Skip to main content

Optical Osmosis Blog Tour - Jeff Beesler Visits

In preparation for this interview, I did quite a bit of stalking, andlet me tell youJeff Beesler is not an easy man to track. The NSA couldn't do much better.

But seriously...
Jeff and I met at #NALitChat. When he published his latest book, I liked the premise and the cover so much, I begged to be part of his blog tour. *grin*

First a little about the book...




A freak accident causes Tempe, Arizona resident Greg Gnops to drain a person's soul with a single, deadly stare.

Cool premise, right? And you gotta love that cover.


Now here's Jeff...
What or who inspired you to start writing, and what inspired you to write Optical Osmosis?

My grandmother. I was a hyperactive child, always jumping around in the backyard and such. One day, she asked me why I jump around like that. I told her I just have a lot of crazy ideas running through my head. She then asked me, "Well, why don’t you write them down?" The rest, as they say, is history.

As for what inspired me to write Optical Osmosis, originally it started out being a superhero/metahuman type of story. But then as I fleshed it out, I realized I could do a lot more justice to it if I downplayed the heroics to where the main character, Greg, wouldn’t even think of sporting a cape and some tights.

Do you have a favorite scene?

Absolutely! There is a restaurant scene in which Greg finally confronts his sister’s “boyfriend”, Flint, and demands to know why Flint hasn’t done enough to prevent  Greg’s sister, Ashley, from curbing her alcoholism and partying. This takes place in the restroom, but where my favorite part ties into all of this is what happens right after Flint leaves the area.

What song best describes you when you write?

a. I Feel Good - James Brown 
b. Still of The Night – Whitesnake 
c. Under Pressure - Queen 
d. Losing My Religion – R.E.M.


Jeff's answer is...




What’s this I hear about you and animal husbandry? You’re not a crazy cat woman in disguise, are you?  (I joke, but animal control just removed over 100 cats from the house next door to my parents.  No kidding.)

Mere speculation. I haven’t had a pet in several years. Although I could always write one into one of my stories.

Name two things within arm’s reach.

My Kindle and my phone.

The next question was inspired by Jeff’s Twitter profile pic.

What do you think about when you’re alone in your car?

I’m usually just jamming along to the playlists on my CDs, although I do find myself entertaining all sorts of ideas on the way to and from work.

What’s the biggest misconception people tend to have about you?

That I don’t know what I’m doing. 

I do know what I’m doing, but sometimes it’s not easy for me to express that verbally (public speaking being one of my opportunities here). I do have smarts, but they might not be the kind of smarts one would expect from me.

I can totally relate to that. I'm one of those people who thinks of a great comeback five minutes after the other person walks away. :P 

What advice would you give to new writers?

Embrace your mistakes, for they are your stepping stones to propelling yourself further. Unless, of course, you make the biggest mistake of giving up on writing too soon, and then live to regret it. If you can quit writing without regretting your decision, then more power to you. You’re free. But chances are you’ll never be free unless you’re writing. Keep at it. It can open doors you never imagined were there.

###



Born in May of 1978, Jeff Beesler has been writing since the 7th grade, although he likes to point out that his elementary teachers in 2nd to 6th grades kept sending him to Young Author’s Conferences throughout his school district. When not writing, he can be found chatting it up on social media, reading books, or playing computer games. As of June 2013, since his fantasy novel, Spell of Entrapment, debuted, Jeff has sold a total of 98 books.


###


Want to stalk Jeff? 
Here's where he hides... 



And you can find his book here...





Comments

  1. Nice interview! I've been impressed by Jeff's work and I hope to see a lot more from him in the future. I'm hoping to work with him one day in an editorial capacity *hint hint* because I love his writing style and his vision.

    ReplyDelete
  2. So from hyperactive child to writer - who would've guessed?
    Congratulations, Jeffrey!

    ReplyDelete
  3. PutiPato: Aww. Thanks, man!

    Alex: Anyone who wasn't me, judging by the teachers who pushed me into Young Author's Conferences back in elementary school, among others!

    ReplyDelete
  4. What a fun interview! Melissa - I can see why you were so drawn to the cover and the premise!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Go Jeff! Loved the interview, Melissa. So proud of Jeff and all that he is accomplishing! :D

    ReplyDelete
  6. Kimberly: Thank you! Melissa really gave me good questions. And I'm glad you like the cover and premise!

    Morgan: Thank you so much for those kind words. I've certainly come a long way. Three books out already? Woot!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Thanks for visiting, everyone. :)

    ReplyDelete
  8. Great interview. I like car rides for thinking through plot sticking points too.
    Congrats, Jeff, on your release.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Oooh, that is a great cover! And fabulous interview. Embrace your mistakes. Words of a wise man.

    Sarah Allen
    (From Sarah, With Joy)

    ReplyDelete
  10. That cover is striking. Tweeting this book!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Susan: I usually have 80 minutes in the car to myself each day, so that's plenty of time for thinking up stories.

    Sarah: Glad you like the cover, and the words of wisdom I've passed along!

    Damyanti: I saw that! Thank you so much!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Cover is intriguing and the book sounds interesting!

    Congratulations on the release!

    Nas

    ReplyDelete
  13. Congrats on the release. Great cover and unique premise. I would've picked James Brown, too. Best of luck!

    Fun questions, Melissa!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Thanks Melissa for introducing us to Mr. Beesler. The premise of your book Jeff, sounds really intriguing and I wish you much success with it. And I also liked your advice. Yes, we should embrace our mistakes and learn from them because they can be used as building blocks for something great. (:

    ReplyDelete
  15. Wow, cool... I feel a great connection to Jeff... it was my grandmother that got me into writing, I write to Losing my Religion, too and of course, we both have *fabulous* hairstyles:)

    PS: Great premise for a book - definitely putting it on my TBR :)

    ReplyDelete
  16. Great to meet you, Jeff. Cool interview on both sides. Melissa, I love those song choices!

    Happy Weekend :)

    ReplyDelete
  17. Romance Reader: Thank you!

    Natasha: It's hard not to feel good when you're writing!

    Elise: I've had plenty of building blocks to serve as a solid foundation now!

    Mark: And actually, I prefer the less hair look. It's easier to manage!

    Carole: Glad you enjoyed the interview!

    ReplyDelete
  18. i love that concept & cover! way to go jeff!
    and terrific interview. love when teachers encourage talent!

    ReplyDelete
  19. What an original premise! And I love the embrace your mistakes advice. Very wise and true! Wishing Jeff big sales and much success!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

I love to hear what you have to say.
Thanks for taking the time to comment. = )