Never Too Old For Y.A. & N.A. Books discussion
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Author Interview of the Month
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JUNE Interview with Julie Reece
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Mod
Awesome interview Julie, I like your style :) And thanks for organizing Sylvia!!
Great interview, Julie! I love how mellow you are. I wish I had a barn to write in, that must be super inspiring. I'm picturing a New England faded red exterior with hay dust sprinkling down in the shafts of sunlight, while horses whuff and shuffle nearby.Ahhhh... I have to tune out NASCAR when I write!
Mod
As always David it's my pleasure I love these author interviews :)
Thanks so much for having me! To Sylvia (don't you just love her!) and all the other hard working mods (we love them, too!) in our NTOFYA group, I want to say you guys are awesome squared. When you answer questions for an interview, I guess you never know how you might come across. It made me smile that ya'll think I'm laid back. It must be a southern thing. My heroine is southern with my debut novel set in Atlanta. I'll be curious to see if readers get a southern feel from her??? :)
Janet, you are close. (You must be a writer, what a pretty description) If you pick up that barn and move it to Georgia, you pretty much nailed it! :)
Thanks so much for stopping by, David, and for your nice comment. I enjoyed your interview very much, as well!
Mod
Awesome interview Julie.
Thanks Mello luvs Gin & Illium Ichimaru! I love your Avi!!!!
lovely interview, very interesting
Good questions. They let you sparkle and show off the real you. :-)
Great interview and this totally sounds like the Julie I know and adore!
Aw, thanks for stopping by, girls :) Ya'll are full on awesomeness!
I totally agree, tension makes for a great story. Its gets my heart pumping. I love it.
Jody wrote: "I totally agree, tension makes for a great story. Its gets my heart pumping. I love it."You and me both Jody. I love the Infernal Devices Series right now, because the books have such good plots!
oh god, you dont have to tell me about the Infernal Devices. Probably my fave books. I just went crazy over Clockwork Prince. The storylines, just wonderful.
And I should have a whole library of my own books with the amount of junk food I eat lol. Where are all my ideas? LOL. Its more than that. You have a talent and a gift. So jealous. I am trying very hard to be good these days with junk though.
You are very sweet! What a nice thing to say :) When I grow up, I want to write like C.Clare :) Latley, I've also enjoyed Divergent/Insurgent, Hex Hall, If I Stay/Where she went, Perfect Chemistry, uh yeah, I guess I could keep going forever ... the talent of these writers amazes me. Maybe the answer is junkfood! You and I can get on the treadmill and read all our TBR books after we pig out. :)
Can I just extend a big and really grateful thanks to all who've added my book to their to-be-read list. I'm humbled and happy you are willing to take a chance on my story! XOXOXO to the Good Read peeps :) YA and otherwise!
Great interview Julie! Good luck with the release. I hear ya on the writerly insecurity...I live with it too!
Great interview. I think it is wonderful that your family supports you. I can just picture having your daughters crtique the "not cool" parts. My teenage boys are always laughing at me, but it's always with love. I look forward to reading your book.
Thanks Tina! I appreciate you looking in. :) My daughters are bugging me for a sequel, but I have three works in process first right now. I'm about to put them in beta boot camp!
Hi Christine,
Thanks for the understanging! As far as the insecurity goes, I guess we fake it til we make it, right? LOL
Thanks again for your nice comments :)
1.When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?
It’s funny, as a kid, I wanted to be an actress and star in the stories I dreamed up. I had so many learning disabilities, I didn’t even think I could write until three years ago. Then I decided I couldn’t stand it anymore and had to try. Never say die!
2.How long does it take you to write a book?
I’ve written one in five months but it took me longer than that to edit. Totally not even kidding. The one I’m writing now has taken me the longest. Eight months.
3. What do you think makes a great story?
Tension. Between the hero and heroine. In the plot between what they need and why they can’t have it. Keep me on the edge of my seat guessing, baby. I’m all in.
