On the 9th Day of Blogmas We Have Rachel Jameson. Help me give a warm welcome to one of the sweetest tweeps in the world!! *clap, clap, clap, woo hoo* Now i met Rachel on twitter a few months back, lemme tell ya, she is too sweet, and too funny! So head on down to the Interview and get to know a little more about Rachel Jameson!
JJBC~What do you like to Read? Your Favorite Genre?
RJ~Oh, now that is a hard one! I read a lot! I love books! I love falling into the depths of a story, and emerging changed in some small way from the content. My favorites are historical fiction, fantasy, fairy tales, myths (especially the Greek) and now romance. I’ve only recently come into the romance genre, having avoided romance up until almost two years ago like the plague because I thought it was all ridiculous, and so I unfortunately missed out on a wonderful genre for many reading years. I’m so glad I found it, for I’ve certainly been changed by the genre in such a profound way.
JJBC~Do you have a favorite book /series?
RJ~This is an even harder question! The first thing that pops into my mind is The Poisonwood Bible, by Barbara Kingsolver. She paints with words. On Fortune’s Wheel by Cynthia Voigt and the rest of the series, though the first one stands out to me the best, with Beryl and Orien. I love Cat’s Cradle by Vonnegut, Catcher in the Rye by Salinger, Brave New World by Huxley. I love anything by Donna Jo Napoli, especially Song of the Magdalene and Zel. I love the Enchanted Forest series by Patricia C. Wrede, and His Dark Materials series by Pullman. Garth Nix’s Sabriel/Abhorsen series. Oh I’ve really enjoyed Maria V. Snyder’s Poson/Fire/Magic Study series. I have a favorite, somewhat obscure YA – The Ramsay Scallop by Frances Temple. I really enjoy Sarah Dunant and Tracy Chevalier. They take history and bring it to life so well. My favorite historical fiction book about Lucrezia Borgia is titled Lucrezia Borgia and is by John Faunce. It fleshes her out and gives her reason in such an excellent way. As for romance, I love Eloisa James, Julia Quinn, Jo Beverly, Sabrina Darby, Eden Bradley, and many more! Ack, there’s too many to name! But those above were definitely a part of making me fall in love with Romance. Yeah, can’t pick a favorite!
JJBC~ How did you get into writing?
RJ~I have a very fertile imagination. Before I could write, I was making up stories in my head. I have a very bad habit of day dreaming at all times of day and night – and my day dreams tend to take weeks as I run them through from beginning to end, with full conversations and everything. I think the stories have just been in me from the beginning. Of course, it’s getting them out of my head and onto paper that’s the problem sometimes.
JJBC~Did you always want to be a writer?
RJ~I don’t know. I wanted to be many things, from a lawyer to a Queen, to a secretary to an astronaut. I always wrote stories down, but I’m not sure if I started out dreaming about being published. I always assumed I’d write, I just didn’t know if I’d do anything with it. Now, I most certainly want to be a writer! (Hopefully, one readers will clamor to read!)
JJBC~How old were you when you began to write?
RJ~Oh wow, I don’t know. Pretty young. I know the first story I “published” (i.e. spiral bound and laminated) was about a woman who had swallowed a cherry pit, which you’re never supposed to do, and a cherry tree had grown in her stomach and right out her mouth. It sounds a bit morbid as I think about it now, LOL.
JJBC~Is writing your full time job?
RJ~Yes, and no. I also am a full time caretaker for my 85 year old Grandmother. So writing gets done in between errands, doctors, events, and running up and down the stairs a zillion times a day. I’m very lucky in that I am able to stay home and write for the most part. As it is for most people, money is a bit tight, so hopefully soon I will be getting some transcription work, which will be my other part time job.
JJBC~What’s a typical writing day for you like?
RJ~I haven’t had a “typical” writing day in a while. I need to get back into that. I know I’m not one who can set my alarm for 4 or 5 am and get up and write for a few hours. I get cranky if I don’t get some sleep, so I’d be a really mean writer if I did that. My characters would have to endure lots of dismemberments, arguments, and near deaths if I got up that early. So I know what I need to do is try to set some uninterrupted time aside (at a decent hour) and force myself to write, even on days when its hard to get the writing out. There’s a wonderful writing community, The Romance Divas. They have all sorts of fantastic resources, advice, support. It’s a great place to find beta readers and critique partners, and a great place to make invaluable friendships. I tend to turn on Romance Divas when I wake up, and head into the chat room. We run 20 minute writing challenges, and that can help get the word count in. Some days I can write well in there, and some I have to have NO distractions at all, or else I can’t write.
JJBC~Do you set a daily writing goal?
RJ~On days when I’m writing, I do try and get 500-2000 words in. But if all I can get is one scene, I take that. If I get 5000 words, I feel great even though my hands ache. For me, personally, I’d rather write than pay attention to my word count. I find that if I focus too much on the word count, it can alter my story so that I’m trying to fit a certain space, rather than just writing the story.
JJBC~When and where do you like to write?
