I have been going through what Cate has so neatly described in her post: I’m burned out. In my case, my day job has become more demanding which means: (1) I have less time during the work day to sneak-peak my blog, twitter, facebook, etc. and (2) I’m more often brain-drained by the time I get home. The idea of turning on my home computer is sometimes more than I can bear. So I’m taking much of Cate’s advice here: slowing down the blog, the social media, and making my life overall more manageable and fun. For me, when what I do is no longer fun (and that applies to my day job as well as blogging), then I need to stop and seriously consider what is wrong. Life is much too short to not be enjoying every minute of it. As much as I love my blogging and twitter community, I really don’t think that, on my deathbed, I will be wishing that I had blogged more ;)
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Check it out! The RCC is back and it’s awesome :)
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My contribution to this week’s writing prompt–Autumn–at The Community Storyboard.
Autumn Memories
the air is crisp and seeps through my sweater and a flannel shirt to cool my skin
the leaves are bursting into a riot of yellow, gold, orange, magenta, blood red
all there is to eat is mulled cider and pumpkin pie spiced with ginger, nutmeg, and cinnamon
when I was a child, my cat would start sleeping with me again,
instead of spending her night roaming, hunting mice in the cornfields
dry, crunchy leaves raked into mountains in which my brother and I would hide,
waiting for the low rumble of our mother’s car as she pulled into the driveway after work,
jumping up and showering leaves on her as her tired feet carried her down the walkway
the thick sweet smell of candle wax and pumpkin pulp
the flickering light of jack o’lanterns peeking out from neighbors yards in the black of night,
their serrated smiles and angled eyes making me uneasy
Autumn was a pause in life, a time to let things go,
a time to enjoy the beauty of decay and death
Always confident that Spring would eventually come
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Welcome to an interview with Jade Reyner, author of Twelve Days: The Beginning. Jade also has a blog, Jade’s Jungle, at www.jadereyner.com where she takes you along on her “self-publishing safari”!
M: Jade, thank you so much for agreeing to be interviewed. I’m excited to be able to talk with you about your current novel, Twelve Days: The Beginning, as well as the two sequels I believe you have planned.
J: Marie, it’s a pleasure to be here and thank you so much for taking the time to talk to me!
M: Can I get you anything? There’s a bit of a time difference between us so I think you’re in the right time zone if you want anything harder than tea. Some sherry, perhaps?
J: Thanks – but I am a true Brit, tea, tea and more tea.
M: Wonderful! I’ll make us a pot of tea, then. Let’s sit here on my couch. Don’t mind the cats, especially Wendy. She’s young and quite curious.
J: Oooh, is she the one that you rescued from the restaurant? I would love to do something like that. I hope she’s settled in okay.
M: Yes, she has! Thank you for asking. OK, let’s get started. First, let’s talk about your first novel. How did you come about to write Twelve Days: The Beginning? What was the impetus?
J: This is going to sound odd but it just kind of ‘happened’. There are several events that have occurred throughout my life which I have used as inspiration but once I got started, the book really did write itself. I have always wanted to write a novel, it was on my bucket list so to speak and then after taking a Creative Writing course I decided to just sit down and give it a go. Twelve Days – The Beginning is the result.
M: Of course, I’ve read your novel and thoroughly enjoyed it. But I have to admit, I had read very few romances before yours and I was very surprised at the rather explicit sex scenes. They were well-done, not at all gratuitous, but is it common for such steamy scenes to be in romance novels? Or have I misunderstood your genre?
J: Yes is the short answer to that. Romance as a genre has probably evolved more than many in recent years and there are now distinct genres within the genre, if that makes sense. Twelve Days – The Beginning would sit at the erotica end of the spectrum and then your classic Mills and Boon would sit as far away from it as possible. There are a huge number of books that incorporate explicit sex scenes nowadays and I think that many women (and men) are more open about wanting to read these types of books. I tried very hard to make my scenes relevant however as I did not want to put the sex in just for the sake of it. I think that this development of the genre can only be considered to be a good thing because it allows authors more freedom if they wish, but it doesn’t take anything away from the classical romance which is still widely written and enjoyed.
M: Thank you for explaining. I was also quite impressed with how you handle the issue of domestic violence in your novel. As someone who has worked with victims of domestic violence, I thought your writing was spot-on. When you began the novel, did you know that domestic violence would be part of the storyline?
