Author Interview

Julie Shackman

February 21, 2014 Leave a Comment

JulieShackmanPic

About author, Julie Shackman: I’m a writer of contemporary romance and harbour an obsession of books; pretty stationery and handbags. “Rock My World” is my first novel. I also write captions and verses for greetings card companies and am an avid reader. I’m married with two gorgeous sons and live in Scotland.

INTERVIEW

Describe yourself in five words: Grateful to my wonderful publishers!

Tell us about your book, “Rock My World”: It’s a contemporary romance but with a paranormal edge to it. I’m a huge music fan, so there’s a lot of rock anthem references in the story too. I hope it makes readers laugh, smile and cry – all at the same time!

How long have you been writing? I have been writing ever since I can remember. I fell in love with reading from an early age and always knew I wanted to write. I trained as a journalist and I think that has definitely helped with awareness of deadlines!

What was your writing/editing/publishing process like? Like so many other writers, it has been a long one! I had two children’s picture books published some years ago, as well as a few poems in anthologies. But I always wanted to write romance. Life sometimes gets in the way though, so the idea went on the backburner. After our two sons grew a bit older, I decided to try and write contemporary romance. Whenever I got the opportunity, I put pen to paper and then when I finished my novel and polished it, I started firing it off to literary agents and publishers. That is really when the fun starts!

This went on for a number of months. I received a few full MS requests and lots of positive comments generally, which was great – but nobody was biting.

Then just before Christmas, I read about Not So Noble Books, who were considering new authors. I submitted a query, synopsis and first three chapters and got a reply from them several days later. They said they enjoyed my writing and asked to read the full MS.

I sent it off straight away and tried not to get too excited. I even attempted to forget about it, which is easier said than done. But to my shock and delight, about two weeks before Christmas, I received an e-mail from NSNB, offering me a publishing contract.

I remember hyperventilating and then asking my eldest son to read out the e-mail to make sure it wasn’t just wishful thinking!

Coffee or tea? Coffee – usually.

What is the funniest line from “Rock My World”?

Molly regards me carefully from under her messy fringe. “Wouldn’t it be nice if just for once he put down his jay cloth and had you up against the radiator?”

I take another glug of wine and let the fruity taste envelop my mouth.

“He’d probably want to bleed it first.”

Which author would you love to meet? Ooh – Can I be a bit greedy here please? There are so many great writers I’d love to meet…. Wendy Holden; Jenny Colgan or Sophie Kinsella would be wonderful. I love their writing.

How did you come up with the title of your book? It just sprang into my mind when I was drafting ideas and characters. I wanted a play on words for the rock theme and that just seemed to fit.

Hard/paperbacks or eBooks? Any – as long as it’s a great story, I don’t think it matters.

How did you celebrate when your first book was published? I went out with my Husband and two sons and celebrated with a lovely dinner.

What are you 2014 writing goals? To finish polishing my second novel and start writing my third.

Can you tell us about any of your upcoming projects? My second novel deals with the funny and emotional when celebrity collides with the so-called “ordinary”. My third novel is still in its early stages, but is also a contemporary romance and features a well-known character from history…

**Additional notes from Julie: It is a cliché but it is true – Don’t Give Up! When I was ready to walk away after having received more rejections, there were some fantastic writers who told me to keep reading, keep writing and keep going. I’m so glad I did.

GUEST POST

Why You Should Fall In Love With Your Hero

I can remember the first time it happened.

I was walking with my Husband through the Men’s department of a well-known store.

Our two boys looked like they were about to revolt, muttering, “Are we finished?” and “When are we going home?”

Other shoppers were swarming in and around us and as I made soothing noises to my two grim-faced sons, I spotted a very attractive grey suit. It was teamed up with a lilac shirt and matching tie. Very debonair.

Before I knew what was happening, I thought idly, “Oh yes, Matt would look great in that.”

