Book Talk with Author Jessica L Myers

What inspired you to write this book?

I got the inspiration for Nerve Damage years ago, actually soon after I started my first novel, What Lies Inside. I used to get into thriller and horror movies quite a lot (though not so much horror anymore—seems I’ve gotten squeamish with age!).

Having grown up and dealing with mental illness throughout my life, the idea of writing about someone with issues that led them to do horrible things became the backbone of this story. With what I’ve seen in life, we don’t always become who we intend to be, and circumstances of upbringing shapes all of us in different ways, some good, and (for the not so lucky) others in bad and irreparable ways.

What book do you think everyone should read?

Hands down, Game of Thrones. It is simply an epic masterpiece.

Describe your writing style.

I am an absolute plotter. I must admit, with my first novel I did begin by sitting down with an idea in the back of my mind, which I then just continued to write as ideas came to me.

Now I like to know who my characters are, what they want most, and how each story will end. I take time now to create the skeleton of each of my stories, starting with my rough ideas and characters which I then mold into a scene-by-scene setup with a rough layout for who appears in each scene, what actions they will take, and then what the conclusion will be to lead me on to what happens next.

What makes a good story?

Staying away from cardboard cutouts and giving your readers characters they can like, love, hate, and even loathe, and who they can relate to on a human level, even if the characters themselves are far from human. Having real characters is only part of the equation. Moving each character through a story in a meaningful way that is both riveting and powerful is the next step. There must be conflict, triumph, actions, reactions, and, above all, consequences for every move along the way.

Each and every character must have a role in the plot that helps to drive the story forward from one conflict to the next.

Advice you would give new authors?

Keep at it and you will succeed. Writing is only half the journey, finding your audience is at least half the battle. Make sure you spend time creating your stories but don’t forget to put yourself out there and interact with your current and potential readers. If you don’t go looking, they might not find you!

What are you currently reading?

I am currently reading Fated, the second book in the Marked Series by T.L. McDonald, a fellow indie author who is worth a look at if you haven’t heard of her.

How long have you been writing?

Officially, I have been writing for 9 years, though my first book wasn’t published until 2013.

Click to read another interview with Jessica on our blog.

About Jessica L Myers

Jessica L Myers’ vivid imagination and quiet demeanor as a child led her to the imaginary worlds of books. Even at a young age, her love for the supernatural was prevalent, with her first loved books being R.L. Stine’s Goosebumps series. Following that she took an interest in other non-fantasy fiction, including Virginia C. Andrews series Flowers in the Attic.

In her teen years, Jessica spent many school hours writing poetry and dark short stories and took up sketching some of the terrifying things that came from the graphic night terrors she’d grown up with.

As an adult and after meeting the love of her life, Jessica got married and started a small construction business with her husband. With the birth of her son, Jessica suffered PPD and found escape in her books and their fantasy landscapes. It was at this time that her need to write flourished. In 2009 the decision was made and the first words to her New Adult Paranormal Romance novel, What Lies Inside were written.

When Jessica isn’t immersed in writing about extraordinary characters with dangerous abilities and deadly obstacles to overcome, she likes to spend time with her two kids and husband, curl up with a good book, or watch anything and everything supernatural.

Title: Nerve Damage by J.L. Meyers
Genre: Psychological Thriller / Horror

Synopsis

A fatal car crash. The sole survivor. And the dark hooded stranger that wants her dead.

When a terrible accident—not accident—stole my parents’ lives, my whole perfect life changed. My memories are hazy, and there are scars on my wrists. I’ve been locked away for my own protection…until I prove my sanity, until I lie. There was no hooded figure on the road that day, no one standing over me as I lay paralyzed watching my parents burn.

I am Cassidy Lockheart…20-year-old orphan.

Determined to free my caged mind, I find myself far away on an unexpected trip to help return my forgotten past. The snow was part of my life before, but now it’s like a blank slate, until an avalanche changes everything. But I’m not alone. These other ‘lucky’ trip winners may not be the strangers they pretend to be. And my hooded attacker…I see him everywhere.

Is this real? Or delusion caused by head trauma?

Either way, I’m being watched. I can sense it. I can feel it. Someone is after me; maybe they’re after us all. The avalanche was no accident. It was staged to deliver us to this abandoned place. A place where the walls whisper dark secrets of a sinister past…a past no one can escape. Trapped, this snow won’t let up…it won’t let us leave. My lost memories hold clues, but they’re buried so deep, polluted and twisted in my every waking nightmare. What is real? I don’t have the answers. But I need them. Time is ticking and if I don’t figure this all out soon it will be too late.

The past is coming for us all…and it wants blood.

Warning – This book contains some graphic scenes that are only for an adult audience.

Reviews

“Think of the tension of Silence of the Lambs combined with the horror of Carrie and you have Nerve Damage. This is a psychological thriller that won’t let you put it down, yet you are almost too scared to turn the page!” – Diane Richmond (devoted bookworm) ★★★★★

This chilling tale from J.L. Myers is a suspenseful and twisted addition to other great psychological thrillers from the likes of Sarah A. Denzil, K.L. Slater, and Dot Hutchison.

Click to add to your Goodreads shelf.

Purchase on Amazon.