Today’s Tease…Jackie Sonnenberg

Welcome! Pull up a seat and enjoy a chat with Today’s Tease Jackie Sonnenberg

Your Name or Pen Name you use:  Jackie Sonnenberg

Title of the book you are promoting:  All That Glitters

 Link to purchase your Book:  This will be on Amazon and Barnes and Noble online at its release in September, but also I will be selling some copies with other freebies on my website at a discount price: www.jackiesonnenberg.com  Readers will get a physical book copy along with Reader Discussion Questions, Facts and Trivia Page, and a never-before-seen excerpt from novel #2. This offer is only good while supplies last.

Genre:  Urban Fantasy/Crime

Welcome  JS…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?

JS: Easy—author! 😉

LH: I didn’t really have a literary influence, I just decided one day to start writing. Who influenced you in your writing career?

JS: I can’t say I have a literary influence either. I liked different things from different authors and just let them inspire me all together.

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?

JS: I think if you get your start as Indie, first of all, it’s not a bad start! Most publishers don’t want you unless you are published anyway, so if you decide to try to go Mainstream you’ve already got a history. Second of all, if an author is Indie and then just says Indie, it’s not bad either. Either way you are getting published with the ultimate goal of getting your name and your work out there and ensure that it is not only widely received—but you are ultimately happy with the routine and results. I anticipate seeing my career launch to a good place and eventually, advance up to a new level. I think writers of all kinds anticipate “leveling up” or taking their careers to a better place, wherever that may be.

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?

JS: The book cover is the same—whether you see it online or see it physically in a book store. It’s that first look at the cover art and the title that creates an interest in the reader. It has to be a reflection of what is on the inside.

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?

JS: Oh yeah, started since I was literate! I remember after reading one of my very first books, I flipped over to the back cover and saw the author’s name. I knew it my head that this was a grown-up that wrote this children’s book and I remember thinking how simple it was, there was not really that much to the book at all. I had a vain moment thinking that I could do better. If this grown-up could make this story and turn it into a book, then I could do the same. I just stared at the name on the cover and thought to myself that my name could go on a book as well. Then after that, I just started to write stuff.

LH: I love to see if I can see myself in a character. What interests you most about a story?

JS: The main point of a book is a central conflict of sorts. It doesn’t have to be huge, it doesn’t have to be confrontational good people versus bad people, most of the time it’s subtle, but it’s always there. I like seeing how characters are in certain situations, unique situations, and how they come out of it and most importantly, how it changes and grows them as a character. People want to see other people triumph and they always want to know what happens next.

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?

JS: I honestly don’t know, they just sort of come to me. If I am thinking about something in particular, I’ll brainstorm for a while to see where the idea takes me, and then I continue until I have some pieces in place that could work for a story. They say sometimes that “books write themselves,” and that is actually true! I’ll be writing a scene with a certain idea of where it’s going to go and then it will go beyond that and more. I understand the “whole movie” part where you just see it and then you’re just flying over your keyboard!

LH: I can’t tell you or I’d have to…lol Are you working on anything now?

JS: Absolutely! Generally I work on multiple things at once. I’m writing more of my second novel, which has a dark spiritual twist to it, as well as outlining several books for a series I am really excited for.

LH: I’m working on #6…3 are published and the other 3 are due out this year… How many books have you written? How many have been published?

JS: All That Glitters will be my fourth published book, but it is my first novel. The first three I wrote and published were non-fiction requested topics. I prefer fiction and was always writing something in some shape or form, whether they be short stories or stories that could be longer. I wrote my first actual book in kid years, but recently decided to take it in another direction and completely rewrite it into something different, so I don’t know if that counts or not!

LH: I write for fun I don’t even dream of riches…Do you write for fun or money?

JS: Both! I think every author writes because they love it…but also because they want that to be their life. They want to be successful and want to use what they love to be able to support themselves. That can’t be that much to ask for, can it?

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?

JS: Yep, everyone has. It is unavoidable and it happens from time to time. You’ll be thinking of a scene, clear as day, when you’re away from your desk and doing something else and when the time comes to sit down and write it, you draw a blank. Sometimes I’d just make little notes on what I want to happen and come back later to see if my mind flows better. It sometimes helps to re-read certain chapters or sections to remind you of what is going on and what you are leading towards.

LH: I get asked all the time “Do you have any advice for new writers?”… Do you?

JS: This is cliché and everyone says it, but: don’t give up. It’s a world of hit or miss that is 90% miss and 10% hit. The publishing industry is one of the toughest to break through because everyone is talented and everyone has a story to write and everyone wants to be noticed. It takes dedication, determination and a thick skin to make it through rejections and criticism. Keep writing, keep doing as much as you can to get your name out there and take every small victory as a step closer to success. Networking is also very important, as in this day and age social media websites are expanding and changing how we communicate and connect with each other. Take advantage of these sites and become involved with them as much as you can. There are so many resources available to us today that were not years ago, and yet the writers of the past still managed to get their name out there without the use of email, Facebook, Twitter, and Google. If they did it then, then imagine what we can do now? It’s almost like we have it easier now…

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?

JS: I would love that! I always dreamed of seeing my stories up on the big screen. I’d be very interested to see what people would do with it and what actors would play the parts. Not to mention it would be a project I would love to be a part of and a new fun experience to have! I would probably even ask to get a cameo or walk on part! A lot of authors have had their work made into films and were in fact not happy about the results, such as Roald Dahl flat out hating Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (the 1971 version, the version with Johnny Depp would be more up Dahl’s alley!!) and P.L Travers having many disagreements with Mary Poppins. With book to film there are of course going to be changes here and there, and while it would be hard to see your own work changed in any way shape or form, I would try to be open minded. I would enjoy it!

Thanks for that fun and fabulous interview JS…Now… for the fun stuff!

Favorite Beverage? I’m an avid tea drinker! I think I drink too much.

Exercise or Bubble Bath?  Bubble Bath. I’m so lazy.

Favorite Color? Blue and Black

Take out or Dine in? Both

Camping or Hotel? Both

Sports or Chocolate? Chocolate!

Dogs or Cats? Both!

Favorite Food? Pasta. Macaroni and Cheese is my true love.

Favorite Song? Too many to name!
Favorite Movie? 3 way tie between The Goonies, The Nightmare Before Christmas, and Coraline.

Favorite Car?

Sex or Chocolate? (The answer “Both” is totally acceptable 😉

And now for the essay part of the interview 😉

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?

JS: I’d take a big group of friends on a tour bus around Europe! It would be so fun to just travel and see things, and not have to worry about our different schedules and daily routine, and just plain have fun. 

(I know this is supposed to be “essay” but that’s pretty much it in a nutshell. I don’t think I would want to do anything illegal or anythingJ)

Jackie Sonnenberg is an author living in Chicago debuting All That Glitters in September of 2013. In All That Glitters, a jewelry thief with the ability to get by undetected is on the hunt for something special. The only trace he leaves behind is candy in place of what he steals…the media dubbing him “The Candy Caper.” He won’t give up until he finds his special item said to be blessed with ancient magic…but what does he want with it? And what if someone else gets in his way?

Visit www.jackiesonnenberg.com for more and “like” Author Jackie Sonnenberg on Facebook.

Thank you for spending this time with us. Make sure to pick up your copy of Jackie Sonnenberg’s

All That Glitters

at

www.jackiesonnenberg.com

She would also like to thank Matt Lyons for the colorful store scene and Claire Roberts for the picture of the thief! Great job guys!