Q&A With James Cudney, Author Of Watching Glass Shatter

This is it!!!  The long-awaited Q&A with newly-published author James J. Cudney.  Jay is well-known in the WordPress world and you can find his blog here:  This Is My Truth Now

You can buy either the paperback version or the ebook on Amazon.  Check it out here.

Jay has been doing a Blog Tour to promote his book Watching Glass Shatter and he was kind enough to agree to a humorous Question and Answer session.  Some of you have sent me questions so far and I encourage you to leave comments on this post, as well.  Here we go…

 

From Arachnid:

Question for Linda: What age group is this book geared toward?

Linda says: Arachnid, you are so lucky!  This book is geared toward the age you are right this very minute.  There are strong indications that it will be quite suitable for all of the age groups of your future, as well.  There is even a rumor that it would be appropriate for some of your previous age groups should you decide to build a time machine.

Jay says: If you wanted my opinion, 100 and above. 😊

 

For James John Cudney IV: Does anyone physically shatter? If so, are they brittle? What caused the impact that caused their shattering to occur?

 

• There were 2 cases of someone physically shattering during the evolution of this book. The first one was me when my mother read the novel. There are a few of ‘those kinda scenes’ where a son just doesn’t want his mother to know what’s going on inside his head. But I wrote them. It’s on paper. I can’t hide. So instead I shattered into pieces. The second was indeed due to someone being too brittle. One of the supporting characters who married into the family, but left before the book took place, is a big secret in the sequel. So (s)he shattered into 100 different pieces, but then left… (s)he might appear in the sequel if I can find enough glue. Got any suggestions on how to put a character together? And don’t pull any Humpty Dumpty drama on me!

 

 

Imagine you took the place of your main character. What does it smell like?

 

• I am enjoying these questions even if arachnids are one of my greatest fears. If you stalk me, I will find a way to get even. There are 6 main characters, so I’ll go with Olivia. I think she smells like gardenias and… oh wait, I misread that. If I took her place… first of all, I did not have 5 sons, so this is just out there! I’ll say I smell like a combination of whiskey, woodsy cologne, peppermint and pine needles.

 

From a gentlewoman farmer:

 

Do you match your undies with your outfit?

 

• Wow, this is taking a quick turn! You’re making an assumption about wearing underwear, aren’t you, Miss GWF? Six out of seven days, it does not match. I get inspiration maybe once per week where I consciously choose a color that matches something I am wearing that day. On those other days, I’m lucky I remember to put on underwear. Perhaps I should suggest the color pink?

 

What does your sock drawer look like?

• My socks share a drawer with my underwear. The underwear stay on the right side. The socks are paired together and wrapped into a bit of a ball. They are supposed to stay on the left side, but like me, are all over the place. Hopefully I don’t reverse them one day and wear my underwear on my feet and my socks on…

 

What is your favorite Disney movie?

 

• I was a big Little Mermaid fan as a child. Nowadays… I like Cinderella and all the re-tellings! Who doesn’t want someone to stalk them, holding a GLASS slipper, with two vindictive step-sisters and a mother like Olivia (Watching Glass Shatter reference) on your tail?

 

From dtills:

 

Boxers or briefs?

 

• Always briefs or boxer briefs. I cannot stand boxers! I will not go into details as this is PG-13 blog. But I know where you live, D!

 

From mainepaperpusher:

 

How did you choose the name Glass for the character…did the character name come first or the book title?

 

• There are 3 books I read all around the same time that ultimately had an impact on how I chose this title and novel. I won’t reveal them, but it is probably obvious to anyone who knows me on Goodreads. Anyways… it’s more personal than anyone actually knows. I’m a nutty genealogist… wait, is that the proper word – I’m talking about someone who goes to cemeteries to check the dates of dead people and then look up what happened in their lives – ok, good, I’m glad I got that right. Yeah… so… I traced my own family tree back to the 1700s. One of the families that is most intriguing is the GLASS family who arrived in Baltimore in the early 1800s. Everyone seems to have disappeared except my ancestor, John Glass, born in 1811. I know they came from Germany, but I can’t find the right line. It’s unnerving. So what does any writer do when they can’t figure it out – MAKE IT UP! Therefore, Glass became the family name. So ultimately, the character came first, then the title. Yikes, I’m long-winded.

 

When you were creating the Glass characters first names did you ever consider Margarita or Crystal?

 

• I’m glad you asked THAT question. I considered calling the mother “Stain” because she’s such a feisty one, but no… unfortunately, I’m not as brilliant or clever as you. Perhaps you can name the next set of characters for me? The last name for the family in ‘Father Figure’ is Graeme. And yes, it’s another family name, not spelled Graham, you can have fun with. It’s Irish. Please try to think outside the box and don’t suggest Cracker.

 

If you could step into the shoes of another author, who would it be?  And no, shoe size is not a factor!

 

• Good thing shoe size isn’t important. I don’t often know other people’s shoe sizes nor my own because I hate wearing shoes. Hmm… I think Ken Follett would be my dream connection. I do love historical fiction and I believe he and I would create quite the drama.

 

What is the oddest thing you’ve ever written and why did you write it? 

 

• I once wrote copy for a marketing company about mannequins. I was 23. I had no idea what to say about them. I created this weird life for each of the model types. The company didn’t find it very funny. I didn’t last long at that job!

 

Are you already planning your next book?  Will it be a sequel to Shattering Glass?  Oh, I know what a great title would be!  Picking Up the Pieces!!!  haha

 

• I am planning the next book. I actually will be done with it (if all goes well) the day before Thanksgiving. It will be in the hands of a few beta readers for input, but I hope to send to the publisher by 12/31 to publish in early 2018. It’s called ‘Father Figure’ but is not related to ‘Watching Glass Shatter.’ I am writing a sequel to ‘Watching Glass Shatter’ and I was going to play on the title using the word ‘Glass’ but your title is absolutely awesome. How much can I buy it from you for?

 

Ryder, this question is for you…how did Jay treat you while he was writing this book?  Tell me the truth, you were his ghost writer, weren’t you!  If so, how did he pay you off to keep it quiet?

 

• He ignored me sometimes to be honest. I tapped at the dining room door to come inside when it was cold outside. He ignored me. That might have been when the birds were attacked, but I’m just sayin’. My memory’s not so good these days. I agreed to write a 365 post each week, but I won’t write his books until I get a bigger royalty percent. What he’s offered to date has not been acceptable. And well, this whole doggie diet thing is going in the wrong direction!

 

 

From Ryder:

 

If you were to get another pet, in addition to Ryder, what would it be?  Ryder wanted me to ask this one.  Be very careful how you answer.

 

Ryder already knows the answer, so someone is just trying to instigate trouble. Ryder has made it clear – no new living creatures in the apartment. But if I had to choose, I’d probably get another shiba inu, although I do like a husky! Would Walter or Levi like to come visit Ryder for a week in the big city? I heard you can mail fruit… maybe you can mail animals, too.