First why don't you tell us a little about yourself?
I have been married for almost twenty years, and we have one
child each from a previous relationship and four together. Yes, the math is
correct, six total. My stepdaughter, the oldest of all the kids, has 3 little
girls of her own. So grandmother is a title I now claim as well. My
stepdaughter lived the whole country apart for her whole life, but the other
five have been homeschooled until high school graduation.
My oldest daughter I’ve given birth to has finished her first
degree from our local community college and has started on the next level of
education. Her ultimate goal is to be a marine biologist.
My next oldest daughter will be graduating high school this May
and plans on getting a Small Business degree. She has already started selling
handmade, specially designed jewelry, sometimes off her body.
My son is a junior in high school and also taking classes at the
community college. We are still discussing what his goals for college are, but
he will be attending college one he has finished high school.
My babies are twins that are thirteen years OLD. They are so
grown up already! The older of the two wants to start a studio for teaching art
to kids that are interested, but don’t have a program in their school. She
really wanted to be an art teacher for kindergarteners and first graders, but I
explained that there have been many cutbacks in what the political systems
considers “non-essentials” so teaching art may not be possible for the public
school system by the time she graduates college. She also very much wants to be
involved in volunteer work, so I suggested combining the two things she loves,
art and volunteering, and see what can develop from there.
My other baby wants to be a rescue diver. I am originally from
Nebraska, so the idea of two of my kids jobs being in water is disconcerting.
But if they are happy, that’s what is important to me.
Newest release?
My newest release is Legacy
From Yesteryear. My mother/co-writer and I wrote this story first. We made
many, many mistakes, and it was so big it was overwhelming to fix. We tried,
and have been through the editing process a couple times. Mom was trying to edit
it again, take it apart actually, when she passed away four and a half years
ago. Once I was able to pull myself together enough to write again, I asked for
help from our mentor and friend JoEllen Conger. She has been a godsend and,
well I am very grateful she helped me with this Herculean task.
What can we expect from your stories, action,
drama, romance, sex, blood and guts?
My stories, so far, have been historical
set, sweet romance, adventure stories with mystery elements. Once I have all
the manuscripts Mom and I wrote published I will see how well I do on my own
and if I will continue with historical stories or switch to contemporary.
Do you have a favorite character in your
stories? Who? and Why?
I don’t have a favorite character, it would be like
picking a favorite child. But the characters I have learned the most from are the
Adams family from Ethan’s Flight and the Duke and Duchess of Sommerville from
Legacy From Yesteryear. The Duke and Duchess are very family oriented, and
something unusual rare in their time in history, very much in love.
Give us an interesting fun fact or a few about
your book or series:
Our very first story Legacy From Yesteryear
weighed in at 280,000+ words, and when we tried to break it up we added another
150,000+ words. Thus it takes a lot of sifting to see what is necessary and
what can be cut during this editing process.
When we started writing Legacy we didn’t start
at what became the beginning. When we first started it was with the clues that
would lead on the scavenger hunt. Once we had the clues worked and where they
would be located, then we started in what would eventually become the middle of
the story. As we discovered the need for back-story, our actual beginning got
further and further back from where we started.
It took us about two years to write, and
finish, the manuscript for Legacy From Yesteryear. We knew it needed editing,
but no one would touch it since it was so big.
Mom and I had a pact that we would never put
the words “The End” on one of our stories. We loved the adventure our
characters took us on, and we were not sure the story was truly over when we
got to the end. Mom had a major depression when we finished Legacy From
Yesteryear and typed “the end”. We’d lived and breathed these characters for
two years and she couldn’t stand the thought of not working with them anymore.
For her the words “the end” meant it was all over and done. I told her we
wouldn’t use those words, because there are characters that still need
attention. She was able to recover from after that, not immediately, but
eventually another story grabbed us and we were off to the races again.
Has there been any other authors who have
inspired your work or helped you out with your stories?
Diana Gabledon inspired us like no other author. We loved the
epic stories she told and the way she mixed genres. Mom and I love (d) big
stories that can’t be told in one book. There are many authors and series we
could talk about, but I will mention Terry Brooks since he is a favorite of
mine. He has written epic books from the beginning. He also wrote a book about
the writing process that became a text book Mom and I used quite a bit. For
those interested in the writing process the title is Sometimes the Magic Works:
Lessons from a Writing Life.
What can readers who enjoy your book do to
help make it successful?
