Blog Tour: Jeyn Roberts

I’m thrilled to welcome debut author Jeyn Roberts to So Many Books, So Little Time to tell us a little more about the inspiration behind dark inside and the importance of her MA to her writing.


1. Your four protagonists have very separate stories in the beginning of the novel. How did you keep track of them and make sure they aligned?

It was challenging. There was a lot of going back and forth while writing to make sure I was getting things right. But in all honesty, I had all four stories plotted out in my mind. But sometimes I got distracted when I’d be working on one story line and thinking constantly about another.


2. Why did you decide to include the ‘Nothing’ chapters? 
Nothing is what started it. One day I got the line “I’m standing at the edge of existence” stuck in my head and I wrote it down. Everything jumped into place from there.


3. In their position, which of your protagonists would you react most similarly to?
That’s a tough one because I think there’s a little bit of every single character inside of me. I’d like to say I’m most like Michael because I’m kinda of take charge sort of person. I’m also an Aries because I’d be trying to make sure everyone sticks together.


4. Will there be more books about Aries, Michael, Mason and Clementine?
Yes. Right now I’m currently working on the edits for book two. It should be out next spring.

5. How instrumental was your MA in Creative Writing? (I’m doing a BA at BSU at the moment so I’m very curious!)
I think my MA was the most important thing I’ve ever done in becoming a writer. It taught me to be critical about my own work. I learned how to step back and see it from a perspective other than my own. As writers, we tend to get too involved in our own characters and it helps hugely to admit that we make mistakes and don’t always see them. The Bath Spa MA also was great because I got the chance to meet agents and publishers. I was able to learn so much about the field. That’s a huge process too. There’s so much more to writing than just putting words down on paper.


6. Are you working on anything at the moment? Can you tell me anything about it? 
I said before, I’m finishing up the edits on the sequel to Dark Inside. I’m really pleased with the second book so far because it’s allowed me to get further into Mason, Aries, Clementine, and Michael’s lives. There are some great new characters too and a really creepy Bagger leader. I’m also working on a standalone novel but I don’t want to give away details just yet. 


A huge thank you to Jeyn for taking the time to answer my questions. Make sure you check out the next stop on the tour at The Book Lantern and read my review of Dark Inside.


Sophie