Welcome to the second of my weekly Irish Independent Authors Collective (IIAC) author interviews. Today on my blog, I’m delighted to introduce you all to Jo Zebedee. I hope you all enjoy learning more about Jo and be sure to check out her books.

Irish Independent Authors’ Collective – Jo Zebedee

Tell me a little bit about yourself and why you decided to join the Irish Independent Authors’ Collective?

My name is Jo Zebedee, and I’m a science fiction and fantasy author based near Belfast. I publish both with small publishers, independently and on audio.

I think there is a need for the Collective for a number of areas. Firstly, visibility is such a challenge to writers these days that collective voices can often be stronger at impacting on that visibility. But, also, funding is a barrier to self-published authors. We need a stronger voice across the various models in order to make a truly equitable writing environment.

How long have you been writing and why did you decide on self-publishing?

I started writing seriously in 2011 and since then I’ve had five books released. Four of these were indie published, and one self-published but now the rights have come back to me on my trilogy so four are self-published.

Self-publishing came about in an unplanned manner. I actually had an agent for Inish Carraig but, for a range of reasons around market and, I feel, changes to the book which weakened it overall, it didn’t sell. When the agent and I parted company (my next book wasn’t for Young Adults, and she specialised in the YA market) I had to decide what to do with Inish Carraig. At that point, I had offers from publishers on the book, but I decided to self-publish.

My reasons for this were varied:

The book straddles the YA and adult line of publishing. The main character is seventeen, but there is a key secondary character who was an adult. This was part of what made it a hard sell, despite many of the editors liking the book and writing very much. I didn’t want to change that character interaction, which is what I had done when agented, and which I felt had weakened the book a lot and reduced the tension within it. Having got my rights back, I decided to put the original character arcs back into the book and return it to something resembling the version I had first submitted to agents (with one or two sections retaining the agent’s addition, where I thought they worked well). Once I decided on that course of action I was left with a book that would not be marketable to a mainstream publisher.

In addition to the above, the book, Inish Carraig, is set in Belfast, after an alien invasion. It drips the voice of Northern Ireland. It is about the place and the people as much as it’s about the science fiction (and it resonates equally with both markets – there is no need to like sci-fi to enjoy the book; there is no need to want to explore Northern Irish themes to enjoy it). As such, it’s moving into niche territory. And that’s not where traditional publishing likes its books.

Lastly, I knew this was a good product. I knew people liked it – a lot. I wanted to control its marketing and sales myself and find out how things work in this new publishing arena. I figured that what I learned from self-publishing Inish Carraig would stand me in good stead. And it has. I am so much more market aware. I am so much more resilient.

I absolutely don’t regret self-publishing Inish Carraig, and I plan to self-publish its sequel next year. Having said that, I match the route to market to the book, so I’m also not averse to going with a publisher, or agent, with other projects. Part of being a hybrid author is that flexibility – it’s what gives us our strength in the market.

Do you think the stigma surround self-publishing is lessening?

I think it’s lessening, particularly from readers, but that there is still stigma around it in terms of opportunities. Book chains aren’t really interested in self-published books (individual managers can be very supportive, however). Distribution isn’t easy. Libraries are a largely closed market. Funding is driven towards published projects. I understand why this is – there is so much on the market, how does an outlet make a decision about the quality of a book – gatekeepers are perceived to guarantee some sort of quality. But when I’m sitting on high review ratings (across both Amazon and Goodreads – who are notoriously tough to get high average ratings with) and a product that was considered favourably by top publishers, it can be frustrating.

I also think there is a widening sea between the two scenes. I have some friends who are multiple bestsellers in the indie market but who haven’t made the leap across to traditional publishing – thus limiting their market to Amazon and kindle, mostly. This is for such variant reasons (they’ve already saturated their market; publishers don’t feel the story is what they want; the author doesn’t want to make the change and give up control of their product) but it does sometimes mean it feels to me (who straddles both worlds) that there are two different book markets out there, buying and reading different books and authors.

What do you feel the hardest part of self-publishing is?

Visibility. Always visibility. And selling enough to cover costs – so far, I’ve been lucky enough to, but there’s always that risk.

What genres do you write?

Primarily science fiction, which is my first love, and some fantasy, often mixed with a little bit of horror/mystery, that sort of vibe. But I always return to my sci-fi – which is a challenging market for female writers. I’m carving out a niche of speculative fiction (something weird always turns up in my stories…) set in Northern Ireland, and I love writing those books. I have so much fun capturing the voices and places.

What is your favourite story or character that you have written?

That’s such a tough one. My readers’ favourite, without a doubt, is Inish Carraig, and the characters in it. Of those characters, Henry, the policeman, is probably my favourite but I’m writing the sequel at the moment and two of the female characters, Neeta and Josey, have really grown between the books and I’m enjoying them.

