Frequently Asked Questions

If you have a question for J. Lee, submit it here and it might be featured on the website.  Click on any of the questions below to view the answer.

What do you like to read? 
What is your favorite book?  
Why did you start writing?
What inspired The Hubley Case? 
Where do you get your ideas?
How long does it take to write a book?
Do you have a writing routine?  
Any advice on how to write a book?

What do you like to read? 
I read a lot of newspapers and magazines on a daily basis, but when time allows I love nonfiction rooted in social psychology and, of course, thrillers.  Especially anything by Kyle Mills and Mike Lawson.  Those guys are awesome.

What is your favorite book?  
If I had to choose just one, it’d be Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien.  My dad introduced it to me when I was twelve and I’ve read it every year since.   

Why did you start writing?
I’ve always loved to journal.  It’s something my mom instilled in me at a young age.  I started writing novels in college as sort of a stress relief from all the engineering classes and labs.  

What inspired The Hubley Case? 
I was actually sitting in a Sao Paulo airport when the central concept for the book first struck me.  What if a seemingly normal guy was shot and the killers died on the scene, preventing any further investigation?  What if he was posthumously framed to cover something up?  Perhaps someone orchestrated the whole thing, pulling the strings from a distance to serve a completely unrelated purpose.  From there, I tried to frame a story that revolved around solving that mystery and incorporated a series of other subplots.  

Where do you usually get your ideas?
This varies greatly from author to author, but a common thread is reading a lot and I’m no exception.  Most of my ideas are inspired by a newspaper or magazine article that, when combined with an overactive and sometimes twisted imagination, results in a basic plot.  From there, I use an outlining process to fill in the gaps and add subplots.  I’ve talked with some authors who actually dream their stories or have clairvoyant visions of plots.  Must be nice.  

How long does it take to write a book?
For me it takes about nine months to write a first draft.  That’s assuming I start with a complete outline and have a full-time job preventing me from writing more than a few hours a day.  The editing takes another few months. 

Did you have a writing routine when you wrote The Hubley Case?  
Yes, a pretty stringent one.  For me, it’s necessary since nearly every minute of the day is spoken for.  The Hubley Case was written between 4:30 and 6:30 each morning before work and the editing was done between 7:00 and 8:00 PM when I got home.  

Any advice on how to write a book?
There’s really only one “rule” that I believe is ubiquitous:  write every day.  Once you commit the time, your passion can take over.  Everyone has different styles, schedules, preferences, etc.  The one constant is actually putting words on the page.