Today I have an interview with multi-genre author, Pauline Baird Jones, and
highlight her holiday release with author Genie Davis.
Christmas is coming
and so is All I Got For Christmas. Inside you’ll get the evocative and
haunting, ”Riding for Christmas,” and the offbeat and heartwarming, "Up on
the Housetop.”
Riding For Christmas:
A mesmerizing tale of
interstellar time travel and romance!
Jane MacKenzie,
visiting her grandfather’s abandoned ranch, discovers something in the snow.
When she opens the ribbon-wrapped box, it mysteriously returns Sam Harrington,
who “disappeared”
in an 1885 blizzard.
There’s nothing alien
in this enduring tale of holiday homecomings and the hope of love that lasts a lifetime.
Up on the House Top:
Will her Christmas be
ho, ho, ho? Or oh no, no, no?
Gini knew Christmas
in Wyoming would be challenging as she headed over the frozen crick and through
the woods to the family cabin. The lights are going out in her mom’s attic, the
guy who broke her heart is on the porch…and there are aliens on the roof.
According to her mom,
it’s going to be the best Christmas ever.
Do something for you
(or someone you love) and make "All I Got for Christmas" what you GET
for Christmas!
Learn more about Pauline, her stories and her life.
Tell us about your latest release,
including its genre. Does it cross over to other genres? If so, what are
they?
All I Got For
Christmas most definitely crosses genres, as it is two holiday
stories AND science fiction romance (which is kind of mixing up genres, too).
The aliens in both stories are not the love interest, however. We’ll call them
the complications our heroes and heroines face on the path to true love. One of
the fun things for both us was writing separate stories, but…they are connected
by location (Wyoming), holiday theme (Christmas), and they each get a gift from
an alien that changes their lives.
Why did you write your book (or
series)?
My
friend Genie and I were having lunch and got to wondering why we hadn’t done a
project together. We looked at each other and said, “Okay, what project?” I
think we choose Christmas because it seemed a long time away (this was March).
It was definitely an interesting experience writing about chilly Wyoming in
August and I will admit to wondering what the neighbors thought of hearing
Christmas songs playing inside my house.
What do you find are the best and
worst parts of being an indie author?
What I love the most
about being an indie author is the control I have over my books. I also love
that I have market research and access to important information that helps me
manage my business.
What I find the
hardest, is that it is all up to me. It’s a lot of work, like a garden that
never goes fallow. You’d think that once you push “publish” that you can just
leave it and move on to the next book, but nope. Those little “plants” need
water and fertilizer and attention. Lots of attention.
What interesting aspect of your life
would surprise your readers?
I
think readers might be surprised by how dull I am. My characters and stories
are all about adventures and peril and I am a total and complete hermit. I love
staying home and reading and writing adventures, but I really don’t like having
them. Give me a chair, a book, some chocolate and Diet Dr. Pepper and I’m
happy. And WiFi. I love my WiFi. But if there was a zombie apocalypse? I’d be
brain fodder for the zombies.
Are your stories driven by plot or
character?
My
stories are both, actually. I might start with a plot idea or a character who
has a story to tell, but they are tangled together, I couldn’t separate them to
save my life. I love working on both. My characters are so real to me, I miss
them when I type, “The End,” and, well, I kind of like making life hard for
them. Of course, then I have to get them out of trouble. But it’s all good. And
I make sure they get their happy ending.
How do you balance a life outside of
writing with deadlines and writing muses?
There
are times when it’s just what I do, and other times when Life Happens and I
think I’m going to implode. Or explode. Maybe both. I have to step back and
remind myself that balance is the key to keeping the Muse, me, and the hubs
happy. If I crash and burn, then so do the books and the business and my family
suffer, too. It helps when I stop and remember why I wanted to be a writer.
That in the end, it’s about the story, the characters, the thrill of seeing it
all come together into something called a “Book.” And when a reader likes what
I wrote? Yeah, totally worth it.
What do you enjoy most about life?
Right
now what I’m enjoying the most is a) being a grandma. I waited a long time to
be one and I love it. I have three grand kids and they are a delight. And b) I
am loving “going home.” I was born and raised in Wyoming and we’re in the
process of transitioning into retirement. Not quite there yet, but I’ve spend
some time in Wyoming this fall and winter. I even love the freezing
temperatures! I know, crazy.
What are your current projects and plans for the future?
I’m
sort of in a state of rest (as much as any Author/Publisher could be!) because
I produced a record (for me) five projects this year. I completed two books in
two series (The Big Uneasy - Dead Spaces
- and An Uneasy Future - Sucker Punch),
and then did two side projects, both for joint bundles. One was my first
venture into paranormal (though it still has a lot of science fiction in there
called Specters in the Storm. You
an find it in Edge of Never, but
only for one more month!), and then my first Christmas project (All
I Got For Christmas). I thought I was
done, but also hammered out a short story for the upcoming Romantic Times
Convention in Las Vegas next April. This was for another joint project. It’s
not got a name yet.
But
I am kind of amazed. And also feeling a little word drained. Plan to do some
reading to refill the word well, and then start focusing on the next books in
both series. I am also hoping to add something new to my Project Enterprise
series in 2016.
Author Bios
Genie Davis is a multi-published novelist, journalist,
and produced screen and television writer living near the beach in Los Angeles.
You can see her work in the arts on her own www.diversionsLA.com
Pauline Baird Jones never liked reality, so she writes books. Seventeen of
them, actually. She likes to wander among the genres, rampaging like Godzilla,
because she does love peril mixed in her romance.
Links to Social Media.
Website:
http://www.paulinebjones.com
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/paulinebjones
Pinterest:
https://www.pinterest.com/perilouspauline/
This looks like such a fun release!
ReplyDeleteI agree with you about all the great things about being an indie. Being in charge is a huge advantage.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comments!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much, Cynthia and Liza! Yeah, love the being in charge part. :-) And big thank you to Aurora for having me!
ReplyDeleteYou are welcome!
DeleteNice interview. All the best Pauline. Good luck with the New book
ReplyDelete