Who is Johnson Naigle besides being the author of inkBLOT? Johnson Naigle is the writing team of Phyllis C. Johnson and Nancy Naigle and inkBLOT (4.6 stars, 7 reviews) is their first novel together. Before we get to their interview, here is a description of inkBLOT: Eighteen-year-old web entrepreneur Ronnie Wright owns the virally popular website, inkBLOT. Determined to sweep local newspaper reporter, Chelsea Pressman, off her feet, he tries to wow her with his internet success. Chelsea has one goal, making it big as a reporter. Unfortunately the editor isn’t tossing any good stories her way. But her luck changes and she is first in line to cover a string of bizarre crimes. The notoriety she’s gaining from the front-page stories is addictive. The police finally trace the crimes to a common link – inkBLOT. Now, Ronnie has to clear his name as the number one suspect in Chelsea’s headline crimes.
Author interview with Johnson Naigle
1. What is unique about the setting of inkBLOT and do you feel it adds to or detracts from the story?
Phyllis: The setting of the book is really a tri-city area and could be Any Town, U.S.A. Some of the names of streets and places were changed somewhat from the actual names in the area. Details about the locale don’t really stand out a lot because it could take away from the main focus- Ronnie and Chelsea, the inkBLOT program and the crimes. Nancy: Exactly, but we did haveVirginia Beach and the Tidewater area loosely in our minds since we’re both from that area.
2. What specific theme are you emphasizing throughout the novel? What are you trying to get across to the reader?
Phyllis: One theme that is mirrored is the abuse that both Chelsea and Ronnie had while growing up. Ronnie suffered physical and mental abuse whileChelsea’s abuse was more mental. She felt ignored while growing up and continued to feel that way into adulthood. I wanted the reader to see that in spite of their childhood, both Ronnie and Chelsea were accomplishing. I want the reader to realize that he or she can rise above the abuse that may have been inflicted earlier and make something of him or herself. Nancy: I think the challenges Ronnie and Chelsea faced is what helped give both of them the drive to aim for the stars, too. I’m a firm believer that dreams can come true and I loved that both Ronnie and Chelsea didn’t let age, adversity or anything else get in their way. Okay,Chelsea went a bit bonkers and all…but up to that point she was on a good path.
3. To what extent do the characters in your book remind you of yourself or someone you know?
Phyllis: As the author, I more closely relate toChelsea, maybe more than I’d like to admit. She’s competitive as a writer and is always looking to win attention and approval, much like myself. I wouldn’t set out to sabotage someone to come out ahead but I do my best to achieve as much as possible when it comes to writing. Nancy: (laughing) Lordy goodness, that would be awful, wouldn’t it! I think both Phyllis and I have great focus and keep our goals front and center. That definitely mirrors our characters’ actions. I liked that we broke a couple of the stereotypes, too. J
4. How do characters change or evolve throughout the course of the story? What events trigger such changes?
Phyllis: Over time, Ronnie finally realizes what or who is most important to him. This is triggered by an earth shattering revelation. Chelsea increases in her pursuit of success more and more as the story progresses. This is triggered by jealousy over a co-worker at the newspaper. She ultimately realizes that her pursuit of success could have come at a price.
5. In what ways do the events in the book reveal evidence of the author’s world view?
Phyllis: Through this book, I am making the statement that success can come with a price and that sometimes what matters most can be right in front of you and you don’t even see it. Nancy: Well said. Sometimes I think folks work way too hard to make something happen that just isn’t supposed to be. Trust your instincts.
6. Did certain parts of the book make you uncomfortable? If so, why did you feel that way? Did this lead to a new understanding or awareness of some aspect of your life you might not have thought about before?
