Today I have the good fortune to have an interview with author J.C. Whyte!
Q: How is the title
meaningful to the book?
A: The clouds
mentioned in the title are not really clouds at all. And along with the colors,
they cannot be seen by the physical eye. It all has to do with what takes place
in the unseen dimension beyond our physical world. Yet the colorful clouds play
a huge part in this story where two people become trapped in the unseen
dimension.
Q: How is the main
character like you?
A: There are actually
six main characters on a cruise ship crossing the Pacific. These six are
assigned to the same dining table each night and soon become friends. But
during their crossing, a series of natural as well as unnatural events converge
upon the characters to threaten their very lives. A seventh character – the
narrator – doesn’t even have a life, at least not at the time of the story.
He’s dead spirit guide Pedro who communicates through the psychic in their
group.
The only character I may be somewhat like is Deanna, the
wife of skeptical physicist Paul who constantly pooh-poohs the otherworldly
talk of the psychic. Like Deanna, I’m married to a die-hard scientist who
believes in the infallibility of his chosen profession. Yet unlike physicist
Paul, my scientist is open to the possibility of what lies beyond the visible
realm.
Q: What would you do
over again if you could on this book?
A: That’s an impossible question to answer right now. The
Color of Clouds was only just released this past spring, so I’m still extremely
happy with the book.
If anything, I might work a bit on the dialogue, since
that’s always a bit tricky for me.
Q: How important is
the setting to the story?
A: I chose to place
this story on a cruise ship crossing the Pacific because the characters cannot
escape to safety. Not even a helicopter can reach the ship in the middle of the
vast ocean. So they all must deal with the circumstances presented.
Q: What are you
working on now?
A: Nothing at the
moment, sad to say. I’m a seat-of-the-pants writer who waits until inspiration
strikes. And at the moment, I’m too busy traveling and planning more travel to
sit down and write. Hopefully, I’ll be including some of my travel adventures in
an upcoming novel or two. That is, if and when the spirit next strikes.
J.C. Whyte discovered her love for writing while still in
elementary school, creating children’s stories. But as an adult, J.C. had to
face the harsh reality that such writing seldom pays the bills. So she earned
degrees in both Journalism and Communications, and then turned to Public
Relations, where for ten years she focused her creative energies into feature
writing.
After marriage, kids, several more degrees and occupations
(including stints as a travel agent and paralegal), J. C. entered law school.
While there, she became a columnist for the school newsletter and later, one of
her humorous articles was even published in The National Jurist.
Graduating and passing the Bar, J.C. realized within a few
short years that creative writing was still what made her heart sing. So now,
as a grandma, she has returned to where her life’s calling began, beginning in
2013 with publication of her children’s book Karmack and now in 2015 with her
first novel for adults, The Color of Clouds.
