Woop Woop, im very excited today, because today im doing my first interview since being back blogging. Today im going to be interviewing Stacy Juba but before I do lets find out a little bit about her.
Stacy Juba loves to write stories about Characters at a Crossroads: individuals who are finding themselves and getting on the right life path after overcoming obstacles. Her goals are to entertain readers of all ages as well as inspire them. She has made numerous bestseller lists including GalleyCat’s Barnes & Noble Bestsellers and GalleyCat’s Mystery and Thriller Bestsellers. Stacy has written about reality TV contestants targeted by a killer, an obit writer investigating a cold case, teen psychics who control minds, twin high school hockey stars battling on the ice, and teddy bears learning to raise the U.S. flag. She has had a book ranked as #5 in the Nook Store and #30 on the Amazon Kindle Paid List. Stacy also offers a beta reading/editing service for writers. Watch for her upcoming romantic comedy Fooling Around With Cinderella.
1,When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer, what was the very first idea you came up with for a story...did it take long for you to get your first book published.
Stacy Juba loves to write stories about Characters at a Crossroads: individuals who are finding themselves and getting on the right life path after overcoming obstacles. Her goals are to entertain readers of all ages as well as inspire them. She has made numerous bestseller lists including GalleyCat’s Barnes & Noble Bestsellers and GalleyCat’s Mystery and Thriller Bestsellers. Stacy has written about reality TV contestants targeted by a killer, an obit writer investigating a cold case, teen psychics who control minds, twin high school hockey stars battling on the ice, and teddy bears learning to raise the U.S. flag. She has had a book ranked as #5 in the Nook Store and #30 on the Amazon Kindle Paid List. Stacy also offers a beta reading/editing service for writers. Watch for her upcoming romantic comedy Fooling Around With Cinderella.1,When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer, what was the very first idea you came up with for a story...did it take long for you to get your first book published.
I wrote my first story in third
grade, a supernatural tale called The Curse of the White Witch, and by fifth
grade, I was writing my own mystery series. I wrote my first novel at age 16,
and submitted it to a contest for teenage writers. It won the competition and
received a publishing contract with a New York publisher. The book was my young
adult family hockey novel, Face-Off, which I recently brought back into print.
2,When writing a story what comes first, the character or the idea for the novel...
The
idea for the novel comes first and then I give a lot of thought to what kind of
character would best be suited as the protagonist of this story.
3,We all have things going on in our lives, so i
was wondering if there has been any thing in your life that has influenced your
work..
I've
gotten book ideas from things that have happened in my life. For example, I got
the idea of my upcoming romantic comedy Fooling Around With Cinderella, about a
reluctant theme park Cinderella, after visiting a fairy tale theme park with my
family a couple years ago. On the way back from the castle, I stopped short and
I must have had that look in my eye as my husband asked me, "What, do you
have an idea for a book?" My mystery novel Twenty-Five Years Ago Today was
inspired from my days as an editorial assistant and reporter for a daily newspaper,
and my character Cassidy from my mystery novel Sink or Swim is a personal
trainer for a health club as I studied exercise physiology in college and
briefly worked in a gym.
4, i was wondering if you could tell me what
catches your attention when your not writing, how do you spend your free time..
do you have things you like doing by your self or with your family.
I
love to read and I've recently taken up a drawing hobby called Zentangle which
is very relaxing and helps me to be more creative. I enjoy doing yoga and
Zumba. I also love spending time with my husband and kids.
5,Do you have any advise for anybody out there who
is trying to make it as a writer....
I
would advise taking writing classes, finding critique partners, and reading a
lot of books about editing to hone your craft. I also recommend researching all
of the publishing options available nowadays, both self-publishing and the
traditional route. E-books have changed everything and opened up the field of
writers . I advise hanging out on online writers communities both for
networking and to stay informed of the latest developments in the publishing
industry.
6,Can you tell me about your latest work and when
it will be out on sale for us all to buy.
My
latest novel is Fooling Around With Cinderella and it should be out for sale in
early 2015. I'm really excited about it
as romantic comedy is a brand new genre for me. It's also the first in my
Storybook Valley series.
This
is the blurb: Unemployed marketing coordinator Jaine
Andersen needs a job. When she proposes a new management role to the Storybook
Valley theme park, filling the glass slippers of Cinderella for the summer is
not what she had in mind, but her cute boss Dylan promises that the princess
stint is only temporary. Now that she’s Cinderella, men suddenly show romantic
interest in this “plain Jane,” including Prince Charming and an ex-boyfriend
who suddenly re-enters the picture. As she adjusts to her new popularity, Jaine
contends with hiding the embarrassing job from her annoying sisters, finding a
date for a family wedding, proving her marketing savvy with an end-of-summer
ball, and struggling to ignore her growing feelings for her boss. Her life has
spiraled into Fairy Tale hell, but can Jaine still find her happily ever after?
7,which is your favourite character and why, but
all so who is your least favourite character and why..
My
favorite character always seems to be the protagonist of the book I'm currently
writing, so at the moment it is Jaine from Fooling Around With Cinderella. I
think readers will enjoy rooting for her.
My least favorite character is Candace from my young adult thriller Dark
Before Dawn. She is a teen psychic who isn't very nice!
8, is there a question that you are really sick of
answering, and if I've all ready asked it im so very sorry lol.
Hmm.
Sometimes I get asked abstract questions like if I were an animal, what animal
would I be, or if I was stranded on a desert island, what is the one thing I
would take. I never know what to say!
9,ok a totally random question for you because im a
totally random person.. if you could have dinner with anybody, weather they
dead or alive who would it be and where would you go with them and why.
Another
abstract question, lol! I guess it would be with my grandparents. They have all
passed away and there are two that I miss and two that I never met, so it would
be amazing to spend time with them and have them show me their favorite places.
10, Oops sorry about the last question lol,*looks sheepish* Has there
been any thing you have written that you really didn’t like, anything that just
didn’t feel right...
I
have several novels in my drawer, written when I was in college. I liked them
at the time, but they got rejected and now I can see why. They lacked character
development and a central conflict. They were good practice, but I know they
aren't publishable. They were all young adult novels - "problem novels"
which were popular in the 1980s when I was
growing up but went out of fashion.
thanks for taking the time to answer my questions, is there anything
else you would like to tell my followers. .
Please stop by
to visit my website at http://stacyjuba.com/blog/
Check out my freebie page: http://stacyjuba.com/blog/short-stories/
and sign up for my newsletter to be informed of my latest news: http://stacyjuba.com/blog/newsletter-subscription/
You can also
follow me and say hello on Facebook and Twitter.
https://twitter.com/stacyjuba
Thanks so much for the interview! I had fun answering these questions!
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