J: I always knew that there would be domestic violence in the book, the issue that I had was how in-depth it should be explored because although it is a major storyline, it is in no way the sum total of Twelve Days. I did draw on some personal experiences to write the part of Elise (the female protagonist) and I am just really pleased that someone with your experience, found the scenes to be spot on. I take that as a massive compliment.
M: (smile) I do appreciate how you approached domestic violence in your novel. Let’s talk a bit about your next two novels. I believe you have two in the works, based generally on the same characters as your first novel.
J: Yes, actually I have quite a few in the works, but at the moment I am nearly finished writing Twelve Days – The Future which is the sequel to Twelve Days – The Beginning. This is the final book covering the story of Elise and Vaughn and completes their tale which as anyone who has read Twelve Days – The Beginning will know, ends on a bit of a knife edge. There are many more twists and turns and the ride is in no way smooth, but I hope that readers will enjoy finding out how they both fare after what has been a hugely emotional journey for both of them.
I then plan to release two more books in the Twelve Days series which will be from two of the other major characters points of view and will cover the same twelve day period in which everything happened in the first book. I am planning to write both Twelve Days – Dale and Twelve Days – Cole as these are the two other major characters who I think readers have identified with.
I then have other projects which will move away from Twelve Days but the beauty of this series is that there are so many characters whose lives I can develop, and so it will be sitting there like my favourite slippers, to return to any time that I wish.
M: Oh, I love that metaphor: your favourite slippers! That’s a wonderful way to look at one’s writing. You know, so many writers are influenced by other writers. Are there writers who have influenced you?
J: Whenever I get asked this question I would really love to say something profound but actually the answer is no. I do not really have any particular literary heroes as I enjoy so many authors for so many different reasons. I think the only book that I can really say stuck in my mind and made me appreciate the power of words was An Inspector Calls by J B Priestley which I read at school. I think that it is such an amazing and clever piece of writing and I try to emulate some of the style and the twists and turns in my writing. I would like to say though that since I have been on WordPress, I have been hugely inspired by all of the wonderful writers that I have met and connected with. You truly are the unsung heroes.
M: I agree. There are some amazing writers in this community. What is a typical writing day for you? Do you set yourself goals like word or page counts? What needs to happen for you to say that you’ve had a productive and satisfying writing day?
J: I have a word goal usually. I try to do 4,000 words a day when I am on a ‘writing’ day and if I achieve that then I am happy. I have the morning’s only to write and so I have to try to fit in blogging, networking and marketing as well which we all know can take up a huge amount of time. There are days when I just don’t get any writing done and that is definitely not a satisfying day!
M: Four thousand words is impressive! You know, publishing, whether it’s self-publishing or traditional publishing, is very competitive. Writers who are coming out with their first novels or short stories may feel overwhelmed or intimidated by the marketplace. Do you have any advice for writers who aspire to be published authors?
J: I think my only advice would be that they need to take on board just how hard it is. I know that I definitely entered this with my eyes closed but now I am so much more aware of what it takes to get the book from inside your head to the bookshelf. I would urge everyone to follow their dream and to keep at it and just to believe in themselves as that is the key. I would also say that you need to build up a good support network. Without you Marie and my other blogging friends, I don’t think that I would have come anywhere near as far as I have. You are all such a great inspiration and support to me. So thank you for that.
M: Well, it’s truly been my pleasure to get to know you and read your novel and your blog. I want to thank you again for taking the time for this interview. I know I am one of many others who are eagerly awaiting the publication of your next novel. I assume you will announce it on your blog, which again is Jade’s Jungle. Would you like some more tea before you head back?
J: Marie, it was my pleasure to be interviewed by you and I never say no to a cuppa! Thank you for a brilliant interview, I had a great time.
And yes, Twelve Days – The Future should be out towards the end of the year but please keep watching my blog (www.jadereyner.com) for updates.
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Well, that’s it, folks! My interview with romance author, Jade Reyner. Be sure to follow her blog Jade’s Jungle and pick up a copy of Twelve Days: The Beginning. Please stay tuned for more interviews by 1WriteWay.
To get your own copy of Twelve Days: The Beginning, visit any one of these links:
www.jadereyner.com (follow the links from there)
Twelve Days – The Beginning. Amazon UK
Twelve Days – The Beginning. Amazon.com -
An interview of me by the formidable D from The D/A Dialogues!
