THE CONVENTION COLLECTIVE: Thank you for joining us in the Spotlight Jed! How did you get into writing and why did you want to become an writer?
Jed McPherson: Sheer bloody-minded arrogance. I’m only half joking. I’m one of those people that when I enjoy something I always want to give it a go myself and as a big comic fan it was inevitable that I’d give writing a go.
TCC: What genre do you like writing the most?
Jed: I’m a big crime guy. I’ve dabbled in other genres but give me a solid crime pulp story to get my teeth into and I’m as happy as can be.
TCC: What was the first work you completed, where you stepped back and thought, “Yes, y’know what, I can do this for a living!”?
Jed: I’ll let you know when I get there. I’m kidding, kind of. I think every creator bounces between thinking “I’ll never make it” and “why haven’t I made it yet?” I know I do.
TCC: Which writers inspire you? And they don’t have to be in the medium you work in, either…
Jed: I mean I write crime comics so I’d be lying if I said anyone other than Brubaker and Phillips. I basically taught myself to write comics by pulling their CRIMINAL books apart and seeing how they worked.
TCC: Can you tell us your greatest fan moment, interacting with a personal hero of yours where you may have gone a little weak at the knees?
Jed: I don’t know if I’d say weak at the knees but I was at my first con and the books weren’t moving the way I’d hoped… I wasn’t in full despair but I wasn’t far off.
Then Ram V stopped by my table and chatted for a minute. We’d talked on before Twitter but I didn’t think he’d remember me. The fact that he treated me like a peer was huge.
TCC: What is your favorite fandom? Who is your favorite comic book character/movie/tv character?
Jed: I’m not really a fandom guy. I tend to follow creators rather than characters. That said I am a huge TWIN PEAKS fan. There’s something about the singular vision of TWIN PEAKS: THE RETURN that is just special.
I’m a big Dougie Jones apologist. I think he’s one of the best things about The Return and the fact that Kyle MacLachlan can play Dougie Jones, Evil Cooper, and Dale Cooper all in one show is nothing short of astounding.
TCC: What’s your working routine? Do you work regular set hours and days, keeping certain days free for personal time, or do you find you create any time the muse takes you?
Jed: I wish I had a set routine. Unfortunately, I have a day job and while I’m trying to turn my side hustle into my main hustle it means that I’ve got to write around “real life”.
That said, I try to sit down and do something most days. If you wait around for the perfect time to write then you’ll never get anything done.
TCC: When you’re creating, what do you use for background noise? Some creators use music or podcasts, some use a TV show that they just can listen to in the background. What do you use?
Jed: I mostly listen to music. Mostly pop music. I’m a huge Taylor Swift fan and I’ve had her FEARLESS rerecording in heavy rotation.
TCC: What was the first comic con that you remember attending? And, indeed, what was the last?
Jed: Oh man that’s easy. Thought Bubble and Thought bubble. It’s my local show and it’s also one of the best. Comics focused and super friendly. I’d honestly recommend it to anyone.
TCC: What’s your favourite element of a comic convention? And which bits could you easily leave behind?
Jed: The comradery between creators. It’s been far too long since I’ve caught up with my con friends and I really miss it.
As for the worst, there’s always that moment before you sell your first book. You’ve spent all that time, all that money, and now no one is going to want your comics. It’s difficult to keep the imposter syndrome at bay. Once you get that first sale then everything gets a little easier.
TCC: At a convention, when you’re not behind your table or doing the things you have to do at a con, which corner of the show would we find you in?
Jed: I’m a comics guy through and through, so if I’m not trying to shift my books I’ll be checking out the artist alley trying to find my next favourite book.
TCC: A lot of creatives are also taking to crowdfunding – such as Kickstarter and Indiegogo – to generate income from their work. What’re your thoughts on that?
Jed: I’m a huge fan of crowdfunding. Anything that can help to take the financial sting out of making comics. Especially this last year. In fact, I’m such a big fan I actually have a book on Kickstarter right now. It’s called Cuddles and it’s about a debt collector that finds out his partner is on the take.
TCC: What projects have you recently finished? What are you working on at the moment, what projects are coming up that you can talk about?
Jed: Well, I’m just finishing up the design for Cuddles (now funding on Kickstarter) but I’ve got a couple of smaller projects that I can’t really talk about yet and other than that I’m busy waiting for the Kickstarter to wrap to see what kind of budget we have for the follow up.
TCC: How do you stay connected with fans? Do you use a mailing list or newsletters, are you active on social media?
Jed: I’ve got a newsletter. I’m not as regular sending it out as I’d like to be but I try my best.
I’m also on all the main social media platforms (Twitter, Instagram, Facebook) though I don’t know if I’d describe myself as particularly active.
TCC: Where can people find out more about you and reach out to you?
Jed: In theory I’d say my website but I’m so bad at keeping it up to date. In practice you’re probably best off just going straight to my Twitter.
TCC: Thanks Jed, for your time!
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