But I don’t think Inish Carraig is my personal favourite. That would probably be one of the Abendau books – which are set in a big Space Opera world with a wide range of characters. I enjoy writing Kare, the main character, a lot. He’s the character I know best, and for the longest time, so I switch into his voice very well. But I have a yen to write a prequel (I once lopped 70000 words off the start of book one, so I don’t think material will be the problem…) and, if so, that will involve his father, Ealyn, who is a half-mad sexy space pilot. Since I like sexy space pilots, and I like writing characters who skirt the edge of madness (Waters and the Wild, my fantasy set in the Glens of Antrim walks that fine line more than any of my other books), I think he could grow to be a favourite for me. He certainly always was for the early betas who read his story.

So, yeah, getting off the fence. My favourite is probably Sunset Over Abendau, the second of my trilogy. Middle books are always tough, and I think I nailed it with this one.

What time of day do you prefer to write?

Late afternoon, around 4 or 5 pm. I normally put in an hour/hour and a half a day and get a chapter done a day. I have a busy job, a family to drive around, and I don’t have much time so that discipline of sitting down, most days, with a cup of tea by my side and starting to bang out words is the only thing that gets writing done.

Do you have a special writing space?

In the chaos that is my family home? Nope. Kitchen table. Laptop. Go.

Do you outline your books ahead of time or just go for it?

Just go for it. In turn, I accept that a lot of editing is my fate in life. In theory, I’d like to plan more. In practice, my brain is having none of it…

Who are your favourite Irish authors?

Let’s see. In my genres, I like Ian McDonald a lot. His Luna series is very good. I also like Peadar O’Guilin’s The Grey Lands duology. Very dark and clever.

But I read many genres, not just one.  I like Marian Keyes a lot. Very funny. But I also see some great newer writers coming through. People like Kelly Creighton, whose short story collection, Bank Holiday Hurricane, was very cleverly done (and is on a number of award listings this year).

Your latest book Inish Carraig is a science fiction adventure with a good touch of dystopia. What was the inspiration behind it and is there anything you’d like readers to know?

Quite simply, I was fed up with books about the Troubles. It’s as if, being Northern Irish, we have nothing else to be defined by. I wanted to take Belfast, and showcase it as a fantastic setting for a science fiction book. It’s claustrophobic with the surrounding hills and constraining lough, it’s got such a great sense of place. Since then, the book has spread out (the Inish Carraig of the title is an alien prison set on Rathlin Island, for instance) to become more about the whole of Northern Ireland and not just Belfast. The irony of that original intent is that some people believe it to be an analogy to the Troubles. That both makes me laugh but, also, to accept that coming from Northern Ireland does shape my writing and my themes. And, yes, a dystopian, changed Belfast, does give the mirror of reflection that good science fiction should. What the message is – beyond resilience through times of difficulty, the difficulty of growing into your own person when the person you were has been ripped away, of redemption, and divided loyalties – I’m not quite sure. I probably need to write a few more books before I begin to understand the weird relationship my writing and my Northern Irish identity share.

Is your latest book part of a series and if so how many books are planned for the series?

It wasn’t planned to be. But since most of my readers want to talk about Inish Carraig, and since I keep getting asked for a sequel, and since it’s the book that seems to define who Jo Zebedee Writer is, I’m now working on the sequel and loving it. And since I’m at 30000 words and feel like I’ve barely set the scene, I’m not going to rule out more in the world. I do love writing it. It’s such fun, so fast paced which makes it easy to get the words down. And the characters are growing and I like them more and more all the time. So, yes, there will be Inish Carraig 2: Aftermath. After that, we’ll see.

Where can readers find out more about you?

www.jozebedee.com is a good starting place. I’m also on Twitter as @jozebwrites.

Inish Carraig: An Alien Invasion Novel by Jo Zebedee

‘Dark, gritty and exciting to the last page’

‘A lot of fun to read’

‘sets itself apart’

The alien invasion is over. Who would you fight to save?

In Belfast, John Dray protects his younger siblings, running jobs for the local crime lord. Set up, he’s sent to the formidable alien prison, Inish Carraig, a fate Henry Carter, the policeman assigned to John, can’t stop.

There, John discovers a deadly plot which threatens Earth and everyone he loves. To reveal it, he has to get out – and there is only one person who can help.

‘blessed with an entirely novel storyline’ 5 stars

‘An exceptional novel. The pace is incredible with hard hitting characters and a powerful plot.’ Sffchronices.com 5 stars

‘Onto my pile of best novels of the year.’ JLDobias, author of the Cripple Mode series. 5 stars

Inish Carraig is available in ebook, paperback, and audiobook from Amazon and can be read for free if you have a Kindle Unlimited subscription.