Whose Matt? No, Matt is not my Husband. Matt is the hero in my contemp romance novel, “Rock My World.”

Matt Jardine, the dangerously sexy journalist who has a look of the Bradley Cooper’s about him. He is also, as you will no doubt have guessed, a figment of my imagination.

The fact I was trying to visualise one of my characters wearing this suit (and practically had him rushing to try it on) gave me a jolt.

Had I been working too hard? Maybe I should take a breather from the PC?

Recovering quickly, I dashed past the mannequin – only to hear Matt clearly say to me, “Well Julie. You like it – but what about Ruby?”

Ruby Cameron is the heroine in my novel – and Matt’s object of desire.

There followed a scrambled conversation in my head between the three of us debating this suit, whilst my Husband wandered around, examining shoes and completely oblivious to his Wife’s erratic thoughts.

I got home and consoled myself with coffee and a muffin. Yes, any excuse.

Deciding to have a break from the writing, I trawled through some writers websites.

And the overriding advice that was leaping out at me was if you don’t fall in love with your characters, then the chances are, your readers won’t either.

There were writers saying they had conversations with their characters all the time. They knew them so well, they knew what their favourite song was. What their pet hates were. Who their teenage crush had been.

In short, the authors felt like they knew their characters even more than they knew themselves.

I sat back and immediately Matt’s lupine grey eyes popped into my mind. That lazy, arrogant grin spreading across his face.

And I came swiftly to a conclusion.

Sometimes, having such a rampant imagination can only be a good thing…

RockMyWorldCover

“Rock My World” by Julie Shakman

Blurb: The spirit of Rock n’ Roll does exist…..and he’s “living” in Ruby Cameron’s new home!

Stevie Vee, an enigmatic local rock singer on the brink of fame, died in 1989 in mysterious circumstances and he wants local reporter Ruby to find out what happened to him.

Apart from a troubled dead singer, Ruby has other things on her mind…

Her Mother is dating a new man but there is just something about Peter de Marlow which Ruby doesn’t like. It turns out her Mum possesses a secret of her own….

Whilst trying to put her disastrous relationship with selfish ex-boyfriend Luke firmly behind her, Matt Jardine, a handsome but irritating new journalist joins her newspaper.

Will Ruby still have a “ghost” of a chance of happiness and can she help Stevie rest in peace?

Chapter 1 tease

Imagine the big hair and big attitudes of the late 1980s. Combine that with a sexy local rock singer on the brink of fame, with the audience in the palm of his hand – then something terrible happens….

**Contact Julie: Twitter

Glenice Raj

February 17, 2014 Leave a Comment

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About author, Glenice Raj: Work in the Fashion Industry in NYC and attend Fordham University, getting my Bachelors degree in Computer Science. One day, hope to get a dog if I stop killing plants. My caretaker skills are a work in progress.

INTERVIEW

Describe your writing style in five sentences: I would love to think my style is similar to Jane Austen and Helen Fielding, but I am told that is not the case! If you ask me, I am Fielding’s twin. That’s my story and I am sticking with it!

Tell us about your book, “The Absolute Being of Nothingness”: It is a story of a single, dizzy yet lovable woman Gwendolyn, who tries so hard to make a success of her professional and love life, yet her penchant for getting into trouble leads her into a merry dance. From being dateless suddenly she finds herself caught between two men, the delicious Dr. Mark Beasley for whom she risks life and limb ( yes! she goes hiking!) to impress him and Daniel, who drives her insane and they can’t spend two minutes in each other’s company without trading insults.

Coffee or tea?: May I have door # 3 please? Starbucks Cappuccino please!

What was the writing/editing/publishing process like for you?: Painful! Went through the whole process in a state of panic, devouring chocolates and wine.

