Hey Everyone!! :-)
Jennifer Fulford is joining us today. Jennifer, can you tell us a bit about yourself and how many books you have written?
Jennifer: I’m a journalist who jumped ship. On a good vacation several years back, my mind wandered, and before I knew it, I was writing a scene about a Musketeer jumping off a building. It was the start of my first book,“Blood, Love and Steel.” I started on a complete whim because my instincts as a reporter weren’t to make stuff up. But it was so much fun, I went with it, and now I have two books out in The Musketeer Series, a published collection of poetry, and several other books in file folders waiting for attention.
Jennifer: The newest book is “Athos & Milady: In the Beginning.” It’s inspired by the dark brooding character that Alexandre Dumas created in The Three Musketeers. Athos was the most mysterious of the “inseparables” and had a dark past with the spy Milady de Winter. In fact, she had been his wife, until he chopped off her head at the end of the Dumas novel. How does a man go from loving someone to brutally hunting her to the death? That’s the blank I filled in. Can you guess it has something to do with obsession and betrayal? You’d be right.
Me: Hmm...yes. I've often found the "love turns to hate" motif involves a lot of obsession and betrayal, and it always seems to make for good reading, too! ;-) What are you working on now?
Jennifer: I finished a novella last summer that’s completely off the rails. It’s about a loner college student who is trying to finish a novel-writing class to earn an MFA degree. The course is all online, and she ends up falling in love with her teacher, whom she never meets. Intertwined in the book is the novel she’s writing, about a precocious tween who is the daughter of reclusive parents. The theme is the consequences of false intimate connections with people. But I’m also half finished with the last book in The Musketeer Series, The Last Duel.
Jennifer: Loved loved loved the story of the Musketeers. I also like literary fiction. Glenn Duncan is a God. Nicholson Baker is a Genius. Anais Nin is a Rock Star. Meg Wolitzer is a Muse. Her book, The Wife, made me want to keep writing. I am also fond of poetry. Rilke, Roethke, some dark dudes.
Me: That's awesome! :-) What are you reading now?
Me: Nice. For those who might consider reading your book, what would you tell them to expect?
Jennifer: I like to explore the dark side of people. Not sure why, except that everyone has a dark side, and we usually hide it. But it’s an interesting thread to follow in a plot. I don’t consider myself a traditional romance writer, so my books tend toward the literary, a little more heady, less formulaic. But sex? Yes, I write a decent sex scene. (Or should I say indecent?)
Me: Oooh! The indecent ones are the best! ;-) What is your favorite part of being an author?
Jennifer: When I actually plunge into a project and the words flow, the high is indescribable. It’s the best drug on Earth. I wonder if those feelings are conveyed to my readers? I think for some, they are.
Me: Definitely. When the muse is speaking, it's like no other feeling! :-) Do you have a day job as well?
Jennifer: I have been a freelance magazine writer for some time, but I’m moving away from the work to go into Internet technology/web development. Sadly, journalism doesn’t pay. The entire field is a wreck.
Me: That's a shame, I'm glad you've found a new niche. What are the hardest and easiest parts about being a writer?
Jennifer: By far the hardest is the self-doubt. Who would spend countless days, months, years working on a project and then no one or very few people recognize it? It causes many writers intense distress. Same for most artists. The way to stay up is to maintain your connection with your artistic community. Easiest part of writing is writing.
Me: I think most indie authors would agree with you. :-) What genre do you place your book in?
Jennifer: Historical romance with a literary bent. The RWA has a contest category called something like: Romantic Novel with Other Themes. That sounds about right.
Me: Ha! Sounds like fun. Anything else you'd like to tell your readers?
Jennifer: Find books you love and support the writer by reading all her work and buying NEW copies of her latest releases. *Happy Face*
Me: Definitely! :-) Are there any links you'd like me to post?
Jennifer:
I have fun blogging here: LivingOnInk.com
On Facebook, I enjoy interacting and talking books: Facebook.com/TheMusketeerSeries
I can’t seem to get off Twitter: twitter.com/jmfwriter
I post events on my website: TheMusketeerSeries.com
My Amazon author page
Lovely day to you all.
