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Q&A – 5 Things (Part 3)

Q&A – 5 Things (Part 3)

This will be an ongoing series where I answer the most common questions I get from readers:

Q1:  Where do you get your ideas?

A:  I have so many ideas for books! Once you’ve done this long enough, your brain starts automatically evaluating most situations to see if it would make a good book. Many of the ideas I’ve been developing lately are not purely sweet romance and it’s been exciting to branch out a little.

Q2:  What is your writing process?

A:  Once I’ve settled on an idea for a book, I start outlining. I write down the major moments and how I want them to go, then work backwards from there. Some of my author friends can start on page one and write consecutively to the end, but I do better when I can skip around and write the big scenes first, then go back and add the little ones to tie them together.

After I’ve finished the story, I send it to my beta readers and I usually end up making quite a few changes based on their feedback. I rewrote almost the entire second half of Sweet Illusions after I got it back from beta. I recently hired an alpha reader to read the manuscript chapter-by-chapter and give feedback, so that should cut down on the rewrites since I can make adjustments as I go based on her feedback.

Q3:  Do you have any unusual writing quirks?

A:  I outline and brainstorm on blue copy paper. It has to be loose papers (not a notebook) and it has to be blue. I have no idea why that’s become my thing, but it is.

Q4:  What do you love about writing? What do you hate?

A:  I love creating stories! I’ve always been a storyteller and I love coming up with new ideas, developing characters to fit the situation, and piecing it all together into something that is exciting and new.

The only thing I hate are the pirates and plagiarizers who steal your work. Most of my books are distributed exclusively through Amazon and they do a great job trying to crack down on the thieves, but it’s extremely difficult and there are, unfortunately, a lot of people trying to profit from someone else’s hard work.

Q5:  Do you ever get writer’s block and if so, what do you do about it?

A:  Absolutely. Everyone gets writer’s block, it’s part of the process. When I have it, I usually take a break and try to get some exercise to restart my brain. Then I’ll sit down and try to come up with 5-10 things that could happen next in the story and pick the best one. Writing is just like any other job – you’re not inspired all the time and there will be moments when you feel inadequate or you’re sick of it, etc. But you have to keep going and push through it.

Have questions? You can submit them here as a comment or email me: AuthorJeanetteLewis@gmail.com

Q&A – 5 Things About Me (Part 2)

Q&A – 5 Things About Me (Part 2)

This will be an ongoing series where I answer the most common questions I get from readers:

Q1:  What is your favorite book?

A:  Jane Eyre! I have always had a soft spot for anything gothic Victorian and for unconventional characters. Did you know that Charlotte Bronte wrote it to prove she could sell a book in which the main characters were not conventionally attractive? I’d say she nailed it. I love Jane and Rochester and their banter makes me swoon every time. Okay, the gypsy scene is a bit much, but I’ll forgive her that considering the environment and time in which she was writing.

My other favorite books include the Little House books (Laura Ingalls Wilder) and the Daughter of Smoke and Bone series (Laini Taylor).

Q2:  What genres do you like/dislike?

A:  I’ll read almost anything, but my favorites are young adult, women’s fiction, adventure, and sweet romance and I do like the thrills that come with a good suspense novel. I don’t really like anything that’s too heavy on the military or tech lingo, like Tom Clancy, and I stay away from erotica or anything too graphic.

Q3:  What is your writing Kryptonite?

A: Wikipedia. When I’m writing a first draft, I have to turn the internet off because it’s way too easy to click over for a quick bit of research for the story and then an hour later, I’m twenty pages deep into serial killers.

Q4: Do you read your book reviews?

A:  Absolutely. I want to know what’s working and what isn’t. I don’t put a lot of stock in one bad review, I just figure it wasn’t a good fit for that reader; however, if multiple readers start mentioning the same problem, I take notice. But I ignore the trolls. I had one person leave one-star reviews on all my books after I refused to send him money. Lame.

Q5:  Do you write characters with actors in mind if the book ever became a movie?

A:  I will sometimes draw inspiration from an actor’s look, but I try to let my characters develop on their own and not base them off anyone in particular. There are several bookstagrammers who like to cast the main characters when they do a book review and I always love to see who they pick. So far, they’ve never used the same actor I did when writing the book, but there’s always a first.

I love to hear from readers! If you have any questions, you can send them to me at: AuthorJeanetteLewis@gmail.com

Q&A – 5 Things About Me

Q&A – 5 Things About Me

This will be an ongoing series where I answer the most common questions I get from readers:

Q1:  When did you start writing and why?

A: The first thing I remember writing was a story in first grade. We were given a picture of a duck, and we had to color it, then write a story for it. In mine, the duck was sad because it couldn’t find any friends. Then (plot twist!) a big group of animals showed up and they all became friends, the end. My teacher took me around to all the first and second grade classrooms and had me read it to them, so I guess it was probably above what you’d expect from a six-year-old. From then on, I started writing stories and trust me, my early versions were all just as riveting as the lonely duck story!

Q2:  What have you done besides write books?

A: I have a bachelors degree in marketing and I worked for several years in market research. I have also been (in reverse order) a legal secretary, an airline reservations agent, a retail clothing employee, a receptionist, and my first job was at McDonalds.

Q3:  What is your family like?

A: My husband and I recently celebrated our 28th anniversary. We have four kids, ages 22, 20, 13, and 12 – two girls and then two boys. The large gap is because we weren’t sure we were done having kids after the first two, then decided we weren’t. Our 13yo has autism and several other health issues, so he can take up quite a bit of our time.

Q4: What is your advice for new writers?

A: Figure out why you’re writing. Some people write because they have stories inside them that need to be told; others write because it’s therapeutic; and some write because they are skilled at it and can make a living. Your approach to writing will be different depending on why you’re doing it.

Q5: How did you get started?

My first book is a short Christmas story called An Unexpected Angel that was published in 2012 by Cedar Fort Publishers. Through that story, I met Lucy McConnell, a fellow Cedar Fort author, and we decided to write sweet romance and create the Snow Valley series. From there, it grew slowly. I’m definitely not as fast at writing as some of my author friends, but I’m at 20 books now and working on the next one.

Stay tuned for more! If you have any questions, you can send them to me at: AuthorJeanetteLewis@gmail.com