Describe your typical day: Have a fight with my alarm clock till I finally cave in, get up and stumble into things until I have my first cup of java. Then it is a mad dash of getting ready and trying to sneak into my office in the Fashion Industry without alerting my boss on my tardiness. After a long day of saving the world from wearing an outfit with the wrong button (Heaven forbid!), I go to Fordham University in the evenings to learn all about computers in the process driving my professors to drink. At night time, I crawl all the way home and work on either projects from school or my latest addiction: my book.

How did you celebrate your first book being published?: slept. Hey don’t knock it! Sleeping is good for the soul.

When writing, noise or silence?: Definitely music playing in the background

What inspired you to write “The Absolute Being of Nothingness”?: I finished Bridget Jones Diary one week-end and I craved for more, so had no choice but to write my own chick lit.

Have you always wanted to be a writer?: Good Heavens no! I went through the usual routine of wanting to be an aeronautical engineer, marine biologist, work for NASA, a nun (yeah, let’s not go there! It’s a story for another day) find the cure for AIDS, you know the usual ambitions. Never thought I had a story to tell until I sat in front of my laptop and stared at the pristine white page of word document mocking me and I thought “You are on! It’s between you and me now Word!”

Every writer must have a…: sister! Or a friend who acts like a sibling! To critique your work until you are driven to do better or go absolutely mental

What’s the best advice you’ve been given?: Never cry uncle

What are you working on at the moment?: Sequel to The Absolute Being of Nothingness… any suggestions on the title?

TheAbsoluteBeingOfNothingness

“The Absolute Being of Nothingness” by Glenice Raj

Blurb: This is the story of Gwendolyn David who is the most awesome dating divalicious, sexy goddess, Pulitzer Prize winning career driven woman extraordinaire! Well to be quite honest, future Pulitzer Prize winner and yet to have a boyfriend!!!… These are just minor hiccups if you ask her!

In reality, this is a story of Gwendolyn David a self absorbed, totally lovable, slightly dizzy single woman in NYC with secret superhero fantasies. Her penchant for getting into trouble throws her into the path of a modern day Mr. Darcy, a sardonic and mysterious stranger.

From the moment they set eyes on each other, they draw swords. Will they trade their swords for ploughshares?

Amidst the fireworks, enter the delicious Dr. Mark Beasley. The golden boy, the man you take home to meet your parents.

Where will her heart lead her? To Mark for whom she risks life and limb to impress him or Daniel who she would love to exile to Antarctica?

**Contact Raj: Email: gleniceraj@gmail.com Website Facebook Twitter

**Note: “The Absolute Being of Nothingness” comes out on February 25th, but you can buy the book from the publisher, Tate Publishing!

Shelly Hickman

February 14, 2013 Leave a Comment

About author, Shelly Hickman: I have been married for twenty-two years to my best buddy and we have three kids. A teenage boy who I adore, but rarely see, a tween girl who is lovably goofy, and a 21-year-old angel daughter who died from leukemia when she was eight. I’m a middle school computer teacher, who recently has been using her summers to write. I have enjoyed writing since high school, but it’s never been a consistent practice for me. It has dropped in and out of my life, and I’m hoping this time it stays for good. (Smiles)

INTERVIEW

Describe yourself in five sentences: I love to laugh. I value my friends. I like to give people the benefit of the doubt, probably even when I shouldn’t. The older I get, the less tolerant I am of people who are mean or rude. I hate to exercise.

Tell us about your book, “Believe” and “Somewhere Between Black and White”: “Believe” was my first book. I started writing it after my daughter’s first bout with cancer. At the time I was very into the power of thought and positive attitude and all that, because my daughter had overcome this life-threatening disease. The tone of “Believe” reflected that mindset at first, though the story was unfinished. Then my daughter relapsed and ultimately lost her battle. I was confused, hurt, angry, and lost. I went back to the story to work through all that. It was my expression of all the questions and frustrations I had. The story is not meant to provide answers to any of those questions, because I’m not sure we’ll ever have them. Instead it’s meant to convey a message of renewal, and reassurance that happiness can be found again after enduring such a loss.

