Welcome! Pull up a seat and enjoy a chat with Today’s Tease Jami Deise
Your Name or Pen Name you use: Jami Deise
Title of the book you are promoting: Keeping Score
Link to purchase your Book: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00E6GHQYM
Genre: women’s fiction (humorous)
Blog: http://www.jamideise.blogspot.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/jamideiseauthor
Twitter: @JamiDeise
Welcome JD…I, LH have some questions for you 😉
LH: I wanted to be a ballerina, race car driver and a private detective when I was little. What did you want to be when you grew up?
JD: An actress and a doctor. I still sometimes get an acting itch, but the doctor one died rather early on, when I realized I couldn’t do math or science.
LH: I didn’t really have a literary influence, I just decided one day to start writing. Who influenced you in your writing career?
JD: Laura Ingalls Wilder. The Little House books were the first ones I was obsessed with, and I started writing Little House fan fiction in grade school. Of course, I didn’t know that was what I was doing… I don’t think they called it fan fiction in 1975.
LH: I self published all of my books and was then “discovered” by a publisher. Are you an Indie or published author?
JD: Indie.
LH: As an Indie Author, I was hesitant about being with a publishing company. If you are an Indie author, would you like to be published by a traditional publisher and if so, why or why not?
JD: There are definitely benefits to being with a traditional publisher, and I think the biggest one is the validation the writer receives having an outside company putting the seal of approval on your writing. But as an indie, you get to make all the decisions yourself – what goes on the cover, the plot points, what you’re going to write next.
LH: This is easy for me…I’d invite Johnny Depp and I would not discuss movies! Who would you invite to dinner, living or dead, and what one topic would you NOT discuss with them?
JD: Hillary Clinton. And I would not bring up any scandals starring her or her husband.
LH: I personally think that there is way too much sex and violence everywhere in society these days and it’s everywhere but that Hollywood is one of the biggest contributors. Do you think that society as a whole is subjected to too much sex and violence and are you concerned about it? Ever feel conflicted and if so, why?
JD: I believe there’s a market for it, and it’s Hollywood’s job to make money, and you can’t really blame the industry for going where the money is. Parents, of course, are going to be more concerned about sex and violence than people who don’t have to worry about the next generation. A few years ago I had to sit my son down and tell him of the negative consequences of watching pornography, and that was not a conversation I was happy I had to have.
LH: I’m a huge softy and by no means a beauty queen… lol but, I truly would want world peace in the blink of an eye if I could make it happen…If you could change one thing in the world, in the blink of an eye, what would it be?
JD: Reversing climate change would probably be helpful!
LH: With the traditional bookstore becoming obsolete and everyone turning to buying books online, I don’t buy the hype that “the cover is everything”. How important do you think book covers are now that almost all shopping is done online?
JD: I felt that way too before I had to hire a designer. Now that I have a book and a cover, I do think the cover is still important, but in a different way. You want something that is attractive and eye-catching as a thumbnail; because that’s the way most people are going to see it. I have sent out the JPEG of my cover so many more times than I had thought I would. I’m really glad I found a good designer and we worked hard, together, to get the cover right.
LH: I can remember wanting to write as a kid. I got a really late start! Have you always wanted to write and when did you start?
JD: I started at the age of 8 or 9. I didn’t want to write; I just wrote. It wasn’t until adulthood that I started to think about what I was writing and plan out my plots. That was also when I finally started finishing the projects I started.
LH: I love to see if I can see myself in a character. What interests you most about a story?
JD: Yes, definitely – if it’s a situation or a character I can identify with. My story takes place in a hypercompetitive, upper middle-class suburb, and I love to read those types of stories, too. At the same time, I’ve always been a fan of mysteries, and I have nothing in common with your standard female PI; nor have I ever stumbled across a body!
LH: For me, I just get hit with this whole movie in my head and start writing. How do you come up with your stories?
JD: I don’t get the whole movie; I just get the logline. Then I try to figure out what’s going on in the beginning, middle, and end. Then I start writing. Then I stop because I got stuck on a plot point. Then I start back up again. My writing process is like a teenager learning to drive…
LH: I can’t tell you or I’d have to…lol Are you working on anything now?
