Continuing our series of meeting the Authors who make the magic, today it's my pleasure to interview Jax Garren. Her Most Recent Book is HOW BEAUTY MET THE BEAST, which releases November 19th!
Please tell us a little about yourself:
I grew
up in small town Texas, but once I got to the “big city” of Austin I was in
love! I used to be a high school theater arts teacher, but now I’m a full time
writer and mom. My husband and I are currently (as of October 2012) in the
process of adopting two girls, ages four and seven, who are the most fantastic
and frustrating bundles of awesome I’ve ever met. In my spare time I love to
play the piano, and I keep in shape with competitive pole dancing (not that I’m
good enough to compete). The feeling of dangling upside down on a vertical bar
by your knees and ankles is way too much fun!
What prompted you to start writing?
I’m one
of those people who can’t remember a time when I wasn’t writing. I suppose it
might be that I’m a night owl and my bedtime was always “too early.” I’d get
bored lying awake and rewrite Star Wars or Mighty Mouse with my pillow and
stuffed animals as characters. Sometimes still when I’m stuck, I go lay down
and talk it out with my pillow! *blush*
Which five people (real, fictional, historical) would you
invite to dinner and why?
Currently
I think I’d invite my best friend Katherine and my sister Laura. Between
adopting the girls and deadlines for my first three books, I feel like I never
see them anymore! But assuming life will revert to a normalized state soon in
which I get to see them, I’d go all writer nerdy and invite my favorite authors
who also had interesting personalities. The well-known are Mark Twain, Oscar
Wilde, Charles Dickens, and William Shakespeare. I’d also invite Egill
Skallagrimsson, a Viking warrior and poet who lived a fascinating life. I <3
Vikings. I feel guilty for only inviting
men, but these are the people I would pick!
(VS sez I <3 Vikings too - your dinner guest list sounds good to ME!)
What has surprised you about being a published author?
Actually,
it’s surprised me how much it’s been exactly what I thought it would be like. I
am so blissfully happy. I love deadlines (I work better under pressure). I love
writing every day. I love my editor and look forward to the awesome work she
does. I am nervously attempting to steel myself for my first reviews. I don’t
like marketing myself, but am trying to do it anyway. I look forward to sending
my next book proposal in with fingers crossed. Being a published author is a
lot of work, it’s stressful sometimes, but it’s exactly what I’ve wanted to do
my whole life. I have the job of my dreams, and I feel fortunate every time I
sit down to work.
Do you do a lot of research for your books?
I LOVE research. In fact,
getting lost in research instead of actually, you know, writing is always a
danger for me. My favorite thing is to watch videos on YouTube of people doing things
my characters do. I’ve learned so much wonderful detail that way.
Have you ever used an incident from real life in one of
your books?
In the
final book in the Beauty and the Beast trilogy from the Tales of the Underlight (How
Beauty Loved the Beast, out in May 2013), Hauk tells a story from his time
in Afghanistan about being dropped into an ambush. The helicopter pilot keeps joking
with them about taking photographs because he can’t hear the bullets over the
rotors. This is based on one of my dad’s stories from Vietnam, except my dad
was the helicopter pilot and he was yelling at the soldiers on the ground to
throw him some pineapples from the grove they’d landed in. He had no idea they
were getting shot at while he was asking them to toss him some fruit! My hat’s
off to our men and women now serving and who have served in combat. Like all my
fellow romance writers with military heroes, Hauk is written out of my deep
appreciation and respect for you.
Quickfire:
Favorite TV Show: Of all time? Buffy
the Vampire Slayer. Currently? Dr. Who
Cats or Dogs? Cats! We have two.
Sweet or spicy: Spicy all the way! (although sweet AND spicy is a fantastic combo)
Favorite time of the year: Autumn. That transition to cooler weather makes me feel
like anything is possible. (Maybe because I live in Texas where August is
abysmally hot.)
Favorite song: Rainbow Connection, from The Muppet Movie
Please finish this
sentence “I believe in the Magic of……” perseverance. The things I love
most about my life are the things I won through a stubborn determination to
keep going no matter what.
What are you working on next? The next book in the Tales of The Underlight
series, this one inspired by Rapunzel.
What one question do you want to ask your Readers today?
What do you love best
about books with a little or a lot of magic in them? For me, it’s a tie between
the worldbuilding (I love exploring new worlds!) and the
ability to deal with life’s issues through a filter of mythology.
Where can your Readers find you online? http://www.jaxgarren.com on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/JaxGarren or on Twitter at https://twitter.com/JCGarren
Buy Links for book
mentioned above:
Barnes
and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/how-beauty-met-the-beast-jax-garren/1112682881?ean=9781426894664
I'm with you, LOVE the magic, but the worldbuilding has to be solid to sustain the belief while I'm reading...
ReplyDeleteI'm finding that I like books where the magic is unusual and/or has an explanation or a system that sort of makes sense. I'm thinking of "Gate to Kandrith" where the powers are very specific, and have very specific causes (can't say more without spoilers), or "Ten Ruby Trick" where the magic causes crystals to form on the wizard's skin, and if he's powerful enough, he's just a giant rock that can't move. I love anything that is not the usual Gandalf wizard, enchanted fairy stuff that I've read for over 30 years. lol
ReplyDeleteI love a book with excellent world building and I want my magic to make sense.
ReplyDeleteI loved getting to know Jax better!
: )