Throughout the story, I tried to include little hints that explained the book’s ending, this idea that maybe prayers are always answered, but at times in ways we don’t see. However, reading reviews, I realize it may have been too understated for some. It’s difficult to find that perfect balance of getting your message across without beating your reader over the head with it.

“Somewhere Between Black and White” is a little bit harder to explain. Basically, I wanted to take a look at our tendencies to judge others for their choices. The story is a romance, but it’s not meant to be the main gist. It’s more of a backdrop for looking at the character, Sophie, and how she assesses others. She meets Sam, who becomes her grounding point because he’s so collected and non-judgmental. She constantly struggles with her urge to look at things as black or white, instead of acknowledging there are often many shades in between. It’s kind of a mesh of romance, humor, family drama, and even some bits about Buddhism thrown in. See why it’s hard to summarize?

What is your favorite word? Hmm, I’ve never really thought about a favorite word. I guess it would have to be Starbucks.

Are your characters based off anyone you know? The minor characters usually are, but not the main characters. Rachel in “Believe” is loosely based on me, just because of her struggle with faith, but she is way more outspoken and blunt than I’ll ever be.

Which other authors would you like to meet? Unfortunately, two of them are gone: Erma Bombeck and Nora Ephron. I would also like to meet Richard Bach.

How did you celebrate when your first book was published? I don’t remember. I’m not sure I did. All I remember was when I told my husband someone was going to publish my book, he said I needed to make enough money to buy him a monster truck. Yeah… that hasn’t happened.

What are you reading right now? “I Feel Bad About My Neck” by Nora Ephron

Hard/paperback or eBooks? eBooks, of course!

Where is your favorite place to write? Once or twice I sat in a Borders (before they went out of business) and wrote. That would be my ideal place, in a bookstore sipping on some coffee, but it never happens.

What is the best advice you’ve been given? This advice wasn’t given to me by anyone specifically, but it’s one that we always hear, and that’s to live for today. None of us know what our future holds, so why spend time stressing about it? And we can’t change our past; we can only learn from it. Be here now. It’s not an easy thing to do, but great advice.

When writing, what is your favorite thing to snack on? Dark chocolate M&Ms!

Can you tell us about any upcoming projects? I’m not working on anything at the moment, but have a few ideas floating around. You know how on sitcoms we always see the fairly average Joe with the hot wife? (According to Jim, Everybody Loves Raymond, Modern Family). I’ve often wondered why we never see the opposite. How come we never see the average Jane with a hot guy? I thought it might be fun to write something based on that idea. Still mulling it over. Maybe this summer’s project.

**Additional comments: I want to thank you, Isabella, for hosting me on your blog. I appreciate your kindness and positive attitude you’ve shared with me throughout my communications with you. This has been a great experience.

**Contact Shelly!:

Shelly Hickman

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**Click HERE to watch the trailer of “Somewhere Between Black and White!”

Tiffany Romigh

November 29, 2012 2 Comments

Author bio of Tiffany Romigh: A writer in Austin, Texas, ELASTICITY is the first novel by Tiffany Romigh. Previously a Vice President of Edelman Public Relations, the co-owner of fashion and beauty pr agency Mirror Mirror PR, and an award-winning advertising copywriter at agencies including Deutsch, TBWA Chiat/Day, Ogilvy & Mather and J. Walter Thompson, she is currently at work on her second novel and several screenplays.

Interview with Tiffany Romigh

Have you always wanted to be a writer? I think in one way or another, it’s always been inevitable. People communicate different ways and, for me, it’s the easiest and most effective way for me to get the inside thoughts out. Then, once I realized that it felt like the right thing to do, and no one was throwing sticks and rocks at me after reading what I’d written, I looked for ways to make a living at it.