Jennifer: I’m a journalist who jumped ship. On a good vacation several years back, my mind wandered, and before I knew it, I was writing a scene about a Musketeer jumping off a building. It was the start of my first book,“Blood, Love and Steel.” I started on a complete whim because my instincts as a reporter weren’t to make stuff up. But it was so much fun, I went with it, and now I have two books out in The Musketeer Series, a published collection of poetry, and several other books in file folders waiting for attention.
Me: Ha! Yeah, sometimes it's a definite trip to follow your imaginary friends and see where they lead. ;-) What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Jennifer: The newest book is “Athos & Milady: In the Beginning.” It’s inspired by the dark brooding character that Alexandre Dumas created in The Three Musketeers. Athos was the most mysterious of the “inseparables” and had a dark past with the spy Milady de Winter. In fact, she had been his wife, until he chopped off her head at the end of the Dumas novel. How does a man go from loving someone to brutally hunting her to the death? That’s the blank I filled in. Can you guess it has something to do with obsession and betrayal? You’d be right.
Me: Hmm...yes. I've often found the "love turns to hate" motif involves a lot of obsession and betrayal, and it always seems to make for good reading, too! ;-) What are you working on now?
Jennifer: I finished a novella last summer that’s completely off the rails. It’s about a loner college student who is trying to finish a novel-writing class to earn an MFA degree. The course is all online, and she ends up falling in love with her teacher, whom she never meets. Intertwined in the book is the novel she’s writing, about a precocious tween who is the daughter of reclusive parents. The theme is the consequences of false intimate connections with people. But I’m also half finished with the last book in The Musketeer Series, The Last Duel.
Me: Cool! :-) What authors, or books, have influenced you?
Jennifer: Loved loved loved the story of the Musketeers. I also like literary fiction. Glenn Duncan is a God. Nicholson Baker is a Genius. Anais Nin is a Rock Star. Meg Wolitzer is a Muse. Her book, The Wife, made me want to keep writing. I am also fond of poetry. Rilke, Roethke, some dark dudes.
Me: That's awesome! :-) What are you reading now?
Jennifer: Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver. That woman knows people.
Me: Nice. For those who might consider reading your book, what would you tell them to expect?
Jennifer: I like to explore the dark side of people. Not sure why, except that everyone has a dark side, and we usually hide it. But it’s an interesting thread to follow in a plot. I don’t consider myself a traditional romance writer, so my books tend toward the literary, a little more heady, less formulaic. But sex? Yes, I write a decent sex scene. (Or should I say indecent?)
Me: Oooh! The indecent ones are the best! ;-) What is your favorite part of being an author?
Jennifer: When I actually plunge into a project and the words flow, the high is indescribable. It’s the best drug on Earth. I wonder if those feelings are conveyed to my readers? I think for some, they are.
Me: Definitely. When the muse is speaking, it's like no other feeling! :-) Do you have a day job as well?
Jennifer: I have been a freelance magazine writer for some time, but I’m moving away from the work to go into Internet technology/web development. Sadly, journalism doesn’t pay. The entire field is a wreck.
Me: That's a shame, I'm glad you've found a new niche. What are the hardest and easiest parts about being a writer?
Jennifer: By far the hardest is the self-doubt. Who would spend countless days, months, years working on a project and then no one or very few people recognize it? It causes many writers intense distress. Same for most artists. The way to stay up is to maintain your connection with your artistic community. Easiest part of writing is writing.
Me: I think most indie authors would agree with you. :-) What genre do you place your book in?
Jennifer: Historical romance with a literary bent. The RWA has a contest category called something like: Romantic Novel with Other Themes. That sounds about right.
Me: Ha! Sounds like fun. Anything else you'd like to tell your readers?
Jennifer: Find books you love and support the writer by reading all her work and buying NEW copies of her latest releases. *Happy Face*
Me: Definitely! :-) Are there any links you'd like me to post?
Jennifer:
I have fun blogging here: LivingOnInk.com
On Facebook, I enjoy interacting and talking books: Facebook.com/TheMusketeerSeries
I can’t seem to get off Twitter: twitter.com/jmfwriter
I post events on my website: TheMusketeerSeries.com
My Amazon author page
Lovely day to you all.
Me: Wonderful! Thanks you for taking the time to answer my question, Jennifer. And thank you everyone else who stopped by to see what we found to chat about! :-) Don't forget to check back tomorrow for the latest installment of Mistral Dawn's Musings!
Thanks for the generous space on your blog, Mistral!
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome. Best of luck! :-)
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