It's day 27 and today Jessica Chambers is joining the party. So please help me welcome and be nice. It's her first time.:-)
First, Kat, let me say a huge thank you for inviting me on your blog. This is my first ever chance to talk about my upcoming release, Voices On The Waves, so I’m really excited to be here!
1: When did you first begin writing?
This is probably going to sound like a cliché, but I can’t remember a time in my life when I haven’t invented stories. I wrote my first novel, all thirty pages of it, at the age of seven. It was an adventure story based on the Enid Blyton books I devoured at the time. I even recorded it on a cassette, which I hope is now safely hidden away from prying ears! For the past ten years, though, I’ve been writing a mixture of women’s fiction, ranging from light-hearted romances like Voices On The Wave, to mysteries with a darker flavor.
2: Where do you get your inspiration for writing?
I’m a voracious listener of talk radio, mainly LBC, a station based over here in London. In fact, I can’t get to sleep without its comforting murmur in the background. It often happens that a fellow listener will call in with a touching or funny story, sparking my imagination.
3: Do you have any rituals that help you get in the mood to sit down and write?
Dull as it sounds, I’m very much a creature of habit. Oh, I’d love to be one of those authors who wake in the middle of the night, itching to scribble down the next chapter of their literary masterpiece, but that just isn’t me. Well, I like my sleep too much! No, I have to treat my writing as if I were going to the office, settling in front of my laptop as soon as I’m up and dressed.
4: Are you a plotter or a pantser when you write? Why does that work for you?
My method has changed a bit over the years. When I first wrote Voices On The Waves, I planned every minor detail from start to finish. However, I quickly discovered this left no room for creativity. On the other hand, I’m still not brave enough to forego planning altogether, so have found a happy medium. I have the main plot worked out beforehand, but let the subplots and the characters find their own way.
5: Who are some of your favorite authors to read when you are not writing?
Ooh, there are so many! My tastes are pretty eclectic, and I can’t say there’s one genre I read more than any other. At the moment, I’m particularly into Philippa Gregory, Penny Vincenzi, James Patterson and Charlaine Harris.
6: Are you reading anything right now?
Hahaha! I’m always reading something. At the moment, I’m engrossed in the latest of Charlaine Harris’s Southern Vampire Mysteries. For anyone who hasn’t entered the world of Sookie Stackhouse yet, these books really are so much fun!
7: How do you deal with writer’s block?
In the early days, this phenomenon terrified me. What if I woke up one morning and could never write again? Now, though, I accept that writer’s block is all part of the process. The only way I can deal with it is to write that day off (excuse the pun) and do something relaxing, mostly losing myself in someone else’s book. Then I can return fresh to my writing the following day.
8: What do you like to do for fun when you’re not writing?
Between them, reading and writing take up a fair chunk of my time. When I’m not doing that, obsessive as it sounds, I love connecting with other authors on The Next Big Writer online writing group, and promoting published writers on my blog
http://www.jessicachambers.co.uk/blog
9: If you could go anywhere in the world where would you go and why?
It has to be Dublin. Not the most exotic location, perhaps, but, as a massive Maeve Binchy fan, I’d love to visit the city where so many of her novels are set.
10: What advice do you have for new authors?
Well, since Voices On The Waves is my debut novel, I’m still learning all the time. One of the most important lessons I’ve learned, though, is to accept criticism graciously. If you listen to what others have to say about your writing and take their comments onboard, chances are you’ll be a much better writer for it.
11: Tell us a bit about your book. What’s it about?
Voices On The Waves was inspired by my fascination with people and the ways in which they interact. What would happen if you threw a group of highly diverse characters together for two weeks? This is precisely what happens in my novel, when nine strangers win a two-week stay in a beautiful farmhouse retreat in Cornwall. With such contrasting personalities gathered under one roof, all you have to do is sit back and watch the sparks fly! With blossoming love, illicit affairs and long-buried secrets, Voices On The Waves has it all.
Voices On The Waves is due for release in August by Red Rose Publishing.
In the meantime, you can find out more about Jessica by visiting her website
http://www.jessicachambers.co.uk/
Where you can read an excerpt of her upcoming release, follow her blog and join the mailing list to keep up to date with all her news.