Tea or coffee? Here’s my caffeine method: Diet Coke, but usually half a can that I leave in my cup holder on the way to the coffee shop. Then I have an iced coffee while I do the first two hours of writing that morning. Then I get back in the car for a writing location change and drink the second half of the Diet Coke, but I cut myself off after that. Since I write at least five hours a day every single day, the world would be blurry if I didn’t.

How did you come up with the idea for your book, Elasticity? I became obsessed with the idea of the expansion and contraction of modern life, especially for women. So many of us, especially these days, have trouble finding moderation. We bounce back and forth between extremes trying to find the middle, we push and pull, expand and contract, all the while trying to find the things, the life, the story we can tell that will make us happy. We buy the car, then we lose our jobs and have to sell the car. We eat the things we love and gain weight, then we feel terrible about ourselves and do whatever we can to lose the weight – each of us has our own version. But ultimately, with too many of these expansions and contractions, if we don’t settle down and find our center, we’ll never be happy.

The title directly relates to this and to a passage in the book about the character WHITNEY, a compulsive eater, and her love/hate relationship with her black sweatpants. And, after losing everything important to her she goes on a terrible binge and reaches for those sweatpants, but the waistband has had enough. It has no more elasticity and snaps.

What must a writer have at all times? An ability to dig deep and write from the inside and not the position of looking at yourself from the ceiling and judging. At least one person in your life to keep you sane. A song to make you smile and one to make you cry. And, the perfect pair of black stilettos, even if they cost a fortune.

Describe what a typical day is like for you: With small variations, it usually looks like this: get up and write for a few hours to make sure I get started off on the right track, do some family things as a break, switch gears and work on a different project for a few hours, have phone calls with producers to hammer out story points of some of the films we’re working on, try to get one more hour of writing in, and then make dinner. Since I “came up” in the world as an advertising copywriter, I’m used to writing on an 8 to 5 schedule and not just “whenever it hits me.” I’ve found that if I sit down and make myself do it, the words will come. As much as I love it and as much as it’s a personal effort, it’s still a job, too.

Also, at some point, I usually go to Sephora and go bananas and redo my makeup (ahem, try tiny samples in order to make a purchase.) I love my life and feel so incredibly fortunate to have it.

Which other author(s) do you admire? I admire lots of different writers for lots of different things. Jonathan Franzen for sentences that blow my mind. Melissa Bank for stories that mean something. John Irving for Garp and his use of semi-colons. Gigi Levangie Grazer for reminding me how fun it is to be young and live in Los Angeles. Jenn Garbee for her taste level. Beverly Cleary for getting to it early. And Heather McElhatton for making me laugh out loud.

Hard/paperbacks or eBooks? Both, but I started running out of room and now buy books on my iPad. I have to say, I do love reading them electronically, and I didn’t think that I would.

What is the writing/editing/publishing process like for you, and which is your favorite? Hands down, the writing part is my favorite. The other parts are fine, and part of the process, but writing is rad.

What are you reading right now? I tend to read a LOT, not only because I love it but also because I’m kind of a square and don’t really get out and go wild and crazy. Just finished, in no particular order, In One Person by John Irving, The First Husband by Laura Dave, Domestic Violets by Matthew Norman, and Jennifer Johnson is Sick of Being Single, by Heather McElhatton (see above.) But my favorite-est, wish-I-could-buy-it-again-just-so-I-could-read-it-again-for-the-first-time-est book that I just read based on a recommendation was The Chocolate Money by Ashley Prentice Norton. It is amaaaaaaaazing.

How did you celebrate when Elasticity was published? Since getting a book published is a total marathon and not a sprint, I celebrated in small ways every time we cleared another hurdle. If the celebrations were all thrown into a bag, and you and I reached in and grabbed a bunch, we would come up with these things among others: many glasses of Prosecco, Chubby Sticks from Clinique, perfect white t-shirts from James Perse, and many, many pedicures.

