Interview with Jax Resto — Too Much to Remember

Jax has been a performer all of her life from her days in school to her college years majoring in dance performance at Queens College. This lead to her years with Ringling Brothers Circus as a dancer and as an aerialist. Following her circus career, Jax became a wife and mother, a rock drummer, a songwriter and a novelist. Her multimedia book,��Too Much to Remember is the first book of a series about the Kovak family. The characters are so addictive that after a few chapters you will feel like you know them personally. The music will hook you, and leave you craving the next chapter.




Interview with Spoken Word Artist
and Author Jax Resto��
author of Too Much to Remember.
01/8/2015

��

What is your current release and (without spoilers) tell us about the new book or series.

My Book series is Too Much… The first of the series is Too Much to Remember, published as a multimedia ebook with music written by (BudaRest) myself and my music partner Bud Buckley. I also adapted it to Radio Theater, with a cast of mainly local high school students. It currently airs Wednesdays at 8PM EST and Saturday 10AM at��www.kdwradio.com.

What is the usual process for your writing? Are you a plotter or a pantser?

Hmm, I don’t know what a pantser is, but since I’m not really a plotter when it comes to my stories, I guess I must be the other thing.

Once you have an idea that sparks your imagination do you research your idea or do any world-building exercises, or do you just begin to write and see where the Muse takes you?

I begin writing and see where the characters take me, actually. I think one of the best exercises every writer should try is National Novel Writing Month, as it forces you to not edit yourself and just write with reckless abandon. I was truly amazed both times I participated at how much non crap I was able to write in such a short time.

Are you a full time writer? If so when did you make the decision and what factors led to the decision. If you are not a full time writer���Is your plan to one day become a full time writer?

I don’t know if I’m a full time writer. It sure feels like it at times, though I don’t make a living at it…yet. Still it consumes more of my time than anything else I do. Since I am so busy, I find I do a lot of my initial ���writing��� in my head ��� while I’m doing other things. It is my primary focus ��� perhaps even at times it shouldn’t be, lol.

What is your daily writing time like?

I don’t have scheduled daily writing time. The very earliest draft of Too Much ��to Remember was initially written while I was traveling with Ringling Brothers Circus. I wrote chapters first in my head…sometimes 30 ft in the air, lol (one of those times when writing should NOT have been my primary focus). Then, in between shows and numbers. I think I finished one of the original drafts on the road from Ohio to Florida. I wasn’t driving.

Can you tell us about your publishing experience?

Publishing the multi media book had its challenges since Amazon Kindle doesn’t support the format. We had to publish on iTunes, so generating sales has not been as easy. The radio show came about as a means of promoting, but quickly became an entity in itself, and much more enjoyable than I could have imagined. The kids are extraordinary. A bit elusive at times. Who’d have thought it would be so hard to get a bunch of teens who attend the same school in the same room at the same time for one hour? Not me. But, all in all, I feel very fortunate to work with them, as well as my co-producer Bud Buckley.

Are you Indie, Traditional, or do a bit of both?

Indie

Everyone likes to know where an author gets their ideas from, but what I want to know is what is the strangest thing to inspire one of your stories?

Hm, maybe the fact that I write all my stories as a young male for no other reason than that is how the stories come. Even when I try to write a bit more autobiographical, the stories have a mind of their own. The one I wrote about the circus is in first person, and the main character is a young male. The other Nano novel I wrote about my experiences in an all-female (sort of) band, ended up being about extraterrestrials. And though I believe the main character is female, she kind of sounds like Captain Kirk.

Can you tell us about some of your other writing (fiction or nonfiction) and any appearances or signings that you have planned?

No book signings planned yet, as I am busy with directing and co-producing the radio dramedy. But I guess, that is the best promo. The show should run through the end of April, then we will use the audio clips to produce an audio book. I am also in the process of adapting it to a stage play, and will also be publishing the sequel, Too Much to Forget soon, probably first in just literary form on Amazon Kindle. Then eventually, I hope to also adapt it to Radio Theater.

As an author what inspiration or advice would you give to a writer who is working to make the transition to Author?

Don’t hoard your writing. You need to be willing to share and put yourself out there. Develop a thick skin, and don’t trust yourself to do your own editing. You need fresh eyes, and someone to let you know if your story sounds convoluted. Be willing to make changes and let stuff go. One of the best ways to do that I’ve found, is to edit other authors’ work. It helps you eventually learn to step outside your own work…at least it helped me.

One of Jax’s books for Children…A childrens book about learning how to cope with scary dreams.

Who is your favorite author?

I don’t really have a favorite author. I used to read a lot of legal thrillers (Sanford, Grisham, Martini, Patterson, etc., but for a long time now, especially since I started hosting a radio talk show, I have been reading less famous authors and enjoying it. I end up reading genres I wouldn’t normally read. But, I enjoy supporting other authors. Most of the time I am pleasantly surprised to find myself enjoying the read. Occasionally, not so much. But, even that is helpful.

Tell us what makes this author stand out in your mind, and what book would you recommend to someone new to that author?

What I typically enjoy about an author, such as the ones I mentioned above is the concise writing style, not always being so grammatically correct, but the use of fragments. I like to be drawn in and feel like I’m part of the story. I don’t like or need a lot of description about curtains and scenery. I usually prefer male writers because of that, though I was surprised by how much I enjoyed Stephanie Meyer’s writing. As an author, you must read. It’s even good to read other genres and styles as a learning tool. One of my favorite reads was Stephen King’s On Writing book, which I read years ago.

One of Jax’s Childrens books….A story about learning how to cope with the loss of a loved one.

Admittedly, I also recently read Shatner Rules and enjoyed it, because I like anyone who has a sense of humor about himself. Number one rule in writing, entertainment, life in general — don’t take yourself too seriously.

If you would like more information about Jax Resto��you can find out more about her and her books and music on ReverbNation,��Twitter, Facebook, Buda Rest,��KDW Radio,��and on iTunes.