Welcome Jessica Jayne to Author Fever!
Hello Jessica, tell our readers a little bit about yourself.
Jessica
Jayne
I
am a born and raised small town Ohio girl.
I moved to the Sunshine State after graduating from college so that I
could enjoy the beaches and sixty degree winters! J
I love to travel and travel often! I am a huge sports fan, especially college
football and the Ohio State Buckeyes! I
am wine-making (and wine-tasting) aficionado.
I love all music and sunsets at the beach!
In
this journey of life, I married a wonderful man and had three beautiful (and
sometimes crazy) children.
What
do you do when you aren’t writing?
That’s
a loaded question. I have three children
six years old and under, so I spend a great deal of time (including some of my
writing time) being a mommy! We play a
lot of board games like Candyland or Sorry.
We read a lot of books.
Thankfully, our children are as caught up in storytelling as I am. We plant and tend to our vegetable garden…
the kids plant them from seed, so they love to see them grow. We go to the beach! To be honest, being a mom is the best job
I’ve ever been given. It’s exhausting on
some days, but always rewarding.
Other
than my motherly and wifely duties (and this other thing I call a full-time
job), I spend time running and working out.
Nothing relieves stress better than pounding the pavement with some good
music on your ipod. I also enjoy
watching movies, hanging with my girlfriends and doing yoga.
What
inspired you to start writing?
I
started writing when I was child. I used
to write short stories and illustrate them myself. I will admit… I’m not much of an illustrator.
When
I was a sophomore in high school, I was asked by a teacher to join a senior
level creative writing course. That is
when I truly fell in love with fiction writing!
I loved the challenge of creating a believable story and characters. I loved the idea of being able to evoke
emotions and feelings from readers through a story.
What
is your favorite genre to write?
My
favorite genre to write (and read) is romance, particularly erotic
romance. As a passionate person, it is
fun to create two individuals that go through the ups and downs of a
relationship. We’ve all been there! We all come with baggage. But what really matters in life is the
memories we make with the people we love, so I love creating stories that are
moving and arousing.
Do
you have a set writing schedule, or do you do it when the fancy strikes.
I
try to force myself to sit down and write for at least an hour on any given
day. Some days, that may turn into hours
of writing. On other days, that may be
an hour and I’m done.
Do
you outline or write as you go (describe your writing process)?
I
know this is a highly debated issue. In
the writing courses I’ve taken, it is usually recommended to outline your story
and create character profiles. To be
honest, my writing style makes no sense for a lot of people. It usually starts with the characters and a
scene that have been bouncing around in my head. I sit down and write the scene… then I create
the story around it. Sometimes the
original scene changes or evolves with the rest of the story, but it is that
scene that started it all. Of course, I
have notebooks with character descriptions, settings and potential scenes, but
those do not usually develop fully until I write that first scene.
Do
you have a certain vice that helps you write?
A
nice glass of wine or a good beer does make writing steamy sex scenes a little
easier. When your inhibition levels are
down, anything is possible…literally!
What
inspires you?
I’m
inspired by life. I am a sexual assault
survivor, so I had a lot of things to work through over the years. During that process, I’ve met tons of people,
who suffered through a variety of ordeals in their lives and have walked out of
the darkness stronger and better people.
It is hard not to be inspired by the people around you!
Are
the people in your life supportive of your writing?
Very
much so. My husband takes the kids out,
so that I can have some quiet time. When
I got my first novella published, he and the kids made a big deal out of it by
buying me flowers and making me a celebratory dinner.
The
rest of my family buys my books and is always eager to talk about the
characters and storylines.
Is
music a part of your writing process?
Very
much so. For instance, my latest WIP
involves a Florida cowboy, so I’ve had to dig into my country music playlist to
get inspired to write some scenes.
Tell
us about your current work in progress.
I
just signed a contract with Evernight Publishing for my next book. It is entitled In Flames. We are hopeful
for a May release, but we have not yet started the editing phase, so it’s hard
to say. The book blurb for In Flames
is below:
Gracelyn Riley married a firefighter. She knew that came with risks. But she never imagined herself widowed in her
early thirties with two children to care for on her own.
As a fireman, Matt Riley was at the
scene when his brother, Chad, was killed.
He suffered greatly from survivor’s guilt and depression after the
accident.
The last year has been difficult for
both Gracelyn and Matt. They’ve relied
on each other to get through the tough times.
With the anniversary of Chad ’s
death upon them, Gracelyn and Matt once again turn to each other for comfort
and support. They find it in each
other’s arms (and bed). Will their
desire for each other consume them? Can
they overcome the guilt and scrutiny to find love again…together?
Where
can our readers find more about you?
Extras:
If
you could have one super power, what would it be and why?
To
fly. I’ve been skydiving several times
and there is nothing quite like it… the freedom you feel as you soar over
everything. To be able to do that
whenever you wanted would be really cool.
But I think I’d only fly in my Batgirl costume because I always fantasized
I’d make a good Batgirl! J
Is
the glass half-empty or half-full?
I’m
a half-full kind of girl! And I’m always
looking for a place to fill it up.
If
money were no option, where would you live?
Italy! I’m a romance writer and a lover of wine! Where else could I possibly go?!
What
did you want to be when you grew up?
I
think I changed my mind on a weekly basis.
A teacher. An astronaut. A dancer.
An actress. A comedienne. A counselor.
A lawyer. A doctor. A vet.
But in the back of my head always a writer!
What
is your all-time favorite movie?
All
time favorite movie would be Grease, the original. In college and after, my best friend and I
would rent all these horror movies or suspense movies and get all jacked up on
adrenaline. The only thing that would
calm us down was a little Danny Zuko, Sandy Olsson and some Grease
Lightning!
No comments:
Post a Comment