Interview With Published Author Jennifer August 17 comments

Please welcome Jennifer August, a new member to Yellow Rose RWA chapter. Jennifer admits she’s a bit of a drama-mama! Her whole life she’s been accused of being the ham, going round the barn to get in the barn door, talking too much in class and having a wicked, wild imagination. Of course, everyone knows that means she was destined to be a writer!

She loves to write and believes it’s challenging and energizing. Plus, it means all those voices she hears in her head are perfectly normal. Sound familiar? Most of all, though, she adores romance. She’s a total sucker for that happy ending. But she also loves the journey the characters take to find that ending.

Jennifer writes erotic historical novels, the first of which – HER DARK MASTER — will be published through Red Sage’s online E-book program on September 1st.

She says: “This erotic Regency was an incredibly fun project for me and I hope you will enjoy it. I’m hard at work on a new project, with plans for many more.”

CC:  Jennifer, tell us how long you’ve been writing?

JA: Hi Carolyn, thanks for having me! How long have I been writing? Hmm, well, I hand wrote a 32 page masterpiece of romance when I was 16, but I don’t think that counts. I’ve been seriously pursuing and actively writing since 1997. That was the year my brother bought me admission to a writer’s conference. It came with a year’s membership to the Trinity Writers Workshop. Best thing that ever happened to me.

CC: Yes, Trinity Writers is a wonderful resource. Many of the Yellow Rose members participate in that group also. Who has been your greatest inspiration?

JA: My family. They have always been proponents of live free and without a net (and I don’t mean Funicello!) From my parents and my brother, I received constant support, heckling (that would be from my brother) and absolute confidence. Plus, we’re a disgustingly loving family – we’ve been told we make the Waltons look dysfunctional. Growing up surrounded by so much love and passion, always displayed openly and unabashedly, how could I not be inspired to write romance?

CC:  What has helped your writing the most?

JA: Trinity Writer’s Workshop. I had NO clue about rules, formatting, POV – basically anything writers know, I didn’t. TWW is a multi-genre group which focuses weekly meetings on read and critique. It was the most invaluable experience I could have had as a new writer. Not only did I receive excellent help, I learned how other genres deal with pacing, characterization, etc. With all the cross-genre writing going on now, it was an excellent thing to learn. After that, finding the right critique partners was critical. It’s a very personal decision to have one or more and not everyone needs to. Plus chocolate and Diet Dr. Pepper. I could never write without those two staples.

CC: I’m with you on the chocolate and Dr Pepper, Jennifer! I wonder how people functioned before Dr Pepper was available? Do you set goals for yourself? How do you manage to write around a day job and family?

JA: Ah, goals. Such a small word with so much power. I do set goals, but of course I don’t always achieve them. I try not to beat myself up for that. But I also try not to let it slide too often. Back in the “old days” the term BIC-HOK was coined. Butt In Chair – Hands on Keyboard. And really, that’s all that matters in the end. If you sit down to write, you’ll get something done. Emails and FaceBook don’t count as writing (more’s the pity!)

Writing, like dieting, takes discipline. And like dieting, I’ve tried every method out there for setting and achieving my writing goals. Elaborate boards with dates and word/page counts; Excel docs that tabulate how many words or pages I need to write in order to hit a deadline; carrying a pen and paper with me at all times and scribbling notes every time I stop. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn’t.

I do have a full time job and a family. I have to ensure that they are getting their time with me and vice versa. I don’t want to be an absentee mom or daughter or sister, so when someone asks to go to the movies, garage saling or playing Rock Band, unless I’m seriously behind, I happily comply. I make time for writing and family and that’s helped keep both fresh and vibrant.

For method – I’ve found mental tricks and accountability help tremendously. My current regimen is this: I belong to Write_Now, a Yahoo Group based on Candace Havens’ Writing Game. Every day we receive an email with a random number of words that we must write or pages we must revise. Sometimes it’s high, sometimes it’s low. But it’s always there, waiting to be done. We all report our successes and failures and we support each other no matter what. It’s been great, especially to re-develop the discipline of writing every day. The other thing I do is give myself a sticker for every day I write. In my planner, I write the number of words I achieved and put a pretty, sparkly sticker there. I’m visual, so looking back at the calendar over the year really helps put in perspective what I’ve done! Yay me!

CC: Great advice. I hate people asking me where I get my ideas or, worse, could they give me their idea and then we could split the money after I write up the idea and sell it. What do you tell people who ask you where you get your ideas? 

JA: LOL – it’s an interesting question to answer when you write erotica! Most of the time I tell an abbreviated version of the truth. I get a lot of ideas from words or phrases or crazy thoughts. “What if” are the two greatest words in a writer’s arsenal. What I don’t usually say is where those thoughts come from or how truly naughty they are. I’ll save that for the book when I write it.

CC: Do you write only historicals?

JA: No, I write contemporaries, too, but I prefer historicals. I just feel safer in those by-gone eras. I do have the habit of writing strong women in my historicals – ones who if they’d really acted that way back then would have been beaten and imprisoned. But hey, that’s why it’s fiction, right? I want the ambiance, but I want my heroines to be able to go toe-to-toe with their soulmates. Sassy is good.

CC: What are your favorite reads? What are you reading now?

JA: I am an official Julia Quinn stalker. I love her books. I really enjoy Regency, Medievals and the current upsurge in Victorian romances. Now that’s a trend I could get into. I also read contemporary romances that feature romantic suspense and home and hearth characters. Fantasy is also a huge thing for me. I’ve read David Eddings’ Belgariad series probably a hundred times, no exaggerating. Elfquest totally rocks. Right now I’m re-reading all the Julie Garwood historicals. I read one a night if time permits. I’m counting down the days til August 24 for Karen Hawkins’ last McLean Scotland book and I’m agonizing over the wait for Jo Davis’ next Fire book. If you have not read those, go get them NOW.

CC: I’ve read all the Julie Garwood books at least twice. Are you a heavy plotter, a pantser, or a combination of the two?

JA: I’ve mellowed into a combination of the two. I must know my characters first and foremost. They talk to me and they drive the story, the plot and all the twists. I try to jot down the big points, especially if there’s a mystery of any sort involved. Usually though, I have a few pages of handwritten notes and an outline that is one page long and a bullet list. It reads almost like a grocery list. No emotion, no description, just the facts. Joe Friday would be proud (blushing, but proud).

CC: Is there anything else you’d like to tell us about your writing or yourself?

JA: I love talking to and helping writers, especially new ones. I will forever be grateful to Sharon Rowe. She’s showed me with kindness, compassion and infinite patience how to be a good writer and to give back to the writing community. I aspire to be as great a mentor (highly doubtful, though) to new writers as Candace Havens is. I’m always available, so if you have questions about anything, ask me. If I don’t know the answer, I will make darn sure I find someone who does.

I’m always thinking of new stories, new characters and am looking forward to getting them all out there. I love talking to people and would love to hear what you think. Email me!

P.S.  Bad jokes are da bomb! Here’s my favorite, ever: A three-legged dog walked into a bar and said, “I’m looking for the man who shot my paw.”

CC:  Sharon Rowe has mentored many people. What a sweetie she is. But back to Jennifer August. Please submit your comments or questions for Jennifer. And please check her website at www.jenniferaugust.com and get her ebook HER DARK MASTER at www.eredsage.com