4. What is your work schedule like when you're writing?
I’m pretty much all over the road. I have a full time job, and family and animals and, and, and … I squeeze writing in everywhere in between.
5. How do you balance family and writing?
Crud. I sort of blew this answer with the last one, huh? My family (my girls) want me to write, because they like to read my stuff. (Nice, right?) They are very understanding and give me lots of time. They are my biggest fans and worst critics. I can hear my daughters in my head. Ugh, mom, that’s so lame. The hero would never say/think/ do that! They keep me on track.
6. Where do you get your information or ideas for your books?
Mmm. That’s hard. Mostly from weird dreams I have. Sometimes I eat wacky junk food and watch a science fiction movie right before bed just to get crazy inspiration. I know, I’m nuts. Don’t say it.
7. What was one of the most surprising things you learned in creating your books?
That the characters really do write themselves. It’s totally freaky how they do it, but I don’t have this big plan. They sort of tell me which way they want to go or what dumb thing they want to do to get into trouble, and I just write it down.
8. How many books have you written? Which is your favourite?
I have written three and a half. Does a half count? The first one was beyond horrible. Urban fantasy and paranormal romance. Those and several short stories. My favorite is usually which ever one I’m working on at the moment. Though in truth, it’s probably my second novel. It’s unpublished right now because it needs tweaking. The hero and heroine in that one pretty much sizzle. I love a couple that gets my heart pounding.
9. Are your characters based on anyone you know?
Not really. I wish I knew these people! I try to write the story I can’t find, or the people I wish I was more like.
10. Do you have a favourite place you love to write?
Anywhere quiet. In my bed, at the barn, on my back porch. The key for me is a place quiet enough to think. My favorite place to read is in a bubble bath. I stay in there until the water goes cold!
11. How hard is it to get published?
Depends. If you self publish, it’s still very hard work, but you publish when you feel your book is truly ready. If you query agents or publishing houses, it happens when they say you’re ready, if they love your idea. I completely respect both avenues. Either way, writing is hard. Writers write because they love it. Oh yeah, and because they’re actually insane.
12. What do your family and friends think about your books?
I have tons of support from my family and writing buddies I’ve met along the way. They will freely tell you I am insecure, and needed help and direction, and hand holding. I was lucky enough to find some other, more seasoned writers willing to teach me. I love those girls. I’ve offered to wash their cars to repay them for their help. You think I’m joking, but I’m not.
13. What do you like to do when you are not writing?
Ride horses, watch movies and eat. Yeah, man.
14. Do you have any suggestions to help aspiring writers better themselves and their craft? If so, what are they?
I’ll tell you what I did that helped me. Join a writing site, be humble and take the advice you get. Find beta readers to swap work with and critique each other’s stories. Write even when you think what your writing is a pile of poo. You will improve. I promise.
15. As a child, what did you want to do when you grew up?
Be really good at something. I mean be special, not as in—sit in a corner and eat paste ‘special’—I mean really excel at something. I just wasn’t sure what!
16. What are your favourite books and which authors inspire you?
How long do you have? First I read classics until my eyes bled. Dickens, Austen, Bronte and Tolkien. Mary Webb, ‘Precious Bane’ was a fav. Then it was J.K. Rowling, Suzanne Collins, Scott Westerfeld … I could name about fifty more I admire. Can you imagine that sort of talent? I’m in awe.
17. For an aspiring writer what do you feel are certain do's and don’ts for getting their material published?
The biggest mistake I think writers make (I made) is trying to publish too soon. Be patient and hone your craft. It will save you heartache on rejections. Don’t let anything (even those rejections) stop you.
18. What are you working on now?
I think I’m going to try a contemporary romance soon. But for now, I am writing another urban fantasy, heavy on the fantasy, with a solid dose of romance. I’m a sucker for a hot hero. There is definitely no insta-love between these two. I’m making them work for it!
Here are some links you can reach Julie Reece on:
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/...
http://juliereece.com/
https://www.facebook.com/author.julie...