What
genre do you write and why?
I write historical romance,
primarily Regency-era. Those were some
of the first real books I ever read – Judith McNaught, Kathleen Woodiwiss. When
I decided to write a book, I thought – why not write something I love to read.
Chasing the Other Tisdale is the third in my Regency Blooms series, but
pre-dates the rest of them, so it easily stands alone.
What advice do you have for other
writers?
I think authors need to be humble.
Find a critique partner and listen to them. Take advice from others, and look to your
readers for guidance and direction. I’ve
received a couple bad reviews, and rather than ignore them, I think I really
used them to develop and grow. It’s
difficult to take criticism, but if you don’t then you can’t get better.
What's your favourite quote about
writing/for writers?
I wish I could remember the exact quote, but I can’t, so I’ll have to
paraphrase. I can’t even tell you who
said it, so please don’t think it was me.
But the phrase goes something like, if you wake up in the morning and
all you can think about is writing, then you’re a writer. I think that’s such a powerful statement and
it really is something that inspired me to take this on as a career.
What's the best thing about being a
writer?
My uniform. I get to wear sweat pants
and an old Purdue tee to work. I don’t
even have to wear shoes!
Where can people find out more about
you and your writing?
I have a personal website where I occasionally blog, but I also write
for the multi-author blog site, Embracing Romance. I think blogging can be therapeutic, but then
again, I’m an oversharer.
How long did it take
you to write your book?
I find it very difficult to write on demand.
However, with two kids and one foot still in the continuous improvement field
part time, I have to schedule my writing time or it won’t get done. So, this year I’ve been much more rigorous
with my process and I’ve gotten the book writing down to about three months
from start to “the end”.
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http://www.JessicaJefferson.com |
I think every author needs to find what
works for them and their situation. I
was fortunate that my first book was published by an independent press. I love having the structure that having
deadlines from the publishing house provides me. That keeps me motivated. I think self-publishing is great for
self-starters and those who are great at finding their own resources. I like the convenience that a publisher
provides – I give them a manuscript, they edit, format, find a cover, and
publish it for me. The great part is how
much input I have in the process. Some of my friends at the larger houses don’t
always get that creative authority. I
think self-publishing had provided a means to get those more unique stories out
to the public. It’s a great avenue for
writers to get their voices out there, especially those alternative voices that
may not fit in the mold of what’s selling at the moment. We’ve seen some great authors self-pub –
Christi Caldwell, Courtney Milan. These
are stellar writers and they put out a quality product. It’s all about having choices, and I’m glad
that choice is out there.
Does your
family support you in your writing career? How?
My husband is very supportive now that
he understands the business better. When
I first told him that I had received a contract he was all “You wrote a book?”
I never really told him what I was doing, I just wrote in my spare time or late
at night after the kids went to bed. I
think after I received my first royalty check he started to understand that
this is a real job, but even then he thought I could just sit down and whip out
a book in a couple weeks. I took him
with me to the RT convention in 2014 and that was a real eye opener for
him. Now, he’s really great about giving
me time to write when the muse hits and he will assume total responsibility for
the kids and house while I’m in my zone.
When
you’re not writing, how do you spend your time?
My family loves to travel and
be outdoors. We are campers. I
especially love to hike. So, when I’m
not writing and I have the opportunity, I love to pack up the RV and leave for
the weekend. It doesn’t happen as much
as I’d like it to, but I’m working on it.
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Chasing the Other Tisdale
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7 Comments
Thank you for hosting
ReplyDeleteThe impressive cover is my favorite part of the post.
ReplyDeleteI really, really love this story .
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for hosting! It was a fun interview.
ReplyDeleteI liked the interview.
ReplyDeleteEnjoyed reading your interview
ReplyDeleteMy favorite part was the excerpt. It helps me get to know the author's writing style, but in this case I'm already familiar with Jessica Jefferson's style. I'm a big fan of hers. I've enjoyed the previous books in this series. So, Chasing the Other Tisdale is already on my TBR list. Blessings & Thanks to All.
ReplyDeleteI love to hear from you. So feel free to comment, but keep in mind the basics of blog etiquette — no spam, no profanity, no slander, etc.
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