Do you have any advice for new writers? Tons of it, but like any advice, take it with a grain of salt (or if you’re like me, far too much salt. I love salt.) Don’t wait to write until you have “something”, just write as you go along because you never know when a few “nothings” link up together and become “somethings.” Think like an agent and imagine selling your own book to a publisher; read the descriptions of shows on the TV guide on your TV because they have to distill what the show is about into one sentence. I’m serious. It helps. Try not to worry too much about the mythology of writing or being a writer, just sit down and do it – you’ll have plenty of time to wax poetic when you’re on Conan.

Also: call your family, try not to text and drive, don’t be smart aleck-y, finish what you start, and when in doubt say yes.

Can you tell us about any of your upcoming projects? I’m doing a bunch of scripts for films that I’m really excited about, and get to work with some incredible people on those. In addition, I’ve started putting some things together for my next book, but they’re still pieces of “nothings” in search of a “something” (also see above.) Plus, there’s a film version of Elasticity in the works, so that’ll be fun. I’ll keep you posted!

**Contact Tiffany!

Tiffany Romigh

Email: Tiffany@TiffanyRomigh.com

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Jaimie Admans

November 6, 2012 3 Comments

Bio of Author, Jaimie Admans: Jaimie is a 27-year-old English-sounding Welsh girl with an awkward-to-spell name. She lives in South Wales and enjoys writing, gardening, drinking tea and watching horror movies. She hates spiders and cheese & onion crisps.

She has been writing for years, but has never before plucked up the courage to tell people. Kismetology is her first novel and there are plenty more on the way! She wants you to know that the mum in this book is nothing like her own mum!

INTERVIEW

People would be surprised to know that you…: Don’t always name characters or places until the first editing stage. I’m quite happy to write an entire first draft with characters like Friend1, NeighbourB, or Enemy3! Same with place names. If I’ve overlooked them in the planning stages, I don’t want to interrupt the writing to think up names, so I just don’t name them until later!

Have you always wanted to be a writer? Not always always, but since I was quite young. I started writing at the age of 14 and realized I wanted to be a writer at 16. I wrote many different things then and experimented with a lot of different styles. Looking back now, I don’t think anything I wrote that early on was any good, but it was all part of the learning curve! Around seven years ago, I really fell in love with chick-lit and realized that was what I wanted to write. I’ve been writing ‘seriously’ since then.

Do you have any guilty pleasures? If so, what are they: Reality TV! I know it’s bad, but I can’t tear myself away! I love talent shows like The X Factor and Britain’s Got Talent, and I have a bit of a soft spot for celebrity reality shows – I absolutely adore Tori and Dean: Home Sweet Hollywood!

Another guilty pleasure would be Christmas movies! I will watch any Christmas movie there is, no matter how soft, sappy or unrealistic it is!

Oh, and bad horror movies! You know the kind that are not at all scary and actually so bad they end up being funny? I can’t get enough of those!

Describe what the writing/editing/publishing process like for you? My writing process is a lot like NaNoWriMo all the year round. I don’t write all the time, but rather I spend a couple of months plotting, planning and vaguely outlining the novel. I won’t start writing something until I’m absolutely sure my plot idea will stretch into a decent novel. When I’m sure of that and I have an idea of how the story will begin and end, and a slight idea of how it’s going to get there, then I will take a month to six weeks, and do nothing but write the novel. I can usually write 3000-4000 words a day then. There’s no more research in that time, no more fiddling around, if something doesn’t work or needs looking up then I’ll add a note to look it up later. My only concern is getting the words down on the page and finishing the first draft. When the draft is done, I put it aside and try to forget about it for as many months as possible, and I start the plotting and planning stage for the next one.

For editing, it helps to get a bit of distance from the manuscript, so once it’s been put aside for as long as I can, I come back to it and read through. No fixing this time, just reading and seeing what works and what doesn’t. Then I do a completely new second draft, which involves a lot of cutting and chopping words in and out, into a completely new document. I find it easier to cut unnecessary words and scenes if I’m putting them into an entirely new document, rather than trying to write around them. I then put it aside for another few weeks, and when I come back, I do exactly the same thing for a third draft. I then proofread on my Kindle because I find it makes mistakes more noticeable than if you were reading on the computer screen, and then I find a proper editor who will look at it with a fresh eye, and correct my atrocious grasp of grammar and point out any structural issues that I might not have noticed!

