Steve: Today I have the pleasure of interviewing multiple award-winning author, Jacqueline Seewald. Nineteen of her fiction books have been published to critical praise, including books for adults, teens, and children. Her short stories, poems, essays, reviews, and articles have appeared in hundreds of diverse publications and numerous anthologies such as: The Writer, L.A. Times, Reader’s Digest, Pedestal, Sherlock Holmes Mystery Magazine, Over My Dead Body!, Gumshoe Review, Library Journal, Publishers Weekly, and The Christian Science Monitor.

She’s taught creative, expository, and technical writing at Rutgers University as well as high school English. She also worked as both an academic librarian and an educational media specialist. Her writer’s blog can be found at: http://jacquelineseewald.blogspot.com.

Without further ado, let’s hear from Jacqueline.

Jacqueline on Reading and Writing:

Steve: Why, how, and when did you start writing?

Jacqueline: I started writing stories back in elementary school. I was always into reading and wanted to try my hand at writing. I won some writing contests and that encouraged me to continue.

Steve: Did you publish the first book you wrote?

Jacqueline: No, it sat in a drawer. I showed it to several people including my mother who didn’t much care for it. So I decided eventually to start a different work.

Steve: What is your biggest problem with the writing process? How do you tackle it?

Jacqueline: For me, the hardest part is getting the beginning right. I agonize over beginnings, writing and rewriting until I’m satisfied. I know how important it is to create a strong narrative hook to catch the reader’s attention from the start.

Steve: Do you feel writing is something you need to do or want to do?

Jacqueline: Writing is definitely something I need to do. When I finish writing a work that I consider really good, I’m on a high.

Steve: Have your personal experiences or situations influenced you creatively? If so, how?

Jacqueline: Yes, real life does influence my writing. For example, my first novel in the “Kim Reynolds Mystery Series,” The Inferno Collection, was inspired by a speaker/university librarian who lectured on the unique topic of inferno collections while I was studying for my library science degree. I was fascinated and thought this would provide the perfect backdrop for a murder mystery.

Steve: How much of your creative ability do you think is innate and how much is learned?

Jacqueline: It’s definitely a combination. Because my mother loved to read, I became an avid reader as well. That encouraged me to write my own thoughts, stories and ideas. I took a creative writing course in college and when I became an English teacher, I also taught creative writing. As I taught, I continued to learn myself.

Steve: Who are your favorite authors?  Whose writing inspires you the most and why?

Jacqueline: Jane Austen is a longtime favorite. I was also inspired by Biblical stories.

Steve: Should writers read in their genre?  Should they be avid readers?

Jacqueline: I believe writers should read in their favorite genre and also be avid readers of infinite variety—fiction, non-fiction, short stories, poetry, plays—I’ve read and written them all. I respect and embrace diversity. I’ve written for adults, teens and children. For instance, in the last few months my adult romantic mystery thriller Death Promise was published by Encircle to very good reviews, followed by my young adult novel Witch Wish from Black Opal Books. Although I’m best known for romantic mystery thrillers, I don’t just read or write in that genre.

Steve: Are your characters based on real people?

Jacqueline: They are a mixture of the real and the imagined.

Steve: How do you name your characters?

Jacqueline: Selecting names should be appropriate to the characters. Just like you might choose to name a pit bull Killer.

Steve: Which comes first for you, plot or characters?

Jacqueline: Definitely the characters. They live in my mind for a long time before I start to create the appropriate plot.

Steve: Any comments about writing dialog?

Jacqueline: I use a lot of dialogue. I feel comfortable with that approach, maybe because I’ve also written plays.

Steve: How do you handle POV?

Jacqueline: Point of view depends on what I’m writing at the time. I’ve written from the male perspective, as in The Burning, a literary novella that was originally an award-winning play. My other published novella, Letter of the Law, which appeared in Sherlock Holmes Mystery Magazine, also uses a male perspective. In one co-authored novel, The Third Eye, my son Andrew and I alternated chapters. I wrote from a woman’s point of view in third person while he wrote the mystery from the son’s POV in first person. The mystery meshed together really well.

Steve: Do you do fact-finding for (AKA research) your books?  If so, how? What sources do you use?

Jacqueline: For historical fiction, I’ve always done considerable research. For example, in The Killing Land, set in Arizona Territory in the 1880’s, I included historical characters and info. But I avoid information dumping that slows the pace of books and tends to bore readers.

Steve: What reference works do you use most?

Jacqueline: I often use the Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. The origins of words fascinate me. [Steve: Me too! One of my favorite books is David Crystal’s The Stories of English.]

Jacqueline on the Writing Business:

Steve: Do you use a formatter?  Editor?  Agent?

Jacqueline: Since I’m traditionally published, I leave these matters to the editors once a novel is contracted.

Steve: What are your most effective marketing techniques?  Where would you like to improve?  Do you go it alone or seek professional help (outside what your publisher provides, if appropriate).

Jacqueline: I’m on Facebook and Twitter as well as active on a number of Yahoo writing groups. I also maintain my own website. But I’m no authority on effective marketing techniques.

Steve: Do you release trade paperbacks or ebooks or both?

Jacqueline: Both. Many of my novels are also available in hardcover editions.

Steve: What do you think of publishing services like Amazon, Smashwords, etc?  What about small presses v. large, traditional publishers?

Jacqueline: I haven’t used any publishing services so I don’t have an opinion on their value. Regarding publishers, what one hopes for is that an agent with connections accepts a work and sells it to a major publisher. Otherwise, we simply are unlikely to get the kind of reviews necessary for major sales and readership. Unfortunately, most small publishers don’t have the necessary distribution. That said, I still work with many small publishers as well as the larger ones.

Personal questions for Jacqueline:

Steve: What other interests and activities do you have besides writing?

Jacqueline: I enjoy landscape painting. I also love singing and listening to blue grass music, among others.

Steve: What was the last movie you went to see?

Jacqueline: Darkest Hour was the last movie I saw and I liked it very much. I thought the acting was outstanding.

Steve: I want to thank you, Jacqueline, for being so candid with your answers here. Many readers are interested in learning more about the authors they read than what’s in the simple bios at the end of their books.  I’m sure my blog readers will want to check out some of your oeuvre.  I certainly do.  To that end, here’s her Amazon page.

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Comments are always welcome!

Rembrandt’s Angel. Esther Brookstone, Scotland Yard Inspector in the Art and Antiques Division, becomes obsessed with recovering a missing Rembrandt painting stolen by the Nazis in World War Two for Hitler’s proposed museum in Linz. Bastiann van Coevorden, her paramour and Interpol agent, aids her in her quest. Esther takes “60 is the new 40” to a new level; Bastiann tries to control her obsession. Esther is a modern Miss Marple while Bastiann looks like the actor who played Poirot. When the case blows up into a plan that threatens Europe, the reader will embark on a thrill ride with these new sleuths that Dame Agatha never imagined! Available as an ebook on Amazon (at a reduced price!) and Smashwords and all the latter’s affiliated retailers (iBooks, B&N, Kobo, etc.), and in print format on Amazon and B&N and in your local bookstore (if they don’t have it, ask for it).

In libris libertas!

 

 

This entry was posted on Wednesday, September 26th, 2018 at 3:30 am and is filed under Interviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.