Bio:
Jessica Cale is a historical romance author and journalist based in North Carolina. Originally from Minnesota, she lived in Wales for several years where she earned a BA in History and an MFA in Creative Writing while climbing castles and photographing mines for history magazines. She kidnapped (“married”) her very own British prince (close enough) and is enjoying her happily ever after with him in a place where no one understands his accent. You can visit her at www.authorjessicacale.com.
Website: http://www.authorjessicacale.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorjessicacale
Interview
How do you get an idea for your novel?
I have a dozen ideas or more on the go at all times. Ideas can come from anywhere, but lately I've been getting a lot of them from music. Sometimes a certain song will start a scene in my mind and it'll just progress from there. It's not the words, it's more of the mood. I also draw a lot from real historical events, strange history, and funny details I find that stick in my mind. Tyburn came from a nightmare I had.
What is your writing style?
My writing style is a bit all over the place. The ideas come at weird times and I have little notebooks hidden everywhere. Some of them are just filled with Post-Its from when I have an idea (or ten) and can't find a notebook. I don't have a set time for brainstorming -- the ideas usually come during the most awkward times and there's no point in trying to schedule them. I get so many ideas when I'm in the shower that my husband actually bought me a pack of bathtub crayons just in case! As for the scenes themselves, I write in the afternoons, but I have to be in the right place mentally (or wrong place, depending on how you look at it...) before I start. When a scene's going to be good, I feel like I'm already in it. I'll stare at the kettle for ten minutes before I remember I was going to make tea. I completely lose track of time when I’m writing and forget to do really normal things like to eat or turn on the light, and I try not to stop before a scene is done.
Who is the "Writing Muse" in your life?
I don't think there's just one. I am very lucky to have a lot of wonderful friends, and sometimes pieces of them will come through. The character of Mark developed out of a speech pattern I overheard. Certain people have been hugely influential and they will pop up in some elements and little tributes. My grandmother, in particular, appreciates the gruesome, and every time a heroine says something wildly inappropriate, that's for her. More than anyone, I have my husband to thank/blame for so much of it, and not just the heroes. He's extremely supportive and is so great to bounce ideas off of. Again, music is probably the single most helpful thing for me at the moment, and I also use Pinterest to put together little idea boards for future stories and characters.
How many novels have you written including all work in progresses you are currently working on?
Tyburn is the first one to be published, and the next three books in the Southwark Saga are all in varying stages of completion. I have twelve books and two series in the planning stages (mostly scribbled on those Post-Its…).
Who is your "writing idol"?
Do I have to pick just one? I love Judith Merkle Riley's historicals for the care she put into the detail, the slightly off-kilter characters, and the subtle humor that manages to make me laugh out loud every time. I love Leopold von Sacher-Masoch for his passion, Nabokov for his empathy, and Zola and Poe for their atmosphere. As for contemporaries, Chuck Palahniuk for his pace and voice, and George R.R. Martin for his characterization.
What is your favorite plot line type?
I like a plot with lots of threads, complex characters, and love stories I believe. It's not enough for me that a hero is hot -- I really want to get under his skin, to know what he's living for. I want know what books he reads. I like plots with dark themes and an element of suspense, and I like them to be long with detail you can bathe in. If I'm reading for the sake of escapism, I really want to escape!
Is there any advice you can offer to anyone who would like to write?
Just do it. Don't be put off by how much time it takes, and don't fight it. The time will pass anyway, and you'll still be obsessed. Write what you can when you can. It doesn't have to be perfect right away, and you don't have to devote 100% of your life to it, but it's better to have a scribbled a note or two than nothing at all. Also, write for yourself -- don't think about anybody else at this stage, just write the book that you want to read. Someone else out there will want to read it, too.
What is a good villain?
A good villain isn't a villain at all. Sure, they can do horrible things, but you have to understand why they're doing them and what made them that way. Also keep in mind that they don't know they're the villain -- they probably think everything they're doing is perfectly rational and justified. Put yourself in their shoes and try to like them.
Blurb:
Tyburn (The Southwark Saga, Book 1)
Out December 8th from Liquid Silver Books
Sally Green is about to die.
She sees Death in the streets. She can taste it in her gin. She can feel it in the very walls of the ramshackle brothel where she is kept to satisfy the perversions of the wealthy. She had come to London as a runaway in search of her Cavalier father. Instead, she found Wrath, a sadistic nobleman determined to use her to fulfill a sinister ambition. As the last of her friends are murdered one by one, survival hinges on escape.
Nick Virtue is a tutor with a secret. By night he operates as a highwayman, relieving nobles of their riches to further his brother’s criminal enterprise. It’s a difficult balance at the best of times, and any day that doesn’t end in a noose is a good one. Saving Sally means risking his reputation, and may end up costing him his life.
As a brutal attack throws them together, Sally finds she has been given a second chance. She is torn between the tutor and the highwayman, but she knows she can have neither. Love is an unwanted complication while Wrath haunts the streets. Nick holds the key to Wrath’s identity, and Sally will risk everything to bring him to justice.
Unless the gallows take her first.
Buy link:
No comments:
Post a Comment