Phyllis: I got the most uncomfortable while working on the Chelsea character. Admitting that there is some Chelsea in me was tough. The part of the book involving a poisonous snake was painful for me because my dad got bit by a poisonous snake a few years ago and he was in ICU for three days. It’s a bad memory. Nancy: Sorry. The snake was all me. Phyllis didn’t like that at all but it just seemed so right. Plus, Chelsea had no idea she was in so much danger which added a little pay-back in my mind. Phyllis: As for becoming aware of some aspect of my life, maybe it was dealing with my own competitive nature. Another thing I wasn’t sure about was writing about tattoos. Nancy wanted to include them and I wasn’t so sure about that. Nancy: Yep. Guilty. I get asked if I have tattoos now. No. I don’t. I’ll wear a stick-on one but there is no way I’m getting a needle in my skin on purpose. Ouch. I’m way too big a sissy for that. But I do think it’s a choice people make and I don’t think you should stereotype someone for making their personal choice. King is an awesome guy with a big old heart. He’s one of the most favorite characters that I’ve ever written.
7. Was there a basis for your story? A previous experience? Something else?
Phyllis: The basis for this story is the fact that I took an online inkblot survey test and while I took it, the images and questions got weirder and weirder. I asked myself what would happen if someone took the information and used it against me somehow. Then the ideas of certain crimes based on inkblot images began to play in my mind and the big “What if?” question loomed, sparking our novel, inkBLOT. Nancy: When Phyllis told me about this story several years ago I was hooked. Totally! When she asked me to co-write with her I jumped at the chance to be a part of it.
8. What research did you have to perform to back up your story? Any research which really opened your eyes or gave you new respect for a topic or profession?
Phyllis: My co-writer, Nancy Naigle’s knowledge of spreadsheets, algorithms, and techno stuff was the research in my opinion. That was her area of expertise and she blew me away with her know-how that really rounded out Ronnie and his inkBLOT kingdom online. My background as a newspaper reporter and food writer would have been Nancy’s research had we not been co-writing. We brought our backgrounds of experience into the book and I think it helps make it rock. Nancy: We’re an awesome team. We bring different strengths to the table. That’s a winning combination for just about anything.
9. What is your method for writing a book? A certain amount of hours every day? A certain routine? Are you character/story builder or an outliner or some other method?
Phyllis: First the outline was made and chapters were written. Maybe you can say the bare bones were laid out first. Between Nancy and me, the skeleton was filled out and detailed over time. She’d write a chapter and send it to me to work out. We took turns writing with only one of us having it at a time. Using track changes, we were able to keep up with the changes and additions the other one was making. Sometimes we’d have a weekend retreat to work on it together. We worked on it for about a year and a half. Trading it back and forth, we were constantly editing and improving it. They say that two heads are better than one and in the case of writing inkBLOT, I really think that was true. Nancy: Thank goodness for email. We don’t live close so email made it possible for us to work together. Just one more example of not allowing barriers to hold you back from what you really want.
10. Do you have plans to write sequels to inkBLOT?
Nancy: Yes, we do and we have a few books outlined at this point. We had so much fun writing inkBLOT that it was a no-brainer to plan more.
11. What are some of your other books?
Phyllis: I have four poetry books published, one of them will be re-released soon and is titled, Being Frank with Anne, a poetry book about Anne Frank. Nancy is published under her own name, Nancy Naigle, in adult fiction. She writes small town suspense novels. She and I are working on another young adult suspense with Ronnie, Tiffany and Cat that will be out in 2012.
11. What else would you like to share about inkBLOT?
Nancy: We had so much fun writing this book. A big part of inkBLOT was the fictional inkBLOT website. Phyllis and I spent a whole day creating inkSPIRATIONS like the ones inkBLOT sent out to its users. Can I share a few?? Thanks…I leave you with these…
- Turn your wounds into wisdom. Scars make us real.
- When your heart speaks, don’t forget to take notes.
- There’s always a choice – make it a good one.
- You are unique – just like everyone else!
- Everything happens for a reason. Or does it??
Hugs and Happy Reading
Digital Book Today: Ladies, thanks for the wonderful interview. It was interesting reading on how a book is written between two authors. Thanks for sharing your experience.
Visit inkBLOT the Novel website.
I loved the interview. It’s fun to see two different people come together to create one novel. I admire them. Of course, I love Nancy’s adult novels so it was a no-brainer that I would enjoy inkBLOT. I loved the characters and story and look forward to seeing more from this dynamic duo.