{INTERVIEW} Author Brittany Jo James
The Lovely Author Brittany Jo James stopped by my Blog to do an Interview with me. I was super excited about this one. She is a truly great person. If you didn't know she's the Author of "My Knightly Dreams" and "At Least I'm Pretty"
My Knightly Dreams:
Amazon US: http://amzn.com/B00EFFFVVE
Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00EFFFVVE
B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/my-knightly-dreams-brittany-jo-james/1116488887?ean=2940148451358
At Least I'm Pretty:
Amazon US: http://amzn.com/B00E1WMXWG
Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00E1WMXWG
INTERVIEW:
Busymomof3: What inspired you to be an Author?
Brittany Jo James: Growing up, I had very little confidence and assumed that in order for me to earn a college degree I would have to choose a field that was relatively easy. So, that limited me quite a bit. I decided on getting my bachelor’s degree in business and to just pray that I would actually be able to manage that. As you can imagine, “just choosing something” wasn’t very fulfilling and I became a little bit depressed. I was working full-time in a bank, plus taking full-time college courses, barely seeing my husband because he was working non-stop too. One day I was sitting at work and the thought hit me, “I would hate my life if I had to wake up and do this every single day.” At that point though, I only had a year left of college and couldn’t fathom starting from the beginning for a different degree and I honestly had no idea what I would rather do… I just knew I didn’t want to work in business anymore. So, I went home and started praying that God would guide me to what His purpose for my life was. About an hour later, as I was pondering life, I came to the realization that if I could be anything in the whole world, my dream career, would be to write and become an author. I loved books, I loved to read… but I had never written anything longer than an essay for school so I didn’t think becoming an author was plausible. However, I just kept feeling this strange urge to write something and that’s how it all began.
Busymomof3: What do you think people will love most about your books?
Brittany Jo James: I hope people like that they’re clean. When I was a little girl, I loved to look at all of my mother’s beautiful historical romance novels. I thought they were gorgeous with their pictures of castles, knights, dukes and ladies in ball gowns. My mother, of course, wouldn’t let me read them and I had no idea why until I finally started sneaking them to my room at night. Then I understood why they weren’t appropriate for girls my age. So, I wanted to write historical romance that was a suitable for younger ages. Plus, I’m a Christian and I wouldn’t feel comfortable writing anything that I thought God would be disappointed in me about.
Busymomof3: Do you have a dreamcast in mind for your books? If so who!?
Brittany Jo James: I do!
My Knightly Dreams: Farren Montbassen- Ashley Benson, Patton Caswell- Brant Daughtery.
At Least I’m Pretty: Emerald Baillie- Madison Riley, Dimitrie Cristea- Matt Barr, Onyx Baillie- Megan Fox.
Busymomof3: What is your favorite book?
Brittany Jo James: I love Sable by Ellen Tanner Marsh, A Rose in Winter by Kathleen E. Woodiwiss and Angel by Johanna Lindsey. A few of the classics, like Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier, Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte and Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte are also among my favorites.
Busymomof3: Who is your favorite Author?
Brittany Jo James: Kathleen E. Woodiwiss (deceased) and Johanna Lindsey (living).
Busymomof3: Which of your books is your favorite and why?
Brittany Jo James: That’s so hard! Out of the two that are currently published, I would have to say “At Least I’m Pretty” only because it will have a sequel so there’s more to the story! Out of all the ones I’ve written and are not published yet, I absolutely love “A Pirate Princess.” My very favorite, I think, is the one I’m currently writing, tentatively titled, “Rebel.”
Busymomof3: What character from your books would you most likely be friends with?
Brittany Jo James: Temper from Rebel, or Emerald from At Least I’m Pretty. We have a lot in common.
Busymomof3: What's the one message you want readers to take away from reading your books?
Brittany Jo James: That you can read a romantic, exciting story that touches your heart and keeps you on the edge of your seat without having foul language or explicit love scenes. Don’t get me wrong, most of my favorite books have a little of that, but I didn’t want it in my own novels.
Busymomof3: What inspired your books?
