Six of A Story: Monique James and The Keepers

Welcome to Six of A Story, where I have the wonderful opportunity to interview authors with six (more or less) questions about their books. The questions are all with a strong focus on the story which will hopefully tell the reader and audience about the tale author has created.
 My first guest is Monique James. Her book, THE KEEPERS has been published by Astraea Press, and released this June. Monique and I both have a quark in common-both of us cannot stand open cabinets and drawers. Monique said, "If I see one I automatically yell "WHO LEFT THE DRAWER OPEN!!!"  Then I can't concentrate, until it's closed." I know the feeling. Monique's other quirky fact is, "When I write I have to have a Coke and Laffy Taffy to be totally in the zone." 

Please Visit Monique at: http://www.moniqueoconnorjames.com/

How can we as readers, relate to your main character? What makes her stand out from all the other main characters found in other pages?  

My main character, Jess Hunter, is easy to relate to, because she's flawed.  I think most people are are quirky and flawed, and I find it's hard to relate to a character who has no crazy idiosyncrasies.  She is also in the midst of the grieving process and threw the novel she deals with the stages of grief.  It's important for people to realize, grief will make you do crazy things, and yet everything you feel is okay, it's just a part of moving on.

If one of your secondary characters was to take us out to dinner, where would we dine? 

Vi would probably want you to shove down your meal, while watching a rock concert, or dancing at a club.  If you were lucky she might stop at Taco Bell on the way home.

What's the worst trait of your main character? Is there anything that may rub readers the wrong way? 

Jess is angry at God.  Of course, this may rub readers the wrong way.  She's quite loveable so I think they will get over it, but I also think they will be able to understand her resentment.  She feels he's taken everything from her, and Justin, the hero, is trying to make her see, God isn't responsible for the tragedies in our lives.

If your main character was to give a speech on a topic of their choosing, what would it be on?  

Well it goes back to grief, and the different emotions you suffer after you lose the person you love the most.  I think she'd be very adept at conveying the process and the guilt which comes with it.

What do you think will make a reader want to read this book? 

The book has something for everyone; a human who resents God; an angel, who resents humans; and a love story which ties the two together.  It's a blend of reality and fantasy which will have the reader thinking about it for days after they put it down.  Those are the best kinds of stories.

Is there a strong message to this story? Or is it just for pleasure and a fun read? 

  I think you learn a lot.  One of the major messages is, just because we're different, doesn't mean we can't find redeeming qualities in each other.  We have to put aside the imperfections of others, and love them for who they are.  Perhaps then, we can learn to love ourselves, too.

Jess hates God.  In his infinite wisdom, he’s taken everyone she’s ever loved. Moving to the French Quarter was a ploy to erase the guilt she felt for rebuking her faith.  Perhaps, if she hadn’t met Justin, an angel preoccupied with getting back into God’s good graces, and drowning in his hatred for humanity, her plan would have worked.

Justin’s general disdain for the human race makes him difficult to like, but some higher power has appointed him her keeper.  Justin’s convinced he can mend her broken relationship with her maker, but in the process he learns a thing or two about his own humanity.

Never mind, falling in love, that’s not supposed to happen.  In fact, it may even be forbidden. Jess just wants Justin to understand her plight, and he wants to protect her from a world she doesn’t know.
If neither are equipped to save the other, then whose soul lives and whose will perish?

ABOUT MONIQUE JAMES

Monique is the mother of two beautiful children and lives in a small community outside of Baton Rouge, Louisiana.  She currently works full time as an insurance agent, but her favorite jobs are mother, wife, and author.

On her ninth birthday, her mother bought her a journal and said "write whatever you want, just write". And so, a love affair with words was born.  She wrote poetry and short stories in high school and college, until 1993 when her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer.

After her mother's death in 1998, deep in depression, she found herself unable to write.  Nine years passed, and only on rare occasion did she attempt to write.

Finally, in 2007, under the urging of friends, she sat down and pecked out her first novel.  It was raw and unpolished, but the process had been unquestionably cathartic. The next three years were spent filling her hard drive with seven complete manuscripts.

At the beginning of 2011, Monique decided it was time to edit the work and share it  with the world.  She hopes you enjoy the ramblings of a truly southern girl raised in a state rich with heritage and love.

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Would you like to be interviewed for Six of A Story? Please send all requests to apasuggestions@gmail.com with "Six of a Story" in the subject line. 

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