E. Jamie : The Author Interview

Welcome fellow Rebel E. Jamie!

Thanks so much Kate for letting me play in your sandbox today! Let's see, a bit about myself... I live in Toronto Canada and love penning passionate tales that leave the bedroom door wide open! I love writing across all erotic sub genres from contemporary to historicals! In my spare time (HA!) I love to read, explore my city, (total bookstore junkie!) watch TV and dish up some delicious creations. Cooking feeds both the culinary and writing muse so I'm working on a cookbook too!

How long have you been writing?

I'm been writing since I was about 11. Always romance. I don't think I've ever written anything that didn't have romance in it. Even before I should have been, I was writing steamy romance! 

What/ who inspires you?

Oh I can get inspiration from literally anywhere. Just the other day I had a dream about a romance where the hero is an older man who is an ex-priest! Definitely filing that one to work on someday. As for people, writers I look up to and chat with, writers who's books I adore (including but soooo not limited too Paullina Simons and Diana Gabaldon, Eloisa James, Julia Quinn, La Nora...etc etc) If I ever find my motivation lagging, I find reading books about writing also helps get me in the mood to write! 

What do you struggle with as a writer?

Setting. Without fail! I'm very much a dialogue driven writer. I love putting my characters in a room and having them just interact and both verbally...and ...ahem...'physically' I'm very good and adding the drama and creating these incredible intricate plots but I find I always have to go back to set the scenes and flesh things out. I have trouble grounding my characters in places and giving the reader somewhere to picture the characters. They're all pretty much just a bunch of bobbling heads in the first draft!

Do you participate in workshops, writers groups or classes? Why or why not?

I don't really because I find you'll get too many differing opinions on what needs work in your story and then you're go 'round and 'round trying to fix what everyone thinks you should fix. It also takes a pretty heavy level of involvement reciprocating when someone critiques your work, because of course you want to if someone was kind enough to help you. There already isn't enough hours in the day to work on my own book, to look over someone else's and offer advice? That takes a heck of a lot of time. I only do it when I'm not already working on something. Now that I've garnered some success in this business, that doesn't often happen because you always want to be working on something new so your readers will always have something to look forward to!

If you work a day job, how do you balance writing with your day-to-day career?

It's VERY hard. I work a day job that's actually in the evenings so I can get some writing done before work and stay up late doing some more after work, but it never seems to be enough! I can only make really good word counts on my days off. I tell myself not to be too hard on myself though because every word I do get in is one word more than I would have had if I hadn't written. Everyday, I try and get in at least some writing. Someday soon I'll be able to quit the day job and just write full time. That's every writer's dream, I know.  

How do you prepare to write? What do you do to get in the right frame of mind?

Definitely music or the TV has to be on. I need to have some kind of noise in the background.If I'm not in the mood to write I'll visit some writers blogs or forums and that usually gets me pumped up so I can start. Writers's video blogs and podcasts too. I love hearing about other writers processes.

What genre of writing would you love to try?

I'm pretty happy writing erotic romance, but I would love to also write for the Harlequin Presents line. I love their alpha males and exotic locales. Blaze would be awesome, but that's sticking with what I write now. They're pretty erotic. HP is more sensual, not as explicit. If they ever do a mish mash of Presents and Blaze, I'll be in heaven! 

What's your guilty pleasure?

Ketchup chips. I'm not so bad where I'll polish off a full bag as I write but I'm sure I'll get there! They're so good, even though they're bad for you...kind of like a yummy bad boy!

What are you totally obsessed with right now?

Oh gosh, the TV show The Borgias! I adore that show. It's based on the historical family who ruled Rome in the 15th century I believe, and were all kinds of debauched and delicious and evil. Gotta love sexy period dramas!

Thanks again Kate for having me on your blog! I'd love to share an excerpt from my historical erotic romance Resistance Book One-The Arrangement by Rebel Ink Press that your readers can pick up here: All Romance Ebooks

He was overseeing an execution. Three of the prisoners from another block were being hung for trying to smuggle in food from the officer’s kitchen. She jumped as she heard Friedrich bark the order to the other officer to release the trap doors and she closed her eyes when she heard the door drop open and the sound of the rope, pulling on the top beam as the bodies fell. When she opened her eyes again, Friedrich was walking away, his body rigid, his fists tight as his sides.

She wanted to go to him but feared the guards would stop her or somehow make things even worse for Friedrich. She’d never asked him if he’d killed any of the prisoners himself. She was afraid of the answer. Now it had been brought to her with ice cold reality and her first thought was to go to him, to comfort him.

Was she truly a disgrace to her people, the way some of them accused her of being?

He didn’t come get her. She didn’t know if it was because he knew she wanted to spend her last day with Ania, or because the other officers were putting an end to their arrangement, or if it was that he didn’t want to face her after what he'd done.

“Which one is Friedrich?” Ania asked, coming up next to her, making her jump in surprise.

“He’s not out here right…” Elsa stopped as she spotted him leaning against one of the brick walls, staring up at the sky with his eyes closed.

“That him?” Ania asked.

Elsa didn’t answer, held still as she watched him.

“….think he’d get mad?” the little girl asked.

“What?” Elsa asked, trying to focus back on her sister.

“You said he was helping me get away. That’s a nice thing. You think maybe he’s nice and they’re just forcing him to do bad things?”

“I…don’t know.”

What would be the best answer? To be honest and say that yes, she believed he was a good man forced into this horrible situation? Would that put him in even more danger with his fellow officers or superiors? Or lie and say that he was just as evil as the rest of the Nazi’s and hadn’t put Ania’s name on the list out of any honourable motivation.

The little girl was leaving tomorrow. Surely it wouldn’t hurt to tell her.

“Well, that’s what I think. Do you think he would get mad if I said thank you?”

Elsa bit her lip. “I don’t know if that’s such a good idea, Ania.”

The little girl looked sad for a moment but then lifted her chin and squared her thin shoulders and walked towards him before Elsa could stop her.

“Ania!” Elsa hissed but she had no choice except to follow her.

Friedrich looked panicked as Ania walked up to him.

“Elsa said it’s ‘cause of you I’m going to be free tomorrow.”

“You shouldn’t have brought her over to me,” Friedrich cringed, looking desperately at Elsa. His eyes were red.

“It’s okay. I don’t want you to get in more trouble. I don’t think you’re mean like the other ones,” Ania said, looking up at him.

“For God sakes…” Friedrich pleaded.

“I just want to say thank you. That’s all.”

“Fine, now get out of here, dammit!” he hissed, but the words came out choked and Elsa’s heart squeezed in her chest when she saw the tears in his eyes.

“I hope some day you can be free, too,” Ania concluded and turned and walked away from him.

Friedrich’s gaze met Elsa’s and she saw the pain he was in before he turned on his heel and rushed off, leaving her standing there, wanting to take him in her arms and comfort him.

 Your readers can find me on my blog at: http://ejamiesmuse.blogspot.com/ and my website: http://ejamie.net

Thanks so much E. Jamie and best of luck with your new release!