I love this question! There are two things
readers of my books can do to help. First: write a review! And post it on
Amazon.com. If people want to know what the book is about, they can read the
blurb. What helps me as an author is what YOU loved about Legacy From
Yesteryear (or Ethan’s Flight for that matter.) Each story touches each reader
differently. I want to compare note and see what is the same and what is
different to how these stories effect me.
Secondly, I am Indie Publishing, which is a
very exciting journey. I would greatly appreciate any help I can get paying for
the essentials: like proofreaders, covers, and marketing. My Grand Plan was
publish Legacy From Yesteryear and take the money I get from there and fold it
into making the next book available. But life has a way of changing the order
of things, and now I am truly an Independent Author. (In other words, I am now
unemployed. J) There is a way for other’s to help. It’s called crowdfunding.
Anyone interested in more information can go here:
http://bit.ly/1cTuUyq
Do you have any tips for readers or advice for
other writers trying to get published?
My best advice for other writers trying to get
published is this:
1.
Get constructive criticism. I mean from the people that have
been through this publishing process and can give you the critique you need to
have a fantastic book for the world to see.
2.
Pay for an editor. They are worth their weight in gold. They
make us look good, and keep our readers coming back for more.
3.
Grow a thicker skin. Be able to accept what people tell you
needs to be fixed. If you don’t take it personally you will be able to take
what they say and make your work the best it can be.
For readers, other than give reviews, please
keep in mind writing is a process. Writers/authors need your input, however
forethought would be appreciated. Is your input done in a way that is easy to
understand, even if it’s tough to hear? How would you feel if someone made that
same comment about something you put your heart and soul into? Be truthful, but
be kind. Please and thank you.
Do you have a favorite author? If yes, what draws
you to that person’s work?
I have several favorite authors, too many to list
here. But I will mention Eric Flint, who has written a mind bending series that
gets into the whole what if scenario and fires my own imagination. But I’ve
come late to the party, meaning he has several books in his series, so I can
read with confidence. Another way an author is attractive to me is how much
they make me care about their characters. I don’t really look at an author
until they have more than one book out, especially if they are writing a
series. I hate waiting for the next book. (Oh, the irony.) LOL
Can you remember one of the first things you
wrote? What makes it memorable?
Writing for me was always a struggle. English
was my worst subject all through school. I discovered when I was working with
my own kids in homeschooling, that I am dyslexic. (What an awful word for
someone with this kind of issue to spell!) I am still figuring out the grammar
stuff, as you can probably tell from the rest of this interview. It’s another
reason I advocate getting an editor. Be your own best friend and tell the best
story you can and get an editor!
(Stepping off my soapbox) So for me writing
was not something I was really interested in, BUT telling stories or having
movies that played in my head. Yeah, that was what interested me. My family
gatherings were generally story after story being told in the living room,
while the tv was off I might add. So good stories are my best memory, not the
actual writing process.
Where do you gather most of the inspiration
for your work?
I will see an interesting tidbit of history or
something that is so outrageous I have to write about it and fix it, at least
in a fictional, self-satisfying way. For example, in Legacy From Yesteryear,
Meg’s situation took extraordinary measures to get her out of her cousin’s
clutches. In this day and age someone not being able to care for themselves
because the law says a female isn’t able to care for herself?! But she can run
a household and raise the children?! But history did happen that way, and we
need to learn from it so it doesn’t happen again. I love historical fiction
because I can go back to the history books and see what happened. When I was in
school, history was so boring and uninspired. Fictional history makes me see
the people behind the events, makes me wonder, what if? That’s what inspires me…what
if?
Do you have any other interesting hobbies,
pets or stories you would like to share?
When I write I have a song list that blocks
out what’s going on around me so I can concentrate on writing. It’s about two
hours worth of music and ends with very emotionally impactive songs that let me
come back to real life in a good mood. This is great except for when my
Chihuahua decides that my lap is the only one that will do. He is very
persistent and very pathetic until he gets his way. He has a very distinct
personality, and when I include animals in my writing, they all have very
strong personalities as well. Besides, who can resist a cute animal story?
Favorite places to travel or visit?
When I was
growing up my grandfather loved to take us on trips every summer. I believe I
have been in every state west of the Mississippi except Nevada. I have lived on
the east coast for 20 years and still haven’t been all the way north. I have
relative in Florida, so I’ve been there a couple times, but I would love to
take my kids on a 50 state tour.
Thank you for visiting today. We wish you much success.
Julie Ramsey,
ADM, JBR
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