This is probably going to sound like a cliché, but I can’t remember a time in my life when I haven’t invented stories. I wrote my first novel, all thirty pages of it, at the age of seven. It was an adventure story based on the Enid Blyton books I devoured at the time. I even recorded it on a cassette, which I hope is now safely hidden away from prying ears! For the past ten years, though, I’ve been writing a mixture of women’s fiction, ranging from light-hearted romances like Voices On The Wave, to mysteries with a darker flavor.
2: Where do you get your inspiration for writing?
I’m a voracious listener of talk radio, mainly LBC, a station based over here in London. In fact, I can’t get to sleep without its comforting murmur in the background. It often happens that a fellow listener will call in with a touching or funny story, sparking my imagination.
3: Do you have any rituals that help you get in the mood to sit down and write?
Dull as it sounds, I’m very much a creature of habit. Oh, I’d love to be one of those authors who wake in the middle of the night, itching to scribble down the next chapter of their literary masterpiece, but that just isn’t me. Well, I like my sleep too much! No, I have to treat my writing as if I were going to the office, settling in front of my laptop as soon as I’m up and dressed.
4: Are you a plotter or a pantser when you write? Why does that work for you?
My method has changed a bit over the years. When I first wrote Voices On The Waves, I planned every minor detail from start to finish. However, I quickly discovered this left no room for creativity. On the other hand, I’m still not brave enough to forego planning altogether, so have found a happy medium. I have the main plot worked out beforehand, but let the subplots and the characters find their own way.
5: Who are some of your favorite authors to read when you are not writing?
Ooh, there are so many! My tastes are pretty eclectic, and I can’t say there’s one genre I read more than any other. At the moment, I’m particularly into Philippa Gregory, Penny Vincenzi, James Patterson and Charlaine Harris.
6: Are you reading anything right now?
Hahaha! I’m always reading something. At the moment, I’m engrossed in the latest of Charlaine Harris’s Southern Vampire Mysteries. For anyone who hasn’t entered the world of Sookie Stackhouse yet, these books really are so much fun!
7: How do you deal with writer’s block?
In the early days, this phenomenon terrified me. What if I woke up one morning and could never write again? Now, though, I accept that writer’s block is all part of the process. The only way I can deal with it is to write that day off (excuse the pun) and do something relaxing, mostly losing myself in someone else’s book. Then I can return fresh to my writing the following day.
8: What do you like to do for fun when you’re not writing?
Between them, reading and writing take up a fair chunk of my time. When I’m not doing that, obsessive as it sounds, I love connecting with other authors on The Next Big Writer online writing group, and promoting published writers on my blog
http://www.jessicachambers.co.uk/blog
9: If you could go anywhere in the world where would you go and why?
It has to be Dublin. Not the most exotic location, perhaps, but, as a massive Maeve Binchy fan, I’d love to visit the city where so many of her novels are set.
10: What advice do you have for new authors?
Well, since Voices On The Waves is my debut novel, I’m still learning all the time. One of the most important lessons I’ve learned, though, is to accept criticism graciously. If you listen to what others have to say about your writing and take their comments onboard, chances are you’ll be a much better writer for it.
11: Tell us a bit about your book. What’s it about?
Voices On The Waves was inspired by my fascination with people and the ways in which they interact. What would happen if you threw a group of highly diverse characters together for two weeks? This is precisely what happens in my novel, when nine strangers win a two-week stay in a beautiful farmhouse retreat in Cornwall. With such contrasting personalities gathered under one roof, all you have to do is sit back and watch the sparks fly! With blossoming love, illicit affairs and long-buried secrets, Voices On The Waves has it all.
Voices On The Waves is due for release in August by Red Rose Publishing.
In the meantime, you can find out more about Jessica by visiting her website
http://www.jessicachambers.co.uk/
Where you can read an excerpt of her upcoming release, follow her blog and join the mailing list to keep up to date with all her news.
Thank you for being here Jessica. Voices On The Waves sounds really good and can't wait to read it.
1 comment:
Enjoy the excitement Jessica. There is nothing like the high you get when you get that first contract...except maybe when you get that second...and then there's the third...the fourth, and don't quote me because I'm not there yet, but my guess is you'll feel the same way when you get the fifteenth, thirtieth, and on. Congratualtions and welcome.
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