RJ~The when changes daily, depending on what’s going on. I have to have music. Silence is not a friend to me. It makes me antsy and distracted. Sometimes I’ll put a song on repeat, and sink into writing with the music as a background. Sometimes I’ll search through songs to try and get a certain feel for a scene. Friends find it odd, but I tend to write lying down in bed. I have a bad back, so sitting is harder for me. And yet, I can sometimes work harder if I’m sitting. I imagine it comes from school.
I’m lucky enough to be a part of the great writing community, The Romance Divas, and there are quite a few who live in Los Angeles. We get together and write often, which is such a fantastic thing. I ended up purchasing a netbook, which has been great for writing in coffee shops. It took a bit to get used to, but now that I have, I can sit with some L.A. divas, write, and if any of us need to brainstorm, we pull down our headphones and toss around ideas.
JJBC~Are there any processes you use when writing? Do you keep journals, sticky notes, chicken
scratch on the back of receipts?
RJ~I have always plotted. Outlined. For some reason, with this one I’m working on now, I’m pantsing. Not sure how well that’s going. I’m seeing the big scenes perfectly, but not what connects them. I do do the chicken scratch on little pieces of paper torn off of something, usually envelopes, but I invariably lose track of where I put the little notes. I’ve found if I make an email or a separate word document with the note in it, I do a lot better. I think part of the problem I’m having, is before, I’ve written a lot of Historical Fiction – where the characters are already set. I just have to figure out what I feel is their motivation for their actions that have already happened, their secret desires that aren’t in the known histories. With Romance, I get to make up my own characters, but that’s a double-edged sword, wherein I have to make up everything about them. Nothing is set, nothing is known ahead of time. So I’m learning how to do things differently, and while it’s a great experience, it can be trying at times. They’re very different mediums in some instances, and in some ways, very similar.
JJBC~Do you prefer to write on a computer, typewriter, or paper and pen?
RJ~Oh definitely computer. I prefer to write on my 15” laptop, but I prefer to edit on my netbook. The size of it feels closer to the size of a book, and for some reason I find it easier to edit on it. I can’t read my own handwriting much of the time, so paper and pen is out. *G* I think there are some typewriters up in the attic, but they’re too noisy. Can’t hear the music, can’t hear my thoughts over the click-clack of the keys.
JJBC~What is the hardest / easiest part of writing for you?
RJ~Hardest is definitely getting it out of my head. In my head, I see it so clearly! It plays like a movie – I see the colors, the scents, the feel – everything. And then I try and take that out of my head and put it on paper, and at first it feels flat and like its missing something. Through edits and layering, I can bring back what played in my imagination, but it can be very hard sometimes. The easiest part for me is just the dreaming up a story.
JJBC~What’s the best thing about being an author?
RJ~Oh man, everything! I get to be a part of books! To me, books are the best thing in the world. If I was given $100,000 and told to buy anything, first would be books. If there was anything left over, I’d get some shoes, music, and maybe some electronics. But books first and foremost. Even better is that I get to create them! I get to dream up a character and tell his or her story. I get to (hopefully) make the reader fall into my story, and fall in love with the characters and the world. If I’ve succeeded, they will
JJBC~What are you working on at the moment?
RJ~Well I’m working on a few things at the moment. One, is the one that I think is my heart book. The one that is the strongest in me, but is also the most difficult to write. Because it is, I’m also working/planning a few others. I have one that involves a wedding dress – before there is even an engagement *G*. I think this one will be a lot of fun. I have another with a very klutzy heroine.
The one that I think will take the longest to write, simply because of the amount of research involved, is a Georgian-set piracy tale involving abolition. It takes place in England, and an as yet unknown part of the sea. I haven’t decided yet. There are a few more, that are more glimpses of a story than anything else yet.
JJBC~Who’s your favorite hero/heroine?
RJ~This is the hardest question! If I think in terms of characters, rather than heroes and heroines, Lucrezia Borgia pops into my head. She is quite the character! I’ve loved learning everything I can about her. As for hero/heroine that’s the favorite? I don’t think I have a distinct favorite. I like strong, intelligent heroes and heroines that aren’t afraid to admit their faults and limits. Some that come to mind are Beryl and Orien in On Fortune’s Wheel. Their love is so strong, it changes a kingdom. I love the characters in Austen, of course, though I think for me, they come off stronger in movies than in the books sometimes. I think it has more to do with being told to read something than in finding it on my own. That can alter my perception of a book and its characters. I had sort of a reawakening to some of the characters in Austen when I saw some of the movies. Then, I went back, read them, and they were stronger for me. I love Elenor and Thomas in Ramsay Scallop. When they finally realize and admit their love, it’s such a powerful moment for me. They are so young, and yet they undertake such an extraordinary journey, learning about the world, themselves, and each other in the process. My favorite heroes and heroines are the ones that stick with you – even if only certain aspects of their story or their character are what remain in your mind; they become a part of you.
JJBC~What are you reading at the moment?
RJ~I’m beta reading a YA by a friend, as well as Stealing the Bride by Elizabeth Boyle. I’m also reading Perfume by Patrick Suskind, but as it’s a little heavy, I keep putting it down for a break. I’m reading a few different books for research, including The Mysteries of Udolpho by Anne Radcliffe.
