NEWS @
Welcome to the second issue. While I continue to write the occasional blog
posts, more than 200 to date, this newsletter provides information about multiple
topics. This month I’ll explain about creating one of my favorite characters, share
the details about a new project, an interview with another author, and music.
There must be music! So let’s get this
party started.
WRITING
It seems like a lifetime ago when
I began working on my first book. I was challenged by an old friend to try my
hand at creating a mystery. At the same time, I had an acquaintance named Lee
who worked in the forensic lab with the Michigan State Police. She was a great source
of information to many bizarre questions that would pop into my head over the
years. Lee even helped me set it up to
do a ride along with a trooper on patrol, to gain some insight for a character.
While on that ride, I was able to
witness many interactions between the public and the trooper. In addition to a few traffic stops, we also
participated in a couple of high speed chases, which was amazing. During that night, I didn’t have a
particular character in mind. It was just research gathering.
But an image began to form in my
brain. A female who was confident in her areas of expertise, but a bit
vulnerable. I made her an investigative newspaper reporter, so she’d know how
to get to the bottom of a story. Independent, loyal, stubborn and determined
were traits that also came to mind. She was a ghost. But as I began to add
talents and attitude she quickly took shape. That’s how Jamie was born.
Which created another challenge.
I have always written in the first person, so my main character would tell the
story. But I’m a guy. I have no clue as to how a woman thinks or feels or
reacts to situations. So the research continued. Observing women gave me some
ideas about Jamie’s personality and how she would behave. From there, it was a
lot of trial and error to get the story to flow from her perspective.
In addition to the three novels
in the series, and one short story (so far) Jamie’s not done yet. She appears
in the second Jefferson Chene novel, “Your Turn to Die” and may play a similar
role in the next book. As to her own
series, she is impatiently waiting for me to develop another book.
Here’s a photo of what Jamie may
look like.
A New Project
While my previous stories have all been mysteries, or romance/mysteries
I had the opportunity to try something new.
Inkspell, which is the publishing house for the Jamie Richmond series
and many other great books, periodically does a short story collection. I got
word about this last fall and wanted to try something different, a tale with
romance and a little paranormal twist. But
this was a bit out of my comfort zone. I needed help.
Enter Elle Nina Castle.
While living in Australia, she read “Why 319?” and wrote a glowing
review. We had traded a few emails around this time and I was impressed with
her writing. So I pitched the idea of co-writing this novella, with a target of
25,000 words. To my delight she agreed. A
flurry of emails followed and with a little luck on our side, we created “Don’t
Mess with the Gods” a modern day twist on a fairy tale. The story is
scheduled to be released as part of the collection in July. I hope to have Elle make a guest appearance
here around that same time.
Author Interview: Jana Jenkins
You just never know where or when you’ll discover another
talented writer. It is my pleasure to introduce you to Jana Jenkins, who I
discovered on Twitter.
Where are you
from?
The middle of nowhere, Indiana. I spent a week there one day!
What’s your ‘someday’
or dream vacation spot and why?
It’s a tie between a tour of Italy and a tropical island. Italy,
because I’d love to see all the beauty and the history, and take cooking
classes there! A tropical island, well, I think that one is pretty obvious, to
lie on the beach and do nothing!
Any favorite hobbies?
I am a beekeeper! I’m almost as obsessed with my bees as I
am with writing! 😊
Wow, that’s quite a difference. Seems like beekeeping is becoming very
popular.
How long have you been writing?
How long have you been writing?
As
long as I can remember, but I’d never shared anything publicly until I started
doing VSS365 in February 2019. For
those who aren’t familiar with #VSS365, it’s a daily prompt game on Twitter.
Each month a different host chooses and tweets a daily prompt word. Anyone who
wishes to participate then uses the prompt word to write a tweet-length story. It
is challenging and fun! This month’s host is @zevonesque, follow him on Twitter
if you’d like to check it out.
I've seen a number of these. Very impressive to create a story in that length.
Are you able to write
full time or do you also have a job/career?
I still have a social work day job. I work as an abuse
prevention educator, which means I travel to schools and teach children body
safety, internet safety, and abuse and bullying prevention.
Is there a particular genre that you write? Or more than one? What led you to there?
Honestly, I like to play around with all of the genres. I like
to push myself to write a little of each, but thriller and suspense are my
favorite
Do you use friends or family as characters in your work?
Do you use friends or family as characters in your work?
I’ve never used friends or family specifically, but some
characters have definitely been based on real people.
What authors had an impact on you growing up and as an adult?
I loved scary books as a kid. I devoured Goosebumps and
Christopher Pike, then moved onto Dean Koontz and Stephen King as I got older.
I also love fast-paced thrillers with a twist, like Harlan Coben and James
Patterson. And my very favorite short-story writer is Mike Rowe, hands
down. I love his book and his podcast.
Has anyone in your life influenced you or
encouraged you to pursue your interests of writing? (teacher, family member,
friend)
I have always been very private about my writing, actually, most
of my family and friends still don’t know I write. I keep thinking that I’ll
tell them once my first novel is finished and published, haha.
What is your favorite
aspect or writing?
My favorite thing about writing is dreaming up the characters,
stories and worlds.
Your least
favorite?
That would definitely be editing!
What aspect of
writing would you most like to improve on?
I think my descriptions could use work. I tend to be very
direct and straightforward when I write, so I’m working on the whole “showing,
not telling” thing.
Do you have any “must
haves” with you while you’re writing?
(Food, drink, silence, noise, location, scented candles)
I need music when I write. I usually curl up on the couch with my laptop and ear buds, and then pick a playlist depending on what I’m writing Yes, music is necessary.
Is there a common
theme or item that appears in each of your work?
I seem to write about murder a lot, haha! I also write a lot of creepy, supernatural type stories and stories about betrayal and revenge.
What have you learned
the most from being in the writing business?
I am brand new at all of this, so I feel like I’m still learning. I just self-published my first book, and that whole process was quite the learning experience! Congratulations!
Tell us about your book:
My most recent work would be my collection of microfiction, Tiny Tales. It is a collection of about a year’s worth of my VSS365 tweets. I’m also working on my first novel, but it’s still in its infancy.
How did you decide on
your story plot?
The tweet collection obviously didn’t really have a plot, and as far as the novel goes, I’m still deciding on that, haha!
Describe how this
method works best for you. Outline or ‘seat of the pants’?
I’m definitely a “pantser”. I start out with a very loose outline and then just try to let the story take me where I feel like it should go. That's the method that works for me too!
Do you have a
favorite scene you’ve written?
Here’s one from Tiny Tales
She was in the lobby of the ER
“May I?”
“Sure.”
“I’m Ethan”
“Ava. My mom’s in surgery-car wreck.”
“The doctors here #amaze every day”
“Ava, she’s done,” a nurse called.
“Is she okay?”
“She will be, thanks to an organ donor named Ethan.”
She turned; he was gone.
BUY LINKS
BUY LINKS
You can find Tiny Tales on Amazon:
Find Jana on Twitter
Twitter, @janalynnjenkins
Music
Every once in a while, I’ll try to work in silence, just me
and the computer, without any music or background noise. It never works. Even though my office has a wall behind me,
my imagination starts churning up villains sneaking up on me. Or angry girlfriends from my long-ago past. So music must be the key to keeping them at bay.
Here's another Motown legend whose music remains popular today. Aretha Franklin was known as The Queen of Soul. With a
career spanning over 60 years, Aretha’s catalog of hits is extensive.
Here’s a list of my top five favorites.
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