The Author Interviews: Caitlin E. Jones

Caitlin E. Jones is an author, freelance editor, and lover of all things dark and fantastic. A homeschooled student through most of her young life, she was raised in South Louisiana, where the myths still roam wild and colorful characters roam wilder still. Now, having published and worked alongside indie publishers in Berlin for two years, she works to highlight everything that makes indie writing great. She is the project founder behind Academia: Discussions and Blog and currently in pursuit of a BA in English with a concentration in folklore. Her hobbies include film editing, procrastination baking, and cosplay.Part One: The InterviewWhat made you want to become a writer?I’ve always been a natural storyteller, I think, and that drives much of what I do. I was that kid, before I could even write by myself, who took 80’s printer and construction paper to make little picture books about my cats. I was the kid who pulled friends aside to tell them whole imagined stories, whether they wanted it or not. I wrote my first fully-fledged ‘novel’ in a notebook when I was 11 (disclaimer: it was pretty bad) and I suppose I haven’t really stopped writing since.What are your thoughts on the indie vs traditional publishing argument?Seeing as ‘indie’ is no longer a dirty word for the writing industry, I’m of the opinion that indie and traditional aren’t opposing forces, but options for each author to weigh depending on their book. Many novels perform better self-published than they would on a traditional format, and vice versa. It’s really more about knowing what you want from your book’s public release and what kind of audience they are releasing to.Tell us about your latest novel.Spectre and The Governess is the first part of my Gothic historical fantasy series which primarily takes place in Ireland and England. Young Stanley Brigham, a seer by birth, moves to London with his family and discovers that their new townhouse seems to have a previous occupant in a phantom maid. The upcoming novel that follows it, Chimehour, is centred around the same characters almost ten years later, and their encounters an undead outbreak in Ireland.Please give us your top 3 marketing tips.Be active, be friendly, and be yourself. I particularly stress the last one, since readers connect with what they find genuine.Please give us your top 3 productivity tips.Write something every day- doesn’t matter what. Stretch between projects. Read endlessly.Tell us about your typical writing day.School sometimes makes consistent writing a challenge, but I’ve made it a practice anyway. I’m the quintessential night owl, up by the late morning to afternoon, so I usually don’t start writing until around 4-5pm: tea, candles, headphones in, and 500 words is usually my goal. I will often take a break after a few hours- eat, read, clear my head, and come back to my work after nightfall for another 500 words. I consider this wholly productive.What is your definition of success? Would you say you are a successful author? This is a tough question, but my definition of success really comes down to people. Did I leave an impact? Did my readers, however few or many, care enough to read and review? Am I happy with myself as author? These things hold more value to me than a paycheck (though money is nice). To that end, I consider myself ongoing in success: I have made some great steps in the right direction and done big things in my writing, but I’m not finished and try not to get too comfy. I can only keep going up from here.Share some of your writing goals with us. Have you met any of them yet? Writing a novel was a big goal for me, and I knocked that out twice now! I’ve also had the pleasure of writing 10k in 24 hours, which is an adventure. My next goal is to knock out my growing list of unfinished short stories and reach my lifetime fiction word count of one million words (I’m halfway there!)How do you deal with negative reviews and criticism?Hans Christian Anderson-style; we sob on in the dirt like men! I kid, I kid- I try to take criticism and negative reviews better than I did as a wee writer. I try to take negative comments with a grain of salt and see what I can learn from them, rather than getting angry. It helps to use critique in a constructive manner, and it helps to recognize when something just doesn’t ring true about your book and where best to let go.Do you have a favourite author for fiction and non-fiction? Why are they your favourite and which of their books would you recommend? Why?My favorite author at present (because it changes from time to time) is Leigh Bardugo. I admire Bardugo’s skill for creative settings, revived use of tropes, and her beautifully explored characters, and I highly suggest the Six of Crows duology- if you haven’t read it. I know it’s popular, but there is a real reason it’s so popular.Where do you get your ideas/ how do you find inspiration?Often from the people around me, with their quirks and uniqueness. I learn the best stories and develop the greatest characters from people.Can you share any free resources or tools you have found helpful?TVTropes.com is my life and savior: I use it to check tropes, research subversions, and find series that have used similar concepts. I also suggest Pinterest for all your visual needs and a diverse archive for writing advice.Please give us your top 3 world-building tips.Make an outline, even if it’s on the lighter side of things. Let the book breathe in spite of the outline and listen to its natural worldbuilding. Keep a series bibliography for all your rules, magic, creatures, and/or your backstory. Update it regularly.Do you outsource your work (editing and cover design specifically)?I outsourced for my cover designs- not much the artist myself. I have done most of my editing for myself so far. I hope to outsource for an editor in future projects.Are you a plotter or a pantser? Please tell us why and what your pre-writing processes are.I’m a bit of both, honestly, but I lean more towards a plotter. I tend to like planning and organizing anyway; I’m chaos otherwise. I make rough outlines before I start and spend pre-writing time with research, scratch paper, and inspirational material.Why do you write?Keeps me sane, makes me happy, and allows me to voice something meaningful out into the world.What is your mission statement?That I can inspire someone the same way that my favorite authors inspired me.What do you love the most about writing and why?That energy in the middle of a draft where you could just write for hours and hours. That’s the best.What do you dislike about writing and why?Revision. Particularly getting stuck during revision. Ugh.Do you ever visit other authors' websites and if so, what do you look for? Why?I do check websites on occasion- though I think I’m more inclined to visit authors’ social media first. When I do find myself on an author website, it’s likely due to something unique. Something the author does that stands out aside from their journal or contact links.Part Two: Lists, lists, lists!In order of importance (most important first) when shopping online, what do you look at first? Cover design, formatting, reviews, description, price, publisher, author name, page count, preview, formats available.1. Reviews2. Cover design3. Author name4. Formats Available5. Description6. Page count7. Formatting8. Preview9. Price10. PublisherI agree that indie publishing gives the author more control.YesI agree that indie books should be difficult to identify amongst traditionally published books. YesIn order of usefulness (most useful first) when marketing your book, which techniques do you recommend from these options? Social media. Media coverage (newspaper, TV, podcasts etc). Blog tours. Perma-free/ giveaways. Writing more books.1. Social media2. Media coverage3. Writing more books4. Blog tours5. Perma-free/ giveawaysWriting is my dream.YesI agree the ideal price for an e-book on Amazon is 99c-$2.99. YesI have suffered writer's block in the past. Yes due to difficult scenes or need to rewrite. I resolved it by allowing myself the space to think.I use (Word Processor):ScrivenerI tried and failed to get a publishing deal and/ or literary agent or had one in the past. No.I outsource:Editing - noCover design - yesFormatting - noI write to a specific word count every day. Yes.I set goals and frequently review them. Yes.I write across genres.Yes.To purchase a copy of Caitlin's book, please read on:Title: The Spectre and The GovernessGenre: Historical fantasyBlurb: “Stanley Brigham and his family have moved to London, and his parents have decided to finally hire a governess for their unusual son. But as they settle into their new life, Stanley realizes the house may already be occupied.”Website:http://www.caitlinejonesauthor.com/Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/caitlinejonesauthorTwitter: @theladypenumbraLink to Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XKMXQWCLink to Amazon UK:https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B06XKMXQWCFormats available: E-bookLeave a comment or note of thanks for your readers?You’re all such rock stars to me, for reading and keeping up with my work after all this time. I can only try my best for you all.