He flicked black hair from his eyes and straightened his bowtie. He could feel the heat rising from his collar and hoped he wasn’t blushing. Blushing would not be dignified. And he wanted dignity, perhaps even a little presence, when interviewing Marie Ann Bailey, writer and blogger extraordinaire at 1WriteWay.
D: Nothing about that is dignified, A.
A: Well, I’m not the one who wanted to present Marie with a bouquet of flowers.
D: Impossible woman. Is there something wrong with trying to impress a lady? She was gracious enough to allow me to interview her, again. Sheesh. Some people.
Without further ado (or interruptions from A), please welcome Marie Ann Bailey.
D: Give those who may not know about your series, The Widows Club, a quick snapshot:M: The series is about three cousins who grew up together, went slightly separate ways when they married, and then…
View original post 1,927 more words
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Ah, the martini!
The great American wit and man of letters, H. L. Mencken, memorably described the martini as ‘the only American invention as perfect as the sonnet’. If the sonnet was the pinnacle of European cultural achievement, then the martini was the transatlantic equivalent. This is by no means the only literary link this iconic American drink can boast. Why is the martini such a popular and esteemed cocktail?
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For my indie-published friends out there, get on board the Carnival!
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Here is the Twelfth installment of Ten Top Lists of What Not To Do by Marie Ann Bailey of 1WriteWay at http://1writeway.com and John W. Howell of Fiction Favorites at http://johnwhowell.com. These lists are simu-published on our blogs each Monday. We hope you enjoy.
Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/melindashelton/6338156789/ 10. When at a little league game, do not assume that your brief foray into sports during high school makes you an expert in the game your child is in. Chances are the coaches are the real experts and the advice you try to give them will, if you are lucky, fall on deaf ears; if not lucky you might be told to butt out.
9. When at a little league game, do not presume to call out penalties as if you were the referee unless you are prepared for the crowd of child worshiping parents from the other team to call you out and off the field.
8. When at a little league game, do not assume the game is just a pint-size version of an adult game where gambling is commonplace. Chances are the other parents will not take kindly to you placing bets on their kids’ losing, and you could be tossed out of the game minus your ante.
7. When at a little league game, do not show up wearing your uniform from high school, especially if you’ve been out of high school for many, many years. Chances are you’ll rip open your pants the first time you sit down on a bench, your kids will fumble the play from sheer embarrassment, and your spouse will impose a new diet on you starting that night.
6. When at a little league game, do now show up toting your own keg of beer. Chances are the BYOB you saw in the flyer advertising the game meant “Bring Your Own Ball,” not “Bring Your Own Beer.”
5. When at a little league game, do not prowl the sidelines and try to make eye contact with your kid. Chances are your kid will be too busy trying to play the game and not see to warn you that the ball just tossed is headed straight for your stomach.
4. When at a little league game, do not spend the whole time pretending to be videotaping the game on your smartphone when in fact you are checking your email, the latest stock reports and weather updates. Chances are the parents nearest you will see what you are up to and might use your phone for a spontaneous game of catch.
3. When at a little league game, do not offer to take all the kids out for ice cream unless you own a Greyhound bus, the ice cream stand, or your name is Warren Buffet.
2. When at a little league game, do not attempt to join the cheerleaders at any point during the game. Chances are, if you attempt to do splits in the air, you’ll wind up dislocating your hips, an ambulance will have to be called, the game will be over, and your kids will never speak to you again.
1. When at a little league game, do not shower insults on kids from the opposing team. Chances are their parents will hear you, their parents will be bigger than you, and when they come to beat you up, no one will protect you because yelling at kids is just wrong.
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It’s time to write about Autumn :). Check out The Community Storyboard for details!
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For Belinda at www.busymindthinking.com. Some time ago she asked her followers to post pictures of where they live. Yesterday I finally remembered to take my phone with me when I took a break from work and went for a walk. The following photos are from part of a “Nature Trail” that runs through the development next to my office complex. While I frequently (well, every work day) bemoan my commute from the suburbs across town to the city limits, I am grateful for this walking trail that allows me to truly escape my office environment and clear my head. The trail is mostly concrete pavement but it circles around a few man-made ponds and through some impressive oak trees. I’ve seen red-shouldered hawks, white egrets, fox squirrels, dragonflies (in abundance this time of year), and turtles. The last photo is my last stretch of sidewalk before arriving back at my office which is at the end of that street. Belinda, I hope you enjoy the photos. Big virtual hug coming your way :)
Marie at 1 Write Way 