Ask the Author: Jade C. Jamison

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Jade C. Jamison This is TOUGH. And my answer likely lame, but I still love GONE WITH THE WIND. Rhett and Scarlett are cut from the same cloth; Rhett himself says so. The problem is that Scarlett is "stuck" throughout most of the novel and, in spite of the fact that Rhett is her third husband, she remains enamored of a man she thinks she loves but doesn't. Ashley was never her equal and never would have loved or supported her the way Rhett did. I am not a fan of the sequel, even though it was authorized by Mitchell's family, and prefer imagining my own ending, one in which Scarlett won Rhett back, but in a different way. Scoundrels or not, Rhett and Scarlett are survivors, and that was probably why I loved them so much.
Jade C. Jamison I am *always* writing, always working on *something*. I can't not write! I do have moments where I'm focusing heavily on revising or editing so my writing is on "pause," but those moments are rare.

Anyway, as of this moment, I'm working on a contemporary May-December romance that has also taken a dark turn. There's a slight BDSM factor in there, something I've never done, so I'm treading gingerly, so to speak. The working title is December Lust but that could change. I've been toying with several different titles and none has struck a chord with me yet.

Oh...one last thing. This isn't your typical May-December romance. The older person is a woman. I can't wait for you to read this book! :)

I recently updated the blurb: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3...
Jade C. Jamison Hi, Barbara,

I really want to do that, and I've actually been looking into doing the narration myself. It's a little harder for indie authors (and cost is a factor as well), but I do want you to know I've been checking into it. It is something I would love to do and I hope to do it in the near future. Thank you for asking!

All the best,
Jade
Jade C. Jamison I don’t know that the Jade of today could give you a fair, honest answer like the Jade of several years ago. Today, writing is more than just a hobby or something fun. It’s a job. Well, that’s not entirely true either. If you were to ask a marathon runner how she gets inspired to run, I’m sure my answer would be similar to hers. It’s a passion, a drive, something I must do because it’s a part of me. But, for aspiring writers, that response might seem lame, so I am also going to answer in a way that I would tell some of my creative writing students.

First off, in my mind, there are two “types” of “inspiration.” The initial kind is an underlying desire—a want—to write. You don’t necessarily have any ideas in mind; you just know that when you sit down and create something out of nothing, you feel good. Something inside you grows and feels fulfilled during the process. That said, that kind of inspiration might leave you feeling disappointed if you have no ideas to follow it up with.

That leads to the second type of inspiration—where you actually feel driven to write something particular. Maybe you had a dream that sparked your imagination or something happened in real life that you felt compelled to write about. You might have even been browsing through prompt ideas online and thought, “OMG! I have to write THAT!”

But then you sit down at the keyboard and that damned little cursor blinks at you, emphasizing all the white space on the screen you’re staring at…and the more it blinks, the more it feels like it’s mocking you…and the more pressure you feel. Ugh! So how do you feel inspired when you’re confronted by THIS scenario?

The first thing I recommend is that you force yourself to write—every day for around the same time every day and the same amount Every. Single. Day. If you liken yourself to the marathon runner, you train. A marathon runner trains by stretching and running, if not every day, pretty damn close. A writer who is serious does the same—and I promise you that if you do it consistently, it will be easier--and you will get better.

That still doesn’t mean it’s a simple task, especially if your well of ideas is dry. Sometimes it helps to just write to a prompt. The internet has the collective ideas of our entire planet at your fingertips. You can search for “writing ideas” or “writing prompts” and I promise you that you’ll have an abundance of ideas to tap. Keep searching until something sparks your imagination if you can. If you’ve searched and searched and searched but find nothing interesting, then just take an idea and force yourself to write for ten minutes. Yes, ten minutes writing about something you don’t give a crap about—and you might even spend that writing time typing out how much you hate that damn idea. That’s fine. As long as you’re writing, you’re training. Do this daily for a month or two and you’ll find that inspiration is what you make it. All you’ll need is an idea and you’ll find yourself tapping away at the keyboard, one word at a time.

When I first started publishing in 2011, I fretted over what would happen when I ran out of ideas. I never have…and the ideas themselves are the inspiration.
Jade C. Jamison Most of my followers know that I really AM a huge music fan, particularly of hard rock and heavy metal, and as a big fan, I don't just listen to the music. I also follow a lot of bands, and so I know their "stories," so to speak, and many of those stories fuel MY stories in big and little ways. My most recent books--the Vagabonds trilogy (#1, ON THE RUN, came out on 8/31/15 and #2, ON THE ROAD, will be out next week)--is no exception. It is mainly inspired by the stories behind the 70s rock band The Runaways and the formation of the band Heart and my driving question is this: Is fame worth it?

You'll have to read the trilogy to find out! :D
Jade C. Jamison Hi, Liz!

I am sooooo sorry you've had to wait so long. I'm finishing up writing a novella and then SEAL ALL EXITS is my next project. So I'm hoping sometime this fall. You have had way too long to wait!

<3 Jade
Jade C. Jamison Creating something out of nothing, worlds out of words...and seeing where those words take you.
Jade C. Jamison Writer's block can stop you dead in your tracks. There are lots of things people can do to overcome it, but I just force myself to write through it.
Jade C. Jamison Yes, Kristina! I'm hoping to write Nick's story later this year. It will be called SLASH AND BURN. I'll also be writing a Feverish spinoff series. Thanks for asking! :)
Jade C. Jamison
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