First and foremost, tell us a bit about yourself.
Someone described me the other day as always on the go (I believe their exact words were ‘do you ever stop?!’ but, whatever) and I think that probably sums me up quite well. I like to talk – a lot – and am usually that person still giggling loooong after a joke ceased being funny. I work full-time assisting people with disability to obtain funding for their support, and the fact that there’s never a dull day suits me just fine!
Are you a plotter or a pantser?
I very much began as a pantser, but have turned into a bit more a plotter as I’ve gone on (I sound like someone who began by just pulling down people’s pants, but have graduated to full-on plans for world domination!). Mostly I know where a story starts, I know where it ends, I know fun little scenes that I want to include somewhere in the middle, and then I just fill in the blanks.
What is your writing routine?
A routine? Yeah, I’ve been meaning to get one of those… Usually I’m driving, or in the shower, or in a boring meeting and I plot out entire chapters, which I then promptly forget and have to make up again when I’m in front of a computer, or have some paper and a pen handy. Basically, I write when the inspiration strikes and time allows.
What inspires you to write?
Books and films I love are a huge part of what gets me going to write. Seriously, after I’ve read something I’ve really enjoyed I’m chomping at the bit to get writing. Overhearing incredibly random titbits from other people’s conversations is another favourite inspiration of mine; I’m a terrible eavesdropper (or a great one, depending which way you look at it!).
You tend to use excerpts from your novels rather than actual summaries (besides a two-sentence blurb). Why did you choose this strategy?
Ha, simply because I’m shocking at writing summaries! I tend towards the verbose, so trying to distil thousands of words down to a pithy little attention-grabber breaks my brain. Also, I think having an excerpt clearly shows my writing style, and the sort of content people can expect.
Most of your stories contain a hero and heroine are familiar with each other in some context before they realize they have feelings for each other (a brother’s friend, a childhood acquaintance). In your opinion as an author, is it easier to write romance with that built-in history, or do you prefer a meet-cute set up?
I think it’s soooo much easier to write characters with a built-in history. It’s almost a cheat so I can skip straight to the banter stuff without having to introduce characters to each other.
Also, I don’t really write ‘bad guys’ in my stories too much; usually the obstacle that my couples have to overcome is their own prejudice and I think prejudice can be so much more deep-seated, and yet simultaneously unfounded, when based on something from your past. People can grow up and change, whilst maintaining an abiding affection for someone, and I think it’s that that I most love to explore.
Knowing my weakness when it comes to this history trope, though, I’m definitely going to challenge myself very soon to make strangers fall in love (in a story, you understand!).
What’s your favorite type of relationship to write?
As above, I’m a sucker for ‘we’ve known each other for forever and have our issues, but, when push comes to shove, I’m there for you 100%’.
What type of person is your ideal heroine when you're both reading and writing? What type of person is your ideal hero when you're both reading and writing? Are they the same? Why or why not?
I think the biggest thing for me with any character is that I have to care what happens to them. There’s plenty of literature out there that I’m supposed to love for its use of metaphor, or whatever, but if I don’t give two hoots about what happens to the people in the story, I really struggle to get through it.
That being said, I think my favourite heroines and heroes, both to read and write, are feisty and enjoy indulging in a fair bit of snark. I can’t help but love reading and writing two strong-willed people clashing!
You got your start on Fictionpress. Do you think it helped you or hurt you when you transitioned to being a self-published author?
Being on Fictionpress definitely helped with my transition. I couldn’t imagine going from writing just for myself to throwing my stories out into the world and asking for people’s hard-earned money in return. Fictionpress was a free arena where people understood that I was tinkering about with my style, and learning as I went along, and were generous with their feedback.
What gave you that final push to transform from Fictionpress author to self-published author? Did you have any inhibitions or fears doing so? If so, what were they, and how did you handle them?
Haha, I know exactly what that push was, and it was sitting on the floor in front of my heater and three of my best friends sitting on the couch before me and absolutely laying into me (in the nicest possible way, of course!) about the need for me to take my stories further.
