Friday, November 12, 2010

Interrogation Room and giveaways

Has anyone ever seen my picture? I blame my recent chubby cheeks on Jessica's book Becca's Best. It was so well described I could feel the scones melting in my mouth and my addiction to bran muffins got a whole lot worse. That said let me introduce you to Jessica Barksdale Inclan, I have learnt a lot from reading her blog.

Joanna: Looking back how would you rate your first book against your current book out on the market?
Jessica: This is a very hard question, as my first six novels were contemporary fiction and my last six were romance.  So inherent in the two genres are differences.  Romance needs, well, romance, and contemporary fiction doesn't always have the big HEA that romance readers want.
But I think that my last novel (The Beautiful Being) and my first novel (Her Daughter's Eyes) both revolve around a character's or characters' wanting to be connected, longing for a connection with other people--or, that singular, romantic connection. They may be very different novels, but that core is there in both.
Joanna: Where do you get inspirations for your books from?
Jessica: I find inspiration in so many things--newspaper articles, my friends and family, dreams.  The problem facing so many writers is that the "concept" or the "platform" is taking over inspiration.  What may inspire me may not be marketable.  I've been told that certain ideas "won't sell," and that is a hard thing to hear, especially if I am inspired.
Bottom line, though, is that I try to write about what moves me, and often if I am moved, others will be, too.

Joanna: You teach creative writing at college level, are you able to read books for pleasure (without going into professor mode)?
Jessica: Absolutely!  I read like crazy, though if something is poorly written on the sentence level or full of cliches (and so FEW published novels are, though some slip through) I do react.  But I let myself fall into a story and enjoy.  I need that escape and I need the example of another writer's imagination on the page.

Joanna: What advice would you have for first time conference goers?
Jessica: Part of the advice is counter-productive.  Often, I want to tell folks at conferences to stay home and write.  I have met a few aspiring writers who participate in so many conferences that they don't get to the very thing they are at the conference for--writing.
The other part is to let it all swirl around you--the ideas and information--and then make sure to not take anything personally or get defensive.  Find the one idea or writer that inspires and then go home and write! 
And then if there can be three parts--meet up with folks at conferences and stay connected to them.  They are your peers and are often at the same writing level--forge writing partnerships and writing groups.  I have two long time friends, both of whom I met at a conference and both of whom have read much of my work (and both of whom were just at my wedding in September!).  These connections are the important ones.

Joanna: How does it feel when people truly connect to the characters you have created?
Jessica: Well, that's about the best feeling ever.  It's hard to imagine how satisfying that is.  When a reader tells me he or she has identified with anything I've put down on paper, I feel as though I've connected in a real true way.  And that's amazing.
Joanna: Jessica has kindly agreed to give out five copies of her latest book titled Being with Him, but for logistical reasons we can only send it to American addresses, so do me a favour in your comments today kindly mention what country you live in. I will let Jessica tell us about her latest book now

Being With Him
They are here among us…

Far from home, gifted with special abilities, hunted for their powers. And they are desperate to find their other, the one who completes them…before it’s too late…


SOMETIMES, TIME REALLY DOES STAND STILL

Mila Adams has always known she was different. It’s not just that she’s a Mission District bohemian artist in rarefied San Francisco society. No, it’s that for as long as she can remember, she has had the ability to shift time, and who would believe that? Certainly not the obnoxious blind dates her mother keeps foisting off on her. Mila can’t help feeling there’s someone out there for her, a soul mate who might understand her unique ability. And when she looks into the dark eyes of financial whiz Garrick McClellan, time feels as if it has opened up on its own—and this time, Mila has nothing to do with it.

Any man would lust after a beauty like Mila, but the moment Garrick touches her—feels her shifting time just as he can—he recognizes her as his partner in power. Their connection is immediate, passionate, raw, and beyond anything either has ever experienced. But who are they? What is this gift that joins them so intensely? Are there others like them? And why do they feel that time is running out?


Jessica Barksdale Inclan is the author of twelve novels, including Her Daughter's Eyes, The Matter of Grace, and When You Believe.  Her seventh novel, Being With Him, was released Septmeber 2010 in mass market.  She teaches creative writing, literature, and compsotion at Diablo Valley College in Pleasant Hill, California, and novel writing for UCLA Extension.
Jessica can be found at her website and blog or on Twitter

TGIF and let the party begin

Yay for us Non Americans Jessica is giving away 5 more E-Books so we etrangeres can win too, that makes this a 10 - book giveaway.