Publishing is mostly about cover design and formatting the book. Formatting is tedious work but not that difficult to do, and I love designing covers so that’s always a fun part! The hardest part is launching it into the big wide world and hoping people will like it!

Where do you get your story ideas? So many places. The news, quirky stories on the internet, snippets of real life that I’ve overheard or been told, my imagination. Some come from ‘what if’s’ of the past – like ‘what if such-and-such had happened’ instead of what actually did happen.

Each story is rarely just one idea, they are usually a few ideas that have melded together to make something that could one day be a novel! I write down every idea I have and keep them in a big folder. You never know when they will slot in with another idea and make a decent plot!

What do you love most about the Chick Lit genre? The characters are usually real, relatable women. They react to situations in the way I would react to situations. They do the kind of things and make the kind of mistakes that I would make! I love reading a book that makes me feel like I’m not the only person who would act like that!

Do you have any advice for writers who want to self-publish? Do your research and look into it properly first. Don’t jump in thinking this is the easy route. You can’t write ‘The End’ on Friday night and have it on sale on Amazon by Saturday morning. It takes months of preparation to get a book ready for release, and that’s the easy part. You then have to market it, because if people don’t know it’s there, they can’t buy it. There is so much to think about, and you’ll find yourself learning things you’d never even thought of. It’s a lot of hard work, and you’re responsible for it. While that’s great when it goes right, it’s also down to you when it goes wrong. That said, I would encourage anyone who’s thinking about it to seriously look into it. I love the fact that I have the control of my work, from title to cover design to pricing, and it feels great when you get a compliment and you know that no one but you is responsible for it. It also feels pretty bad on the days when you don’t sell a single copy and no one seems interested in your book. It’s a huge rollercoaster, but it’s a great one, and I’ve loved every minute of it so far!

What is a typical day/night like for you? I try to be on the computer by 9am. I have a bit of time to check my email, Twitter and Facebook, and think about what scenes I’m working on that day. I write until a tea break at 11am, and then I write until lunch. I try to have finished lunch and the next Twitter check by 2pm, and then carry on writing until I have hit my word count goal for the day which can be anywhere between 4pm and 2am!

If you could meet any author, who would it be and why? Judy Blume. I devoured her books when I was younger, and still love them when I re-read them these days! I’ll always remember the excitement of getting a new Judy Blume book! She made me love reading when I was younger, and she was the first author who made me realize how important books, and stories that you connect with can be.

Who or what inspires you? I love the musical Rent, and the message behind it which is “no day but today.” It really does inspire me to get out of bed in the mornings and stop putting off the things I want to do!

Which do you prefer, tea or coffee? TEA! Tea, tea, tea, tea, tea! I really don’t like coffee. It is sometimes necessary for caffeine purposes, but I don’t like it. I can’t get through the day without multiple cups of tea though – I’m a bit of an addict!

Can you tell us about any your upcoming projects? I have a children’s Christmas novel coming out on November 15^th, it’s middle-grade fiction, so suitable for ages 8 and upwards. It’s called Creepy Christmas, and it’s about a girl who meets Santa and his daughter and has to help them save Christmas from an evil Santa!

Aside from that, I’m writing a novel for NaNoWriMo, attempting to finish a young adult Christmas novel, and then my next book, which is a young adult paranormal romance, will be published in March/April 2013. Phew!

**Additional comments by Jaimie: Thank you so much for having me on your website, Isabella! I’m honoured!

**Contact Jaimie:

**Buy Kismetology!:

**Click HERE to see more about Jaimie’s book, Kismetology!

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