Interview: Jools Sinclair

I have been lucky enough to get to interview Jools Sinclair, author of the novel 44.

Hi, Jools! I am so happy to have you here!

Hi, Melissa! Thank you so much for having me as a guest on The Book Addict! I’m thrilled to be here and want to thank you too for reading and reviewing 44!

Where did the idea for your book come from?

As I sat down to write 44, I wanted the story to be about a few things: A girl struggling to put her life back together, sisters needing each other, and a bit on the small city of Bend, Oregon (which is where I live). I also wanted a great ending, something that was unsettling and unexpected, something that readers wouldn’t see coming. I love stories like that, the kind that send you back into the text re-reading sections and then saying, “Oh, yeah, right.” I wanted to write that almost from the beginning. The rest of the story unfolded as I focused on those things

How many books are planned for this series?

44 will be a trilogy, and I’m close to finishing up Book 2, which will be released this summer (probably late July). Book 3 will out in the fall.

Do you listen to music while you write, or do you prefer quiet?

I love listening to music when I’m writing! I love all types, even hard rock at times if I’m writing a gritty scene, or jazz if I’m writing about certain characters, or really sad music if I need to be “inspired” in that way. Music is so great because it takes you to certain emotions. When I’m in a final edit, I listen to instruments so I can concentrate.

If you do listen to music while writing do you have a playlist to go with 44?

I’m still working on it but so far I have this:

Mazzy Star Into Dust

Mazzy Star Fade Into You

Adele Love Song

The Cure Pictures of You

Dwight Yoakam 1000 miles from Nowhere

If you could be any kind of creature (other than human), which would you pick and why?

Ha! This is fun question! Sure, those fangy all-powerful vamps are appealing, as are the beautiful sorcerers who cast incredible spells…but I’m a simple person, really, with simple needs. I would be a cat. Cats are just the best! They’re smart, confident, playful, worry-free, fun-loving, and able to take long naps in the sunshine. Now that’s a good life!

Can you tell us something interesting about your writing process?

For me, writing is very mystical at times. In the beginning, I feel like I’m chasing the story. I’m forcing the words down on the paper, overthinking the characters, overwriting the setting and characters and scenes. The story is out in front, ahead of me, and I don’t always know where it’s going. It requires a lot of faith to keep on the path.

But then, something incredible happens. Suddenly the story stops running away and instead turns around to help me out. It feels like magic. I guess it’s just the creative process, but it’s really the best part of writing…when everything just comes together.

What is your favorite Ice Cream flavor?

Dulce de Leche rules this girl’s world!

Melissa, thank you again for inviting me over to your fabulous blog for a chat! I’ll be checking in for some great suggestions on great books!

Blog Tour Interview with Amanda Havard

I was lucky enough to get to do an interview with Amanda Havard the author of The Survivors

What part of the writing process is the easiest/hardest for you?

My brain is a never-ending source of ideas, usually ones I fall in love with. The hardest part is containing, organizing, and sorting through those ideas to get them on paper…then whittling them down once on paper.

Where did the idea for your book come from?

It came from a number of places. The supernatural back story came from a conversation I had with a friend about a desire to write a YA series that had historical and mythological roots. When thinking of a real event in history that had supernatural themes in it, the idea of the Salem Witch Trials was a natural choice. The character, Sadie, actually came to me two days before when I was driving to Tupelo, Mississippi to be in a wedding. Those who have read the book know that that’s the exact same setting in which we meet Sadie for the first time. When I was on the long, hot road to Tupelo, I let my mind wander (as it usually does—see the aforementioned brain-as-a-never-ending-source-of-ideas comment), and I came up with a character in a situation similar and yet different from mine. When I got the idea for The Survivors two days later, I knew that Sadie, my ill-at-ease bridesmaid was the natural choice.

Are any of the characters inspired by someone in real life?

None of my characters are modeled after anyone I know except me. I like to say that my characters are all parts of myself more than they are anyone else. This comment was made very often about Tennessee Williams, and it wasn’t always the most favorable of characterizations. But it’s as true for me as it likely was for him. And so favorable or not, I have to admit it.

How long did it take you to write your book?

27 days. I didn’t sleep much. Or eat. Or live. Or see the sunlight. Or…

Do you listen to music while you write, or do you prefer quiet? If you do listen to music while you write, do you have any sort of soundtrack for The Survivors?

I definitely listen to music. Music is actually my number one source of inspiration. Without it, this series would simply not exist. I make extensive playlists by which to write and then ultimately end up with a single song that fits each scene perfectly. These songs each have hundreds of plays in my iTunes because once I’ve found the song for a scene, I just repeat it incessantly while writing, editing, or even reading it. There’s nothing I’d love more than for people to do this too. It really creates the immersive story experience I hope for you to have.

Each book in The Survivors Series will have a soundtrack of both original music I wrote and other people’s songs that were instrumental in the creation of the series. You can go here and listen to or go here and download what the soundtrack for book one.

Describe your book in a tweet (140 characters or less).

The Survivors is the story of descendants from the Salem Witch Trials, of a life plagued by immortality, and of what it takes to Survive. 

If you could jump in to any book and live there, which book would you choose?

Harry Potter. I would rock it out at Hogwarts—death, danger, muggles, magic, and all.

Buy The Survivors at Amazon or  Barnes and Noble

Join Amanda on tour!

6/4   excerpt @ Books Glorious Books
6/9   review @ My Neurotic Book Affair
6/11 review @ The Book Addict
6/13 review @ Ramblings of a Teenage Bookworm
6/15 review @ Workaday Reads
6/15 interview @ The Book Addict
6/16 excerpt @ My Neurotic Book Affair
6/18 review @ Phantom Paragrapher
6/20 excerpt @ Phantom Paragrapher
6/21 interview @ Unnormal Normalcy
6/22 review @ It's All About Books
6/22 interview @ Workaday Reads
6/24 review @ Just Another Book Addict
6/25 interview @ Splash of Our Worlds
6/25 review @ Book Lurve
6/25 excerpt @ Just Another Book Addict
6/26 excerpt @ Book Lurve
6/26 review @ Jagged Edge Reviews
6/27 excerpt @ Reader Girls
6/27 excerpt @ Jagged Edge Reviews
6/28 review @ Books Glorious Books
6/29 interview @ It's All About Books
6/29 review @ Bookish Delights
6/30 review @ Splash of Our Worlds
6/30 interview @ Bookish Delights