Cris Beam on I am J.

At the Guardian:

J was a character tapping at the edges of my mind for several years before I wrote the book. He was singular and specific, a complicated person I wanted to sort through on the page. I think a lot of authors feel like this – drawn to write out of both love and a need to resolve something confusing, painful or just out of reach. But once the character's complete and the book is on the shelves, he's no longer your baby. He becomes a symbol, a representative and, in the worst cases, a tool.