JD: I’m actually a draft or two away from completing a manuscript about a vampire assassin who works for the FBI. That’s one of the benefits of being an independent author; I don’t have a publisher telling me what I can or can’t write.
LH: I’m working on #6…5 are published and the other 3 are due out this year… How many books have you written? How many have been published?
JD: Keeping Score is my first.
LH: I write for fun I don’t even dream of riches…Do you write for fun or money?
JD: There are people who make money from this?
LH: Some of my family members had a bit of a problem with me writing my first book “A Beautiful Liar” because the character Maggie West is basically me…to a point 😉 They had a problem with the genre and me “putting it all out there” so to speak so I took a pen name. They eventually came around as I have never cared who knows who I am what I’ve done or what they think of me. I’ve never wanted to be famous, just infamous! What has been your biggest problem when it comes to family or friends when writing? JD: The rest of my family has been very supportive, but my husband and son don’t read fiction, and they’ve refused to read my book! So that’s annoying.
LH: I have never experienced writers block…I have experienced writers “don’t want to”… Have you ever experienced writers block and if so, how did you overcome it?
JD: Yes, I have – not knowing what comes next from a plot perspective. It’s extremely frustrating. There are a few projects I’ve abandoned because I wasn’t able to figure out what came next. When I have overcome it, it’s been due to a lot of brainstorming and sometimes just taking a break and hoping other parts of my brain come up with the solution.
LH: I get asked all the time “Do you have any advice for new writers?”… Do you?
JD: Concentrate on writing. Finish the project. Send it out to beta readers, and hire a professional editor if you can afford it. Rewrite, rewrite, rewrite. I know too many new writers these days who, thanks to indie publishing, rush through their books and don’t care about getting it right because it’s so easy to get it published. Self-published writers need to put out the best product possible. Don’t set your blog tour before you’ve written a second draft.
LH: I would not change one thing in my life as I would not be me if I did… If you could go back in time and change one thing in your life, what would it be?
JD: I would have worked harder in high school. People with better grades have more options in life.
LH: If I could go back in time and tell someone something, I’d go back and tell the founding fathers they were doing a few things wrong…If you could go back in time and tell someone something, who would you tell and what would you tell them?
JD: I would tell myself to go ahead and have a second kid!
LH: I would freak out if someone contacted me and said they wanted to make one of my books or my series of book into a movie as I am really very shy in person and I’d probably go into hiding. I don’t think I could handle it. How would you handle it? Who would be the first person you told? Y
JD: You would? Why? Not sure where shyness would come into play. You’d sell the rights and maybe if you’re really lucky you’d get first crack at the script. You’d write and make money. You could do it in hiding if you want. How would I handle it? I’d demand the right to write the script!
Thanks for that sweet and thoughtful interview JD…Now… for the fun stuff!
Favorite Beverage? Sparkling Ice flavored water.
Exercise or Bubble Bath? Exercise
Favorite Color? Pink
Take out or Dine in? Dine in… unfortunately my son really likes me to cook for him.
Camping or Hotel? A three-star hotel is camping.
Sports or Chocolate? Watching sports while eating chocolate
Dogs or Cats? Love cats, but have a dog.
Favorite Food? Ice cream
Favorite Song? That changes week to week. Right now, Katy Perry’s “Roar.”
Favorite Movie? Dirty Dancing
Favorite Car? One that never breaks down.
Sex or Chocolate? (The answer “Both” is totally acceptable 😉 Both at the same time.
And now for the essay part of the interview 😉
LH: If you could go anywhere for a week, with anyone you wanted and no one would ever find out about it…where would you go, what would you do and who would you take?
JD: I hear George Clooney has a house in Italy. He should definitely take me on a tour of the entire country. I can’t imagine anything better than a week in Italy with George.
Thank you for spending this time with us. Make sure to pick up your copy of Jami Deise’s
Keeping Score
at
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00E6GHQYM
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