Brittany Jo James: With At Least I’m Pretty, my Daddy inspired the title because when I was a teenager and being difficult, he used to look at my mother and say, “Well, at least she’s pretty…” As far as the story line, my own marriage had a little to do with it! Conlee was from a classy, cultured, reputable family. I was from this wild, unruly, untamable family with a bad reputation. Just like in At Least I’m Pretty, though, I think my family rocks and I love every ounce of ill-repute and bad behavior involved. So we aren’t perfect? I dare you to tell us that to our face. Haha. No, I don’t necessarily approve of being disorderly but hey, if nothing else, at least we’re fun.
Busymomof3: Who's one Author you haven't met that you'd LOVE to?
Brittany Jo James: K.A. Robinson!
Busymomof3: Do you have any advice for other authors just starting out?
Brittany Jo James: If this is your dream, pray about it and keep trying. Don’t give up! Just keep writing and praying. Trust that if it’s meant to happen it will and if it’s not, God will lead you to something else.
Busymomof3: Name one thing people don't know about you.
Brittany Jo James: I don’t like lizards. I’m not a girly-girl and I grew up in the backwoods of Oklahoma so I’m pretty fearless… but something about lizards just grosses me out. I’m not scared of them; I just don’t like them at all. That’s my story anyway!
Busymomof3: Is there anything you'd like to say to your fans?
Brittany Jo James: I want them to know that just the idea that they are a “fan” of mine means the world to me! I appreciate everyone who has read my novels and especially those who enjoyed them and look forward to reading more of my work. You know, I’m brand new at all of this and I’m learning constantly. So, my work may not be perfect yet, but I’m determined to get this right so it means a lot to me that people look forward to my upcoming releases, knowing that each one will hopefully be a little bit better than the last.
Busymomof3: What was the toughest negative criticism you've received and how did you overcome it?
Brittany Jo James: I’ve had two relatively nasty reviews so far, which isn’t very bad! I’m not going to complain that I’ve had fifty something amazing reviews, and only two poor ones! One (a three star) told me that “My Knightly Dreams started out good and then took a nose dive for the sappy!” Hahaha! I couldn’t help giggling the whole time I read that review. It stung, no doubt, but it was still funny. I give her props for at least being funny with her hatefulness. Another review (a two star) said that “No one has that perfect of a life.” Well, the main character’s family gets abducted, she almost gets forced into marriage with a horrible guy, she’s in love with a man who she thinks wants nothing to do with her and it all happens right before the bubonic plague hits. I wouldn’t say her life was perfect, by any means. So, I guess what I learned from those two negative reviews is that everyone has their own opinions and no matter what I write, not everyone in the world is going to like it. Also, it just reminded me that I like the values I have associated with “being kind.” I was raised that if you don’t have something nice to say, you don’t say anything at all. You appreciate people’s hard work and if it’s not your cup of tea, you just remember to give your opinion constructively and not rudely. However, I truly appreciate the negative and positive reviews I receive, because I really am learning from them and taking it all to heart. Hopefully my next books won’t take any “sappy nose dives.”
Busymomof3: What can readers do to help their favorite Authors?
Brittany Jo James: The best thing any reader can do to help an author is to tell others! Passing the word, “Hey, I just read My Knightly Dreams by Brittany Jo James. It was pretty good and you should totally read it too!” is the best thing anyone can do. Just pass it on to others and help get the word out there! Also, if you want to review it on Amazon, Goodreads, B&N or any other public site, that’s helpful too! Like I said in question 14, I pay attention to every review I receive and try to take it to heart. If it’s just plain mean, I’ll probably cry a while and then try to forget about it (haha) but if it’s seriously constructive and you say, “Here are the positives, and here are the negatives…” It helps me SO much! I write the pros and cons down and apply them to my work in progresses! I desire to improve, and I can only do that if I have the help of my readers.
Busymomof3: How do you balance life, family, kids, work, etc. and still get your writing done?
