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Interview with Jess Dee
May 12, 2008
Hi, Jess,
Welcome to Manic Readers. So glad I have the opportunity to talk to you about your writing and you as the author.
Hi, Billie. Thanks so much for having me here. J
I understand that you write Contemporary Romance. That sounds like a good deal of fun, and I’m sure our readers are just dying to find out more so let’s cut to the chase, er—the questions.
Tell us about Jess Dee — who is she, what makes her tick. What does she do when she’s not writing?
I wish I had some vivid tales to tell of a brave heroine fighting to save her beloved hero…alas, I’m just an ordinary wife and mother, living in Sydney. So what do I do when I’m not writing? That’s easy, I’m busy with my kids, and the dog, and the washing, and the cleaning and the cooking, and the general housework. LOL. Fortunately my hubby provides some sanity in my child focused world, and my writing provides me with a means of escape.
Your book Circle of Friends, I understand is a series where did you get the idea for them? Do you already know how many books will be in this series? What is the connecting link between them? And when will the first one be released?
Circle of Friends is a two-book series. Both books focus on the intertwined lives of three close friends, Steve, Tyler and Katie. It began as one book, Only Tyler, but when I was about a quarter of the way through it, Steve’s character told me in no uncertain terms he deserved his own book—and I agreed with him. Without having written Steve’s Story, the series, and the stories of their lives, would have been incomplete. Only Tyler is due out in January next year, and Steve’s Story a couple of months later.
In that same vein, how do you go about developing your characters? I know a lot of authors go through an elaborate character building ritual to get to know their characters. Some even go so far as to interview them so that they feel they know them intimately before they start. How about you?
I wish I had a format for developing my characters (it would make life much simpler for me) but honestly, I don’t. They simply seem to develop themselves as I’m writing. Sometimes, when I get stuck, or I’m not sure what a character would do, or how he/she would behave in a situation, I do talk to them. (But only in the shower, and only when I am sure no one can hear me.) It sounds ridiculous, but when I was busy with rewrites for Only Tyler, the heroine’s whole personality came alive while we chatted in the shower. It changed a lot about the book.
Photo Opportunity is due out May 2, 2008 tell us a little about this book. It is part of a series the second will be Ask Adam. What can our readers expect from these two books – are they feel good romance, suspense, paranormal?
Ah, Photo Opportunity. The book of my heart, and my first published manuscript. I love it! Yes, it is the first in a two part series about the Tanner Siblings, Daniel and Lexi. The second one is indeed Ask Adam (Currently available at Samhain). Photo Opportunity (Daniel’s story) is a fun romp of a contemporary romance about best friends falling in love. (It was previously published by Triskelion and is now being re-released at Samhain). Ask Adam (Lexi’s book) is more serious. It’s all about a one night stand turning into so much more. Both are hot, steamy reads.
You live down under as we in the states like to say, a place I long to visit someday. – It just sounds so romantic—does it help with your development of your stories to live in such a beautiful and (to me) exotic location? Are your books set in this location or something more mundane like California?
My books are all set in Australia. Four of them in Sydney itself (with a couple of visits to other places) and one in the gorgeous Whitsunday Islands — a tropical paradise just off the Queensland coast. (That story is called…Visiting Paradise.) Aussie men sure do have a way about them (as you’ll see in the Aussie anthology Boys Down Under). I’ve tried to capture just a little bit of that uniqueness in each of my heroes.
What is in the works for you? Have you plotted your career where you want to be 5 or 10 years from now?
I would be very happy doing exactly what I’m doing now. Writing away to my heart’s content (time permitting). It would be nice to have loads more books published, but I’ve learned the hard way that publishing is not easy, and I am a slow writer to boot. So I’ll be content just finishing as many manuscripts as I can.
You write contemporary romance, but there are many subgenre’s within that broad category. What do you lean toward in your fiction, comedy, mystery, suspense or something else? Is there a genre you haven’t tried that you might wish to try your hand at yet?
I love erotic contemporary romance. It’s where my heart is, so I don’t think I’ll be writing outside the genre anytime soon. Initially, I tended towards romance with lots of humor. Photo Opportunity, while not a comedy, is lots of fun.The other four have been loads more serious. The more I write, the more intense and serious my books become. My last one, Steve’s Story, is a real heart wrencher and I found myself gulping down the lump in my throat often while I was working on it.
Tell us about your writing procedure—how do you start? Do you develop plot and then characters, do you outline, do you just write from the seat of your pants – Along those same lines, do you have a writing schedule?
I’m a pantser through and through. I have a vague idea of plot and characters in my head when I sit down to write, but then I just let the story take over. I have no idea where I am going until I start to type. But once I get started, one chapter leads to another, and the story kind of rolls along.
How does your family feel about your writing career? Are they supportive, were they shocked when you got your first contract? Do they tease you about writing romance?
My family are very proud of me. They love to brag about their published daughter/sister to all their friends. And the fact that I write erotic romance is a huge plus for conversation. Everyone has tons of questions for them. But that’s where it ends!!! I try to keep my writing and my personal life totally separate, so the only family member who has read my books or even knows my pen name is my hubby. I am terrified that my mum and my in-laws might read my work. I swear, they will never look at me in the same light again. Ack!
Do you belong to any writing groups? Have they helped to get published? Would you recommend beginning writers join groups before they try to get that first book published?
I belong to the Romance Writer’s of Australia, and more importantly, to a small critique group of four writers. I owe my critique group everything. If not for their wise words, their encouragement and their support, I doubt I would be a writer today. And yes, I would 100% recommend every writer out there finds themselves a critique group/partner. It will enrich their writing and their experiences a millionfold.
You have also participated in an anthology Boys Down Under, are there advantages as you see it to doing anthologies? It takes a lot of energy and cooperation to complete a compelling anthology, what was your experience doing this like and will you participate in others?
I had a blast doing the anthology. The other authors were fantastic, and I made some really good friends on the project. It was the quickest, easiest book I’ve written. We all got on brilliantly, and we loved the whole concept of the anthology. In fact, at this minute, we are waiting patiently to hear if another publisher is going to take it. Wish us luck. We’ve improved the stories a little and we’re dying to get the book back out there.
We have been talking about a second anthology, but real life seems to get in the way, and finding time for all 5 of us to write another book is almost impossible.
Please tell our readers how they can find you to learn more about you, your books, and stay abreast of what will be happening next for Jess Dee?
My links are as follows:
My Website:
My Website:
http://www.jessdee.com
My Blog:
http://jessdee.wordpress.com/
MySpace:
http://myspace.com/writerjessdee
My Blog:
http://jessdee.wordpress.com/
MySpace:
http://myspace.com/writerjessdee
Purchase Photo Opportunity: http://www.mybookstoreandmore.com/product_info.php?products_id=960
Purchase Ask Adam:
http://www.mybookstoreandmore.com/product_info.php?products_id=704
Purchase Ask Adam:
http://www.mybookstoreandmore.com/product_info.php?products_id=704
Interviewed by: Billie A Williams at Manic Readers
View Jess Dee's Author Page
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