I’d been extremely hesitant before this intervention about the idea of self-publishing as I wasn’t entirely convinced my stories were good enough to put up for purchase and I didn’t want to formalise my hobby in case it took away some of the fun of it. In the end, I handled it by telling myself that it wasn’t as if I was tricking anyone out of their money, if they wished to spend it on my stories, then I should just take it as the compliment it was. And, thankfully, my worries about wrecking my desire to write by making a bigger deal out of it don’t seem to have eventuated.
How did you advertise your transition to your readers? Did you PM them, send out a message as a chapter update, or something completely different?
I informed my FP readers that I was on the move via chapter updates, and a message on my profile page. That seemed to get the message across, and it’s still up there so if someone comes back for a re-read of one of my stories, they’ll know where they’ve wandered off to.
Do you still keep in touch with your Fictionpress readers? How?
I definitely try! I’m still on FP, so people are more than welcome to message me through there. Mostly, however, my facebook page is my main conduit to keeping up with people. I can’t tell you how freaking much I adore when people message me and say hi!
What has the publishing process been like?
Pretty good. It’s amazing how easy it is these days to pop your stories up and have them appear on Amazon, i-Tunes, etc. I was lucky in that I have a friend who also self-publishes, and I was able to pepper her with all my questions.
It must be said that I have a screenshot of the day So Much to Learn went to number 4(!) on the i-Tunes Australia free charts; I can’t even begin to describe the squealing that went on when I saw that!
You’re currently offering a promotion for SO MUCH TO LEARN by offering it to your readers for free. Have these free promotions helped your overall sales and/or popularity, or have you found it hasn’t really made a difference? Why do you think that is? Would you do it again, and why or why not?
I put So Much to Learn up for free because I know that was the favourite of many people from FP, and I wanted them to be able to continue to read it for free. I definitely think having it up for free has helped with introducing people to my stories (although I wrote that one so long ago, I’m not sure I’d say it’s the best example of my writing now), however, which, in turn, has probably boosted sales.
I think, as a strategy, having a free book is a great idea as it definitely gives your audience a chance to have a peek and see if they like what they see. I’m sure we’ve all experienced reading a book and loving it, and racing to see if the author’s written anything else, and this is a good way to encourage people to open/download that first book of yours.
Did you write out a marketing plan once you decided to be a self-published author, or did you work with someone on it? What have you found in your experiences marketing your books?
Despite majoring in Marketing at uni, I have to say that I haven’t done much work marketing my stories (my lecturers would be horrified!). I’ve been lucky enough with my FP connections and word-of-mouth to have relative success, and my novels aren’t my main source of income, so I haven’t had to be too full-on about putting myself out there.
What marketing strategies/promotions have worked for you, and what has fizzled out? Why do you think this is?
My whole strategy has pretty much revolved, thus far, around people wanting to re-read my novels, and encouraging their friends to read them also, so I suppose being open and up for a chat with anyone who contacts me on facebook has been the way to go.
How involved are you in terms of editing/book cover/release date/marketing process?
I have a brilliantly talented friend, the same one who also self-publishes, and she’s been the one to knock together my lovely covers for me. She’s an absolute champ, and she’s been my sounding board on most things. In the past, the people from FP were able to assist with pointing out if something didn’t make sense for them, or any other issues, but my next novel will have to step out without that, so I’m planning on passing it to a few friends and having them do a logic check. Other than that, it’s just been me!
You have at least 5 reviews per novel (SO MUCH TO LEARN has 70+). That's amazing - congratulations! How did you accomplish this? What tips can you give self-published authors looking to add some reviews to their novels?
Thanks, although I’m really not sure if I did anything particularly to accomplish that! I think, in the first instance, lovely FP readers came with me and were happy to reiterate their previous feedback, which then encouraged others to chime in.
The great thing about reviews is that it’s completely reader-led content. I suppose the best tip is to remain open to feedback, and support opportunities for people to provide it.
Do you have any advice for writers who want to take the next step into self-publishing?
There’s not really anything to lose; give it a go!
Are you working on anything now?
I am currently editing His Saving Grace, which is the sequel/companion to So Much to Learn. I started this story ages ago, but had the inspiration knocked out of me during a tough couple of months back in 2009, so I’m so ridiculously excited to get a chance to finally finish off Alex and Grace’s story. His Saving Grace will be out soon!
You can contact Jessie via her Facebook page here.
