy and wonder he experiences when he finally accepts himself and allows himself to fall in love.
Ty’s parents were the most difficult characters to write. Ty’s dad because he was so twisted; it was hard to get into his brain. Ty’s mom was difficult to write because she’s weak, and I don’t like writing weak women. You might have noticed all of the other women in the novel—Abe’s mom and sister, and Abe’s boss—are strong characters. Even Ty’s little sister is brave and resilient. I heard from a few readers who hated Ty’s mom because she didn’t do more to protect him, however, I think it’s pretty typical when you’re in an abusive relationship to be so overwhelmed by the situation that you can’t see a way out. I also believe it’s common to be in denial of reality.
Some people think you were too kind to the villains. What do you have to say in response?
J. – I don’t like cardboard villains. People are complex; no one is ever completely good or completely evil. Usually the reason someone becomes nasty in the first place is because they’ve been abused. Those villains have probably already had quite a bit of pain and hatred thrown at them. More pain is not going to cure them. And I believe people can recover from abuse in given the right motivations—sometimes even a single life-altering event. In any case, I don’t believe my villains got off that easily:
Spoiler:
I have a quirky question. Where did you come up with the name of Sean’s therapist/mentor? It was so hard to pronounce, I pretty much gave up after the third try.
J. – It’s pronounced ‘shree-paul’. I envisioned Swami Sripal as an old, wise, Asian Indian. I used to work with a lot of Indians, so I just borrowed one of their names. The Sripal I know is young and handsome and probably won’t be anything like Swami Sripal for another fifty years.
Speaking of therapists, Rough Boys touches a lot of hard subjects, like physical abuse and substance abuse. Maybe even among our readers there are people who are fighting certain addictions or trauma. Why did you choose to tackle such difficult issues in Rough Boys? What was going through your head as you wrote some of the more gritty scenes?
J. – I’m an organic writer, which means I don’t outline the story in advance. I often start a story without a good idea of what is going to happen in it. I just let things flow as they will, although usually by the second chapter, I’ve figured out where I want the story to end.
In the case of Rough Boys, I was inspired by the song of the same name. I heard it on the radio one morning (not on my usual station), and started wondering what these rough boys would be like. What makes them the way they are? I wanted to “get inside their bitter minds.” The abuse came naturally from this, because it’s probably one of main reasons youth end up on the street. The drug addiction just came along with the way of life. Both “living on the street” and “rock star” are lifestyles where drugs are rampant. I also have some personal experience with abuse and drug addiction. I came out on the other side more or less whole, so wanted to give that message of hope.
As far as writing the gritty scenes—it wasn’t easy. I’ve had a number of people (you are one of them, Shayla) tell me they cried in many places while reading the novel. Well, I cried in many places while writing the novel. Writing is a cathartic process for me. Readers, I guess, are just reaping the benefits of me working through my issues. *grins*
Aside from the actual plot going on in the books, I imagine that writing a trilogy must have been very tiring and emotionally draining. Were there times when you felt like giving up? What helped you pull through?
J. – I published it chapter-by-chapter as I was writing it, and I had no idea it was going to get so long. There was one point where I was ready to give up. During the thick of Ty’s drug use, I had numerous readers comment that they were disgusted with me for “making Ty do drugs” and weren’t going to read any more. I got comments such as this one:
“I’m sorry, but all the drug use is getting too much, you seem to be more focused on drugs and turning a homeless teen into a drug addict than anything else, I won’t be reading anymore of this story, which I thought was brilliant up ’til this chapter.”
I was shattered by comments like that one, but I couldn’t really change my plot—it was right for me. What pulled me through were other comments that finally started pouring in from readers, saying that they felt the drug use was realistic and begging me to finish the story. “I hate seeing such destructive behavior in teens, but the reality is that it’s not all unicorn farts and butterfly jiz for kids living on the streets. You’re telling their story amazingly, and I cant wait to hear more…”
My editor, Lin, was very supportive and encouraging too. I’m sure I’d be publishing much faster if he hadn’t passed away. He didn’t let me slack off, bless his soul.
Any advice for writers who want to embark on similarly big projects?
J. – Try to avoid it at all costs! Seriously, some of the best stories I’ve read have been long, but if you’re writing romance I wouldn’t recommend it. You can get away with really long novels if you’re writing fantasy, but people expect romance novels to be relatively short. Longer novels don’t sell as well, and are more expensive to produce because of the editing costs (editors usually charge per word). If you absolutely have to write an epic anyway, just be sure to have lots of strong dark coffee at hand and a good shoulder to cry on.J
That’s a wonderful advice. i’ll stick with short stories*laughs*
What else shall we expect from J. Vaughn in the near future?
What else shall we expect from J. Vaughn in the near future?
J. – I’m currently writing the final chapter of my next novel. I had hoped to get it out by the end of April, but I went back to work at a very consuming full-time job that has seriously bit into my writing time. I won’t have it edited and ready to go until June, I don’t think. I don’t want to rush it.
It’s a vampire story. It’s quite funny that I wrote one, because I don’t usually like vampire stories. The vampire in my story is pure evil, and the vampire hunter has some superpowers, so it’s a bit different from a lot of the other novels out there. I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or not.
I’m also planning to publish a shorter dystopia story in the fall. I’m very excited about that one. Sci-fi and fantasy are my two favorite genres, so it feels natural to be writing sci-fi. It is, of course, also a M/M romance.
Thank you for your wonderful presence, J. I’m so happy you didn’t let all those evil comments get you down and managed to finish this awesome series.
It was an honor to have you here and I wish you all the best in the future.
Peeps, you can find J. Vaugh, at:
her author website http://authorjvaughn.com.
her author email: jayvaughn@live.com.
her publishing company, Divergent Publishing : http://divergentpublishing.com
her Goodreads profile: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7278231.J_Vaughn
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jay.vaughn.5836
and Twitter: @authorjvaughn
You can buy Rough Boys from:
Divergent Publishing (Hurry up, the first volume is FREE!, but I don’t know for how long)
Smashwords
Amazon
ARe
Finally, J. Vaughn is such a generous person that she decided to give both Redemption and Revenge to one lucky commenter (I remind you that Runway, the first volume, is already free).
Leave your e-mail address in the comment box to be counted in the drawing.
Contest closes on April 13th, at 6 PM, GMT. For a time zone converter go here and check “Use the following date and time” option before you insert the time . Winner is chosen though Random. org and announced on my blog on the 14th.
Happy reading!
Shayla Mist 