Brittany Jo James: Coffee! Haha. That’s actually been pretty difficult for me. I’m a stay at home mom, which is nice, but my husband is in the military so he works about twelve hours a day (when he’s even in the same state or country I’m in!). Therefore, he really isn’t able to help with the kids much, take out the trash, or pick up groceries for me. He’s super busy, so sometimes I feel like a “single mom” in every aspect except financially and that keeps me pretty busy too! Plus, we live about 5000 miles from our whole family so I have NO babysitter EVER. It takes a lot of scheduling to make sure I get my projects done on time, as well as handling everything else my daily life throws at me. With two little boys (both too young for school) it never seems like the day is long enough to get everything done but by noon I’m exhausted and ready for bed anyway!
Busymomof3: What's your favorite line from your books?
Brittany Jo James: I love this line in At Least I’m Pretty: Emerald smiled and shrugged her shoulders, answering the only way she knew how. “At least I’m pretty.” Because sometimes that’s the only way you can answer. Don’t like my novels? Well, at least I’m pretty. Haha! Just joking, I really do hope people like my work!
Busymomof3: Were your books hard to write? why?
Brittany Jo James: No, I wouldn’t say they were difficult to write. Sometimes life made them a little more difficult though. For example, since I started writing, I’ve had two children, moved about three times (the joys of being a military wife) and bought homes in a couple different states. We bought our home, here in Alaska, and that’s always a big ordeal.
Busymomof3: What do you have coming in the future?
Brittany Jo James: I have two novels that are ready to be published and two more in the works, so they’ll all be out hopefully by May of 2014. I’m determined to make a career out of this and in order to do that, I’ll have to continuously keep a project going! Hopefully I’m still writing and you’re still reading fifty years from now!
Busymomof3: Any songs that inspired certain scenes in your books?
Busymomof3: Do you have any excerpts from your books or current WIPs you'd like to share?
Brittany Jo James: Sure! This is from my current work in progress, Rebel.
I thought about Daddy and instantly one of our discussions came to mind. “You’re making a mistake leaving this town, girl. Ain’t nothing out there but crooks. Why can’t you just go to the college in town like your brother did?”
“Daddy, that’s a vocational college. I don’t want to learn to weld,” I mumbled, packing my bags.
“What’s wrong with welding? Shoot, you could get a job at the steel mill right across town and make good money.”
“I want to be a psychologist, Daddy.”
“A shrink? That would take ten years to learn to do! I know a man who can print you up a real nice license that will look genuine and never get you caught. You could start charging money for advice tomorrow,” he said seriously as he picked up the phone to dial.
“No, no, no!” I shrieked, yanking the phone from his fingers.
“Daddy, I’m going to college whether you like it or not. I’ll only be an hour from home,” I assured confidently.
MEET THE AUTHOR
Well, twenty four years ago my parents made the decision to name me Brittany Jo Nix. I changed the last part of that to James six years ago when I married my own personal Prince Charming, Conlee. I'm pretty crazy about him, but don't tell him that. We have two sons together, Jagger and Jett. Conlee is in the United States Air Force, so I'm living the Military-Wife-Life and pursuing all my big dreams. Yes, I'm a starving artist... a struggling writer... a self-published author. You get the idea, right? I'm originally from Oklahoma, God's country. Conlee's stationed in Anchorage, Alaska so this is where we are currently living. I write Christian Fiction and Young Adult Romance but I'm new to this, so my niche is still developing. Anyway, I have two dogs (Boo, a Chinese Shar Pei who has a horrible attitude problem, and Bootsie, a toy Pomeranian who eats her own poop) and a chinchilla (Barbra-Jean, who is currently living with my Mother-In-Law). Authors I love include, Johanna Lindsey, K.A. Robinson, Joel Osteen and all those classic authors who are timeless. I've written basically this whole little bio with my kids in my lap so it probably doesn't make a lot of sense.
Follow me on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/brittanyjojames
Read my Blog: http://www.brittanyjojames.blogspot.com/
View my Webpage:http://www.brittanyjojames.wix.com/brittanyjojamesauthor
Read my Blog: http://www.brittanyjojames.blogspot.com/
View my Webpage:http://www.brittanyjojames.wix.com/brittanyjojamesauthor
Find me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brittanyjojamesauthor/info
Follow me on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7196534.Brittany_Jo_James?from_search=true
=D Love it!
ReplyDeleteYay! So happy to hear. Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions. ❤️
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