Ask the Author: Lisa Jackson
Answered Questions (59)
Lisa Jackson
I’m glad the books helped you through a rough patch and hope you’re now on the mend permanently. I have books coming out throughout the year, but some are reprints. You can find a list of the upcoming books here: http://lisajackson.com/comingsoon.cfm. The next new one is YOU BETRAYED ME which will be out next summer. I hope you like it! Be well.
Lisa Jackson
You can take writing courses, of course and eventually attend conferences. Read, read and read some more. What books do you like and why? Conversation should sound natural—read yours aloud. Would your friends and parents talk like that? Do the words sound natural? Give it a try. Good luck!
Lisa Jackson
Thank you. Nope. No movies yet, but I’m always hopeful!
Lisa Jackson
Thank you. It varies. It usually takes about three months to come up with a synopsis for the story. But sometimes it takes years. Then I send it to my editor and once he approves it, which could take a week or a month or so, depending, I get to writing. Unless I have another book due. If I were not writing other books, it could take up to a year for me to write the synopsis, get it approved and write the book. Then the book goes into production which and is eventually bound and sent to the stores. This usually takes another year. So, from start to finish, a minimum of two years, sometimes longer.
Lisa Jackson
you should read Expecting To Die first, then Willing To Die! The order for the entire series is here: http://lisajackson.com/series.cfm
I hope to continue the series. Follow me on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram and I’ll share news as it is available there. Thanks for your questions!
I hope to continue the series. Follow me on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram and I’ll share news as it is available there. Thanks for your questions!
Lisa Jackson
I stepped into an elevator and the doors closed. They never opened again and no one came to save me.
Lisa Jackson
Possibly the spots in Harry Potter because it’s fun, exciting and still scary.
Lisa Jackson
Thanks for the kind words! The inspiration for each book is different. It’s usually a germ of a plot that comes to mind as I read, watch the news, catch a movie or hear bits of a conversation. Many of my ideas come from something I see in the news or sometimes my editor comes up with a suggestion. It all depends!
Lisa Jackson
Yes, of course. I’ve had a book in the work for sometime now, but other projects have delayed the next book in the New Orleans series. Keep checking my website http://www.lisajackson.com for updates, but it’s looking like late 2020 or early 2021 right now. Thanks for asking as I love the series!
Lisa Jackson
I grew up and lived in the Pacific Northwest for all of my life. And yes, Edgewater is fictitious, but I love the Columbia River and that part of Oregon!
Lisa Jackson
Yes, oh, yes. I have the story line approved for the next Nikki Gillette novel. It’s untitled and unwritten at this point, but it should be available in 2021, I think. Check my website http//www.lisjackson.com or facebook & twitter for updates!
Lisa Jackson
Good question. I think it depends upon what you like. A fan favorite is IF SHE ONLY KNEW and I like the first two books of the Grizzly Falls, Montana series, LEFT TO DIE and CHOSEN TO DIE. Check out my website and you can read about each of the books at http://www.lisajackson.com. Good luck finding what’s right for you!
Lisa Jackson
Thank you. It takes a long time. A long time to think it over, then scratch out the ideas, then actually try to put those ideas on paper. The Internet is wonderful for character names, settings and lots of other research. The scenes run through my head like a movie, so I “see” what’s happening as I write. The plot usually hinges on an idea that I expand for days and weeks until it makes sense and has a beginning, middle and end. And these days I write everything on computer. That said, sometimes, when I’ve got a knot in the plot I can’t untangle, I curl up on the couch with a legal pad and a dog or two, then doodle for pages which sometimes untangles the knots. (Unfortunately sometimes it doesn’t work but I love to doodle.)
Lisa Jackson
I grew up loving to write and always thinking “someday”, but it was my sister author, Nancy Bush who was the real impetus. She’d read a news article in 1980 about young mothers writing romance novels (on type writers!) and she thought we both could do it. I wasn’t so sure. But I asked myself, “What have we got to lose?” It took a few attempts, but we both sold and here we are nearly 40 years later! It just goes to show you: Never say never.
Lisa Jackson
Well, I’ve lived a long time. The years and books have piled up! I’ve been writing since my youngest son was 1 and he’s now almost 40! I’ve just kept at it and ideas aren’t a problem for me—sitting my butt in a chair for hours, that’s what’s hard.
Lisa Jackson
That’s a toss up. My favorite characters are those in the Montana“To Die” series. I just finished writing Willing To Die and it was so much fun reconnecting with Detectives Alvarez and Pescoli. I love the kooky secondary characters and the setting, being in the west is familiar to me as I grew up in a small timber town in Oregon. That said, I love it when I get to go back to New Orleans. I am so intrigued with that city. The culture, history and feel of it creates a different aura for the books. They are naturally darker and it’s always great to reconnect with Detectives Montoya and Bentz. I’m thrilled that once I’m done with the current project, You Betrayed Me, I’ll be back in New Orleans.
Lisa Jackson
Oh, man, me too. Thanks for asking. I think it would be a fun, interesting series. I’ve had a little interest, but unfortunately, to date, nothing more than nibbles, so no television in the near future. But thanks, it’s nice to know someone out there besides me would love to see the books transition to screen. Wouldn’t Regan Pescoli be fun to see on film?
Lisa Jackson
Hmmm. That’s a good question. Once I write a book, I don’t necessarily want to go back. I did rewrite INTIMACIES into FINAL SCREAM and I loved SHIVER and I would love to write a prequel to that book. Mostly I like to revisit characters and write additional books in the series. Thanks for asking.
Lisa Jackson
No sequel to Revenge has been planned as it’s actually two older books put into one volume. But look for RUTHLESS which has already been published BACKLASH which will be available in February 2019, for anthologies that are similar.
Thanks for asking.
Thanks for asking.
Lisa Jackson
I’m thrilled you like my books. Yay! Right now, Sister Nan aka author Nancy Bush and I aren’t writing another book in the Wicked Series. But you never know. We love all those special sisters! Thanks for letting me know.
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