Interview with Jaimie Admans

When did you know you wanted to be a writer?
I think I was ten when I read my first Judy Blume book, and twelve when I read a Judy Blume book that I really connected with. It was like she had written Tiger Eyes about me. I had never read anything that meant so much to me or affected me so deeply, and from then on, I wanted to be able to do the same. I wanted to write stories that would one day mean as much to other people as hers had to me.

What genre do you write and why?
I write chick-lit and young adult, and the only reason is because they are the genres that I love. I love reading books from both genres, and my mind is always biased towards them when thinking up plots.

Tell us about your latest book.
It’s called Not Pretty Enough, it’s a YA romantic comedy, about a fourteen-year-old girl called Chessie who is head over heels in love with a boy in her class. The problem is that he doesn’t know she exists, and the book is about the lengths she goes to just to get him to notice her.

What marketing methods are you using to promote your book? 
I’m awful at marketing. Apart from a few tweets on launch day, this blog tour is the extent of my marketing so far, but it’s so much fun that it doesn’t even feel like marketing at all!

What formats is the book available in?
Right now, it’s in KDP Select so is only available on Amazon. You can download a Kindle app and read from that on any tablet, computer or phone though if you don’t have a Kindle.

What do you like to do when you're not writing?
I love reading, of course! I also love gardening and watching horror movies – the scarier the better!

Who are your favourite authors?
I love Sophie Kinsella and Meg Cabot. I also grew up reading and still love Judy Blume, Enid Blyton and Virginia Andrews.

What advice do you have for other writers?
Unplug the internet cable! It might sound like a bit of a joke, but it really helps if you’re struggling to concentrate or procrastinating. It really helps to just switch off the router or whatever you use, and forbid yourself from putting it back on until you’ve hit a certain word count or a certain amount of time has passed.

What's your favourite quote about writing/for writers?
“You can’t edit a blank page” – Nora Roberts. This says it all for me because I’m a big fan of rubbish first drafts, and for me the best way of writing is just to get the first draft down, and worry about everything else later. You can make a bad first draft better, but you can’t do anything with a blank document.

What's the best thing about being a writer?
Oh gosh, where to start?! It’s the best job in the world. I get paid (admittedly not much!) to make up stories and write them down. It’s a constant learning curve, and incredibly satisfying when you take a step back and can see how much your writing has improved over the years, and of course, reading good reviews or having someone tell you they loved your book is one of the best feelings in the world!

Where can people find out more about you and your writing?
My website is http://www.jaimieadmans.com and you can find me on Twitter @be_the_spark!

Anything else you'd like to add?
Thank you so much for having me on Writers and Authors today!

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1 Comments

  1. Thanks for mentioning Judy Blume's Tiger Eyes book. She recently released the movie adaptation, now available on digital streaming sites in the US & Canada. On Sept 29 at 8pmET, she will be participating in a live Twitter discussion about adapting the book into a film with her son. Follow the hashtag #scriptchat to participate.

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