33 comments:

  1. Jessica;
    Thanks for sharing your insights with us. Your book sounds great; I've always been able to waste hours and hours worrying about the space/time continuum (I have to watch the first Terminator movie every now and then just to ponder THAT sitch, and don't get me started on "It's a Wonderful Life").
    And I'm here in the good old US of A!

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  2. Cool interview. I love it when people relate to my characters as well. I can't receive the book but I hope she does well with it.
    CD

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  3. Very cool interview. I think readers relating to characters would be one of the greatest compliments for an author.

    Wow, Jessica, twelve novels already! I wish I could write that many. I get plot ideas frying at me all the time but I’m a very slow writer so it takes me a while to finish a book.

    USA

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  4. Great advice about conferences! Couldn't agree more. The book cover and book sound lovely!

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  5. Great interview! This sounds like an amazing read and I love the cover!

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  6. Great interview, ladies. Interesting about concept and inspiration - I agree, concept does seem to be taking over inspiration.

    Thanks!

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  7. Great interview. I love the questions you ask in these Joanna. Unfortunately, I'm not in the US, so no giveaway for me.

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  8. Thanks all for your comments! I have trouble with the space/time continuum because it's hard to think about unless it's flowing from beginning to end. With this book, it often went backward!

    I do love conferences, but sometimes, it is easier to stay at one than do the hard work of writing. But they are SO useful in so many ways.

    thanks all for chiming in!

    Best,

    Jessica

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  9. Ha ha Quinn I am in France too so I have to sit this one out too :)
    Thank you so much for doing this Jessica

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  10. Thank you for the great interview. Love the focus on writing.

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  11. My pleasure, Joanna!

    By the way, I love the name "Missed Periods"! (See comment above) Says so much in a couple of ways. I'm really thinking about it :)

    Best,

    Jessica

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  12. Great interview! Thank you both. Interesting concept/platform comment. I'm in UK so count me out.

    Hope you have a good weekend.

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  13. Terrific interview and great writing advice. I'm in the UK so not eligible for the giveaway but I'm going to check out Jessica's book, as I'm really interested in the idea of playing with time.

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  14. Wonderful interview! I appreciate all of Jessica's insight and inspiration! I'll certainly be looking at conferences differently:).

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  15. Really a cool interview. Lots of good stuff here. Thanks to both of you.

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  16. Very sound advice! Jessica's book sounds great!

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  17. Great interview, but that book sounds AMAZING! i somehow never heard of her and am very glad you had her on here. Sign me up for the giveaway (in US). Really, Wow!

    vickykerr@sbcglobal.net

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  18. Very nice interview, both of you! 12 books makes me tired just thinking about it. . .
    (I'm in the US)
    erica - lynnea.west@hotmail.com

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  19. Great interview! I'm so glad you visited my blog so I could discover yours, Joanna. (And you put me on your Blogroll. *squee!* ) This sounds like a fantastic story. I love discovering new-to-me authors!

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  20. Duh. And I'm in the US. :)

    (I was so darn excited, I forgot about the giveaway rules.)

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  21. I love the time manipulation angle, and would love to read the book. I live in the US.

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  22. Great interview and the fab advice on the conference. I like the cover on the book and the story seems awesome.
    Not in US
    nas_dean@ymail.com

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  23. ha ha Jami and thanx for coming to mine, Jessica's book does sound truly amazing and she has a great writing style. I do not most of my followers fairly well so dont worry about not putting your country I kinda know where everyone is.

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  24. Great interview, and love your advice for writers. It's so important to make those connections amongst your peers :)

    Rach

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  25. Great to be here! Thanks, Joanna, for having me.

    Best,

    Jessica

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  26. Really great interview, I can imagine being ravenous after reading her accounts of scones and bran muffins too. I shall have a look out for her blog and book :O)

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  27. hi miss joanna! that was a cool interview. i like interviews with authors that got published cause they could give hope for writers that are trying soooo hard for that. im thinking miss jessicas books are sorta old for me but for sure im gonna tell my brothers and my sister about that being with him book cause i think they could like it.
    ...smiles from lenny

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  28. Wonderful interview!! Thanks for sharing.

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  29. Great interview Joanna and thanks Jessica for your insights. So many books! I like the advice - stay home and write. How true. We can be so busy attending this and that that we don't settle to what we need to be doing.

    Australia, so natch not eligible for the giveaway, *&%

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  31. <>

    I definitely think this is something we all need to be aware of. If we aren't passionate about the book, it shows. Market s great, but the story we need to tell is the one we should write. :)

    Angela @ The Bookshelf Muse

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I'd love to hear what you have to say, so go on & make my day