Interview with Jane E. Jones!

It's Saturday again, and you know what that means. . .

No, it doesn't mean you can go all day without having to put clothes on. . .oh wait, yeah it does. But it also means that it's time for another Pandem interview!

This week's victim, er, interviewee is Jane E. Jones. I first met Jane in a Wild Rose Press chatroom. She's very creative (she draws, sings and writes songs in addition to writing stories) and lives in Ohio with her two children, a golden retriever/poodle mix (golden poodle?), and three goldfish. Kinda noticing a gold theme going here. . .

Without further ado, Jane E. Jones!

Would you please tell us a little bit about yourself and your work?

I started out drawing, actually, and then began writing from an early age. Stories that would make me fall down laughing if I still had them.:) I also wrote poetry and lyrics, but only a year and a half ago did I decide to seriously pursue publication. I joined online groups, signed up with Romance Divas, and learned, among other things, about submitting books to online publishers. I'm still learning new things every day, but I've had four books published in the last year and a half.


What genre do you write?

I love writing fantasy in all its various forms; fantasy romance, urban fantasy, paranormal... I also love writing fairy tales. I'm working on an urban fantasy and a YA [Young Adult], but what I've had published so far are fantasy, western, and contemporary romances.


What makes your work different from all the other authors out there?

Every writer has his or her own voice, with his or her own story to tell. While stories might be similar, I think a writer's real life experiences and way of thinking are going to influence her books and make them different from other writers. Wow, I just sounded like I was writing a fourth grade essay, didn't I?

Who is your favourite author? Why?

This question is torture!:) I have so many favorite authors. I really find it is impossible to choose one, but I started out with Stephen King, waaaay back, and really love him. I especially love his Dark Tower books. He has a way of just pulling you right into his books and making you want to stay there. And he does it so well!

Who are your biggest writing influences?

Patricia Highsmith, Stephen King, Tolkien. I devoured the Nancy Drew books when I was a child, and Mark Twain...Anne Rice. I love post-apocolyptic books, and mysteries, and fantasy, and all those books have influenced me in one way or another.

Which of your own works is your favourite, and why?

Hmmm. My favorite is one I haven't quite finished yet; I started it for NaNoWriMo [National Novel Writing Month, November 2008] and need to get it polished and cleaned up and submitted. It's a YA post-apocalyptic, and is different from everything else I've done.

What's your favourite book of all time?

Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien.

What's your writing method?

Ever evolving. Barring unusual circumstances, I write every day. I take my laptop into the kitchen or the bedroom or the living room, wherever I want to be at that moment, bring up my ms, and start writing. I'm a pantster, so I usually don't even know where my story is going; not always a good thing. I will get so far and then try outlines and general ideas, maybe even write in an ending. And I use character sheets. Okay, sometimes. ;)

What's your favourite writing resource?

The Elements of Style, by Strunk and White, On Writing, Stephen King (told you I love him), Roget's Thesaurus, Emotional Structure by Peter Dunne, just to name a few.

What do you like about being a writer?

I love writing. I have a trunk full of journals, mounds of notebooks, and zip drives full of finished and half finished manuscripts. I like that I can create worlds and people and adventures. I love that moment when I get a new idea for a story. It's so exciting! I don't think I could not write. I can't imagine a better way of making a living. :)

What do you dislike about being a writer?

It's pretty isolating. And if you don't have friends who are writers around you, or groups in your area, it can feel like you have no one who really understands to talk to.

What are your goals as a writer?

I plan on getting an agent and subbing to print publishers. I also want to continue being epublished as well, and submit to some of the bigger epubs.

Do you have any advice for other authors out there, aspiring or published?

If you want to write and be published, then do it. It's a lot of work, but if you're a writer, you'll write, you'll submit, and you'll make your dreams happen. Join groups, learn as much as possible about all aspects of writing and publishing; jump in and do it! And read at every available opportunity. Write what you love to read.


Tell us a little about the books you have available now.

[NOTE: All three of Jane's Wild Rose Press books are in the Scarlet Rose, i.e. adult, section, and you must be over 18 years of age to visit that section of the site.]

One Night With You is an erotic contemporary short about a woman who thinks she's plain and a very hot cop who changes her mind. You can find it at The Wild Rose Press.

Beauty's Beast is an erotic fantasy based on the fairytale Beauty and the Beast. It has some twists and an ending that may surprise you. It's also with The Wild Rose Press.

Dancing With Johnny is an erotic western romance about a widow, a drifter, and a very hot encounter. I wrote it as a freebie for The Wild Rose Press, and you can find it there under 'free reads'.

Puppy Love is my very first 'sweet', and I had so much fun writing it. My heroine's dog is missing, and she's sure her next door neighbor has stolen him. She goes looking for her puppy, and finds love along the way. It's lighthearted and has, I like to think, some pretty funny moments. :) It's a contemporary romance, and you can find it at Freya's Bower.

Do you have any upcoming releases you'd like to tell us about?

No, Puppy Love was just released on February 3rd, but keep an eye out. I'll have something new soon. :)

What's your favourite sub-genre of paranormal romance?

I love dark urban fantasy. Think early Laurel K. Hamilton.

Thanks for interviewing me, Pandem. It was fun!

And thank you, Jane, for being interviewed! For more news and info about Jane E. Jones, check out her site at www.janeejones.com.

If you've got any questions for Jane that you think I should have asked, or questions you'd like to see me ask the next author or, really, anybody, just leave them in the comments below! Thanks for reading the interview; now go out and write something good!

Pandem
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