Blogger of the Year Nominee: J.F. Jenkins

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Welcome the final of five special
interviews with our 2011
Book Boost Blogger of the Year Nominees!

Today, we welcome nominated author J.F. Jenkins to the blog. We chatted with her recently and asked 21 questions, here's what she had to say...


TBB: How and when did you become a professional author?

JJ: It happened February of 2011. I suppose technically it started in December of 2010, but February was when the book was released by my publisher. In December, I had entered a pitch contest for Astraea Press. It was something I had done on a whim with a story I had written several years ago. They liked the concept and asked for a manuscript. They liked that too, and from there we began the publishing process. Needless to say, I'm glad I took the risk because they're a great place to be involved in. A lot of great opportunities have presented themselves.


TBB: What do you find to be the most difficult aspect of writing a book (the creation/concept, writing, achieving publication, sales/promotion, etc…)?

JJ: Sitting down and actually writing it from start to finish. Starting is pretty hard too, but it takes real devotion to go at it day after day. A lot of times I can start, but I don't devote my time to getting through the whole story.


TBB: Which of your books is your favorite and why?

JJ: My yet to be released Science-Fiction novel Battlefield. I love writing in that universe because it's sarcastic and pays tribute (and pokes fun at, kindly) to a lot of the stories I read growing up. It was a lot of fun to write and the character interactions are priceless. After all, it's not every day you get to explain to a super hot alien why it's not okay to teleport into a shower.


TBB: If you had to describe that book using ONLY ONE word what would it be?

JJ: Witty.


TBB: Looking back on your writing career thus far, if you could change one thing, what would it be and why?

JJ: I would make sure to take my time with my first book. I'm pleased with it, but I do admit to be caught up in the rush of getting published. I wanted it to happen so badly that a few things got missed until after the fact. They're minor, but my inner perfectionist will always notice them.


TBB: Is there a message imbedded into your stories you hope readers will get? If so, what is it?

JJ: There is almost always a message in my work. Usually it's not something I'm intending to do. Faith is a usually a key element in all of my work whether it's faith in oneself, a peer, or a higher power. Another thing I always try to show is that the hard part eventually gets easier. And of course the whole: don't sacrifice what feels right in your heart just to be like everyone else.


TBB: What has been your favorite fan letter or fan comment ever?

JJ: I got a card once from a fan, and it was totally unexpected. It was before I even got my publishing deal. She wrote to say thank you for the goodies I had sent her, and told me she was proud of all the hard work I'd done.


TBB: What is your top writing career goal?

JJ: To eventually write an epic musical. And next year I'm planning on writing a total of one million words.


TBB: Give me one quote (from yourself/by yourself) about being a writer.

JJ: "It's hard to be an author and have a social life.
Not only do you have to interact with all of the people
in the real world, but you have to deal with
all the one's floating around in your head.
It's a writer thing."

TBB: What do you dislike the most about being a writer?

JJ: Getting emotionally attached to my work. It makes it very hard to read some reviews, and kill off necessary characters.


TBB: What other author would you most like to meet & have lunch with?

JJ: Stephen King. He's interesting and weird, but I'd love to talk with him. Otherwise I would go have lunch with my writer friend. We made a pact to one day go to England together, and we are going to make this happen!


TBB: Who, in your life, is your biggest source of inspiration and why?

JJ: My mother because she can do about five million things at once and not bat an eye. I wish I could be so good at multi-tasking.


TBB: What is your favorite breakfast food?

JJ: Breakfast sandwiches. I can't get enough of them.


TBB: What is your worst habit?

JJ: Chewing on things. It could be a pen, my fingers, my lip, food. I just need to chew on something.


TBB: What song lyrics get stuck in your head most often?

JJ: “Can't you hear that boom-badoom-boom boom-badoom-boom”. I almost wrote it into my manuscript once. I blame it on the kiddo's obsession with pop music.


TBB: If someone wrote a biography about you, what should the title be?

JJ: The Most Boring, Average, Person on the Planet.


TBB: If you were a t-shirt, what slogan would appear on you?

JJ: "Meh."


TBB: Favorite place to visit?

JJ: Ohio. I know that sounds kind of lame, but I have family out that way and the places we go are always so interesting. I'd love to get a house out that way for my “writing” house and put my grandfather's typewriter in it. Then I could be old school.


TBB: Favorite time of year (or fave holiday)?

JJ: The spring when we get some crazy storms, the cold weather feels warm, and the ice along the curb is fun to crunch. Oh, and I love the sight of the trees blossoming.


TBB: If you were a cartoon character, which one would you be and why?

JJ: Jessica Rabbit. She's smoking hot, but has a soft spot and followed her heart to marry the funny guy who treats her right instead of the hot/rich sleazy one. And she has one of my favorite movie quotes ever: “I'm not bad. I'm just drawn that way.”


TBB: What is your least favorite interview question to be asked?

JJ: Outide of being asked for an author photo, it would be: describe your book for us. Writing a synopsis is hard. I never feel like I can make my books sound interesting enough. While I could just copy and paste my book blurb, I feel like that's cheating.


TBB: Thanks for joining us today, J.F. and congrats on your nomination. We enjoyed getting to know you better and appreciate your appearance at the blog in 2011.


If you'd like to learn more about J.F. Jenkins and her books, visit her on the web here:


http://jfjenkinswrites.wordpress.com


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