JJBC~Is there a questions you have always wanted to be asked in an interview? If so how would you
answer it?
RJ~Oh wow. I haven’t a clue. I guess a fun one would be what magical power would you want. I think that would have to be teleportation, especially the ability to teleport large objects. No more air travel! No more stuck in rush hour traffic! That, or time travel and invisibility. I’d love to be a fly on the wall so to speak in so many times in the past. Imagine all the answers I could have about all the things we wonder about!
JJBC~Do you have any advice for aspiring writers?
RJ~Yes. Write. Just write. Write the story as it needs to be written, not how it fits into a certain genre, or word count. If you end up with a 250,000 word novel, yeah you’re going to have to edit it quite a lot, but you’ll have gotten the story out of you. And if you can try and push yourself, it will be hard, but it will help in the end. Try and do more today then you did yesterday. And more tomorrow than you did today. If you can, do 10 pages a day. And most importantly, is have fun. If you’re enjoying your story, there’s a good chance that readers will as well!
JJBC~Is there anything else you would like to share with your followers today?
RJ~Always be willing to try something new. I’ve always said I’d eat anything at least once, and I have if it’s been offered. But with books, I’ve been a snob. I’ve only recently come into the romance genre, having avoided it up until almost two years ago. I wish that I had been more open and willing to try new things, because then I could have been enjoying Romances for a longer time than I have, and I also would have had a better venue for my writing sooner if I had.
JJBC~How did you come up with the ideas for what you write? From a dream, from watching tv, while reading another book?
RJ~Like Athena coming fully formed out of Zeus’s head, I think some ideas come to me fully formed. Others, I get more of a glimmer. Last night, I saw a villain who died, but as he died, there was such a look of anguished sorrow on his face, there had to be a story there! What it is, I haven’t a clue, but I wrote it down. I’m going to have to figure out what he might have done, or might not have done, to end his life that way. I know that it wasn’t a sorrow over dying, but over something that went wrong in the past.
As for tv, books, etc, yes those can cause ideas to spring forth, but usually I’m watching something, or reading something, and get irked that I could do it differently, sometimes even thinking I could do it better if it was done another way, and so I attempt to do that. I did get one idea from a movie, that I haven’t gotten to, but have written notes on. It was a French film, about love and Paris, and it was about a man who was about to break up with his wife – he’d been having an affair – but when she walks into the café and starts sobbing before he’s even told her, he finds out that she has terminal cancer. He leaves his mistress, and spends the last months of his wife’s life taking care of her, doing all the things that will make her last days happy. And the last line of the film is “By acting like a man in love, he became a man in love again.” I loved that. He fell so deeply back into love with his wife, that her final days were truly spent surrounded by his love. So, it gave me an idea *G*.
JJBC~Do you do any type of research before writing?
RJ~Oh, yes. I love that not only do I have to, I get to. As I write Historicals, I need to do some research before I write, and even during the writing, and sometimes afterwards to make sure I have nothing too modern in the story. Certain phrases and words that seem perfectly normal can make the story feel out of time – even phrases just like “the first time she had sex.” I definitely do research especially if that particular book revolves around a distinct event in time, or an object from the period. The hardest, and yet still fascinating thing I’ve had to research is how long it would take carriage with a team of 6 to get from London to Cornwall, and how long it would take a carriage with a team of 2 to do the same. And not now, on modern roads, but in the early 1800s. I love being able to delve into books from the time, into books about the time, and find all the information I need, so that I can in turn transform it into a part of the story.
JJBC~ as per the contest you did, that i looooved so much, what is your favorite/worst male climax line?
RJ~Hah! I still think “he reached his crisis” might be one of the worst. “The decisive moment” irks me, as I just don’t think men have much choice in the matter towards the end. *G* Words like spewed and discharged are just ewww. As for my favorite? Hmm, that’s harder. I think “his penis spoke its famous last words,” may be one of the funniest things ever, but I can’t imagine ever actually using it in a book! I like “le petite mort”, shattered/shattering, and the good old come/cum. Glad you enjoyed the contest! It was fun and bizarre all at the same time! I certainly learned some terms I had never thought to know, and some that I wish weren’t burned into my brain. Hehe.
My Bonus Question:
JJBC~If you could be trapped in any series/book which would it be and why?
RJ~I think it would have to be mostly fantasy. Magic. Something not final. There’s always something more that can happen. Non-fantasy/magic stories, they have a definitive end. I think I would like to be in something where anything and everything can happen. But as for a single book? I’m certain it wouldn’t be a Dicken’s novel. A little too dreary for me. I think it would have to be an amalgamation of a few books. I’d make my own world out of them. Hey, I’m a writer, I can do what I want, right? I’d take aspects from Nix, Napoli, Chevalier, Jordon, Tolkien, Wrede, Voigt, Pullman, Furlong. Maybe a little Austen thrown in, with a little Kingsolver, and some Dunant as well. Maybe for a little darkness, some Brothers Grimm to even things out.
JJBC~Thank you so much for taking the time to do this!!! i appreciate it ! This was a blast, and Thank you for the Inteerview!
RJ~Thank you! I so appreciate this opportunity! It’s an honor to be interviewed along with this great authors.
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