Interview with UK Indie Author the Illustrious Jane Jago

Hi, I'm sure you've all being waiting to see who I've interviewed next. Well without further ado, here's my interview with the incomparable Jane Jago!



Links:


Amazon author page:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Jane-Jago/e/...


Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/Jane-Jagos-B...


Goodreads author profile:

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...


Buying links for book:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B06WVDYQVL

https://www.amazon.com/Jackdaw-Court-...



Jane Jago's Author Bio:


Jane Jago lives in the beautiful westcountry with her large dog and her favourite husband (yes, he's large too).

She has spent half her working life cooking, and the other half editing other people's manuscripts. Both these occupations seemed to take up a large proportion of her life, leaving little or no time for the stories that filled her imagination.

But time moves on and it became possible to squeeze out the odd hour here and there to get some words onto 'paper'. The Long Game took nearly two years to write, principally because the characters kept doing unexpected things requiring rewrite after rewrite.

Since then, Jane has learned that the story as it begins in her head is unlikely to bear very much resemblance to the finished book.

Equally, she has learned to enjoy the journey, as her characters take her to places she never knew existed while they play out their lives on the page in front of her.

Author Photo:







Just been released-February 28, 2017/ "Jackdaw Court" by Jane Jago:











1.Tell us a little about yourself and your latest novel.


My name is Jane, I'm a sixty-something compulsive writer. Which I sometimes think is perilously close to being a compulsive fibber, but writing your fibs as fiction makes it okay!




The latest ‘tissue of lies’ is a twisty thriller called Jackdaw Court, and it tells the story of a normally pragmatic young woman who gives into a romantic impulse. It's that simple, and that complicated.




2. What inspired you to be a writer and to get into indie publishing? How long have you been writing? How long have you been published as an indie author?



I have always been a writer, ever since I was big enough to hold a pen. I got into indie publishing because I was writing anyway and I really, really wanted to see if anybody would read what I wrote. It is a constant delight to me that they do. I have been publishing for about two years, and I have seven titles out there. And no, I haven't written seven books in two years. I've edited and published and done rewrites of stuff I have been writing for at least fifty years.



3. Who are your writing mentors/authors? What genres do you enjoy writing and what genres do you like to read? Are you an avid reader/reviewer of other authors?


I have so many writing influences that I would bore you to sleep if I tried to list them. Being an English Literature graduate, I've read a lot in my time and I do think that whenever we read something truly well constructed, irrespective of genre, it will leave a mark somewhere. My psyche is scored through and through by words of beauty and truth that I have read and absorbed.



And yes, I'm a reader. It has been said of me that when I have my face in a book nothing and nobody distracts me. I would dispute this point were it not for the fact that there was once a fire in our street and I didn't even notice the fire engines....



Genres? Mostly anything.


I have only recently started reviewing what I read. It's an oddly compulsive process.



4. Have you ever co-wrote or consider collaborating or co-writing with anyone on a writing project?



I have never co-written successfully. Tried it once and there was almost a fist fight. I guess I'm not a team player.



5. What are your dreams and aspirations that could drive you forward on this writing and publication journey?



I'm a relatively simple soul and not long on ambition. I'd kinda like to make a bit of money to help eke out the pension, but mostly I'm just happy if people get a little enjoyment out of what I write.



6. Do you prefer to do marketing and promotion yourself for your works or would you rather have someone else control that spectrum? What are some of the things you have done to promote and market yourself?



I am completely the wrong person to ask about marketing and promo. Basically I don't do any. But wait. Is this promo?



7. What is your greatest accomplishment as an author?



A reader told me that my books make her happy and she takes away a sense of hope. That'll do for me.



8. What's the next writing project(s) you're working on?



I'm partway through a sword but no sorcery fantasy and I'm always writing short stories.



9. How would you balance creativity with the business side of writing such as coming up with particular concepts and solutions to stand out amongst the crowd in this writing/publishing industry where 'popularity' is key, if your idea wasn't exactly popular/or was unknown to the readers/publishers?



I'm lucky enough to be retired and not to need to have too much worry about the business side of being a writer. Which is just as well because I'm not the world's greatest business brain. My only response is to just keep on writing. Sometimes little things you do get surprisingly big reactions. Mostly though, a writer must be true to herself/himself. If you write from the gut then that's all you can ever do.



10. Have you ever been traditional published? Would you consider it? Or feel like a sell out if you took a traditional deal and abandoned indie publishing? Have you ever thought about being a hybrid, part indie, part traditional published? How would you feel about such an opportunity, if both or either of these things happened?



I'm hugely ambivalent about trad publishing. On the one hand it can get you into places where indies struggle to stand outside the servants entrance. And it can pay well. On the flip side of the coin I am a bit of a control freak when it comes to my words, and do I have a real attachment to the concept of independence and self help. To sum up, I'd like to think myself loftily above monetary concerns and the lure of possible fame. But. Honestly? If mammon called I'd probably be right there with my tail wagging...



11. What other creative talents do you have? Do you draw, sketch, paint, etc.?



I draw and paint. Badly. And I cook. Very well! And anybody that thinks cooking isn't creative.....



12. What advice would you give other aspiring authors?



Just write. But get people with your interests at heart to read what you have written. And listen to them. If they say something is genius take it with a pinch of salt. But if they say it's crap you'd better believe them....



13. Describe yourself in a one-sentence epithet.


Opinionated and smart-mouthed, but never knowingly unkind.



14. Paying it forward. What things do you do in your community/ and other communities to help others?


I listen and I bake. There are very few troubles that cannot be lightened by a listening ear and really superior chocolate cake.