Hello Readers! I’m here today with author Vivien Jackson!
I
have to tell you that I just finished reading WANTED AND WIRED, Book 1 of this series and I completely understand why it was selected as an Amazon Best Book of 2017 in the romance
category and was named as one of the 2018 Romance Writers of America® RITA® Finalists in the Paranormal
Romance category. Such a great book! You can find out more about this super Sci-Fi novel in my review.
Pour yourself another cup of coffee... or glass of wine, depending on what time of day you're reading this, and let's find out a bit about this amazing author!
Scherry: Hi Vivien!
I was so excited to hear that you will be at the Coastal Magic Convention
in Daytona Beach in February as one of Coastal Magic’s Featured Authors.
Can you tell us a little about yourself and
your background? Your family? Any pets?
Vivien: I’m a big
ol’ geek in a family full of ‘em. One of our favorite things to do together is
play games – board games, video games, tabletop RPGs, the works. We went to PAX
South a few years ago, and whoa! Like Christmas. Folks who’ve played Shadowrun
will definitely find echoes in Wanted and
Wired.
We also have two permanent small furries – Chihuahuas Lily and Tahiti – and a
couple of frequent canine and feline guests at Casa Jackson. Here are my two
weirdos.
Scherry: Ohmigosh! Lily and Tahiti are adorable! Just look at those little faces!
Are you originally from Austin, Texas? What brought you there?
Vivien: I’m
originally from Houston, but when I went to Austin for college I sort of …
stayed there. I hear lots of people do, there’s no shame in it. Austin is a
pretty groovy town.
Scherry: How do you balance home life and your life
as a writer?
Vivien: Well, that
is the trick, isn’t it? I still haven’t figured that out. Most of my writing
is jammed into kids-out-of-the-house
time, which happens on the regular during school but is something of a premium
in summer. I’m not getting much done right now!
Scherry: WANTED AND WIRED was quite intense and
action-packed. How did you come up with
that story line? And those characters?
Vivien: I love how
it turned into a hair-on-fire wild ride, but it sure didn’t start that way. I
have a degree in literature, so I set out to write a near-future cautionary
dystopia about bigotry. (Yawn.) But I couldn’t maintain my serious very long,
apparently, and then the hot-sex happened and oh look a cat and … the story got
out of hand. Also, it’s my first novel, so I was figuring out what I was doing
as we went along. I guess you could say it evolved.
Scherry: I was surprised when I discovered this was your debut novel. It seemed much more like it was written by a seasoned writer. Great job! What did you edit out of this book?
Vivien: I had
originally wanted to do an ongoing series about the adventures of Mari and
Heron and their adorable little sexy group of bandits, but when we decided to
restructure the series so that each book would feature a new couple and their
HEA, I had to rework the ending of Wanted
and Wired and completely ditch the epilogue and the half-drafted next book.
At first I mourned a little for what almost was, but then I got to know Kellen
and Angela a little better and now am so happy they got their own book in PERFECT GRAVITY.
Scherry: Do you have any inspirational items on your
desk or wherever you write? Pictures,
figurines, guns, robotics?
Vivien: I write
whenever and wherever I can snatch a moment of privacy, so… not really? When
I’m feeling low, I have a digital collage of encouraging feedback emails and
awards and stuff, and I’ll put that on my computer as its wallpaper to remind
myself that I don’t suck at this.
Scherry: You definitely do not suck at this! Ever go on writing retreats with a few
writing buddies? If so, where would you
go and who would you be with?
Vivien: I’ve gone on
several retreats with my local Austin RWA chapter, but I have to confess those
are mostly social events for me. I’m a private writer. I like to closet myself
away from the rest of the world and completely subsume reality into the
fiction. That’s my happy, productive place.
Scherry: If you had the opportunity to live anywhere
in the world for a year while writing a book that took place in that same
setting, where would you choose?
Vivien: A co-worker
once took a three-month vacation in a remote village in northern Scotland. I
remember thinking that sounded sort of like heaven.
Scherry: What’s the funniest typo you’ve ever
written?
Vivien: I wish I
could remember, because I’m sure there have been howlers, but my internal sense
of shame has edited those out of my brain.
Scherry: What is your favorite word, and why?
Vivien: Forever,
because it’s implicitly laden with so much joy and so much heartache. It’s a
million questions and what-ifs in a single word.
Scherry: How long did it take you to write your
first book? Did the second go more
quickly or did it take longer?
Vivien: Wanted and Wired took… four years? Five?
Even though the initial draft went swiftly, I was pecking at it for a looooong
time as I learned how to be a writer. But when we signed the contract with a
publisher, I promised to turn over the next two books in the series within a
year, and I hadn’t started either of them. Perfect
Gravity was on time, and I was three weeks late with the second (the third
book in the series, Chloe’s book). That year was amazing and exhausting and
magic and I will never do that to myself or my family again.
Scherry: What do you do when you’re not
writing? Do you have any hobbies or
guilty pleasures?
Vivien: No guilt! I
play a lot of games. Like, a lot. My favorites are the single-player
story-driven RPG videogames, like Dragon
Age and Fallout. I have a secret
strategy for kicking ass at the board game Settlers
of Catan (not telling!), and I once won a prize for role-playing a vampire
at a con. Every week, the hubs and I log on and play an MMORPG with friends
who’ve been playing with us since World
of Warcraft was in beta. So, yes, games. And I read and write fanfic, of
course.
Scherry: Which writers inspire you?
Vivien: Mary
Balogh’s Regencies made me want to write romance. John Keats’s hand-written
manuscripts convinced me that revision isn’t a sign of weakness or lack of
talent. Sherry Thomas’s historicals taught me that romances can be complicated
and layered. Gabriel Garcia Marquez inspired me to play with linear structure
and magic. Haruki Murakami showed me the beauty within the bizarre. J. R. R.
Tolkien planted beauty and pathos in my brain. Neal Stephenson’s Snow Crash and The Diamond Age made me want to write a story not just about taking
over the world but about a female character leading the way.
Scherry: What are the upsides and downsides of being
an author?
Vivien: The upside
is I get to tell stories. The downside is I have to sell them.
Scherry: What has been one of your most rewarding
experiences as an author?
Vivien: This last
spring, I was pretty low, pretty sure I didn’t belong here in authorland. And
then I got a phone call informing me that my debut novel was a Romance Writers
of America RITA finalist. Talk about validation. I cried for most of that day.
It was just so overwhelming, the notion that my peers had read my book and
thought I’d done an okay job.
Scherry: Are there any nuggets of wisdom you can
impart to aspiring writers?
Vivien: Don’t make
your goals so big and so beyond your control that you’re constantly dealing
with a sense of failure. Make smaller, achievable goals. And really, in this
business, the only goal you have complete control over is finishing the book.
So write books. Lots of them. That’s where the magic is.
Scherry: So, say you got arrested. What’s the most likely reason the cops are
carting you off to jail? And who would
be with you?
Vivien: Whatever
shenanigans we got up to, my amazing critique partners would ensure we would
never be caught.
Scherry: Great answer! Tell us about your most embarrassing
bookish experience.
Vivien: Every time I
send a pitch or a draft out to another person to view is the most embarrassing
moment for me. It never gets easier to share.
Scherry: What type of books do you enjoy in your
downtime?
Vivien: I love
science fiction romance and paranormal romance, but when I’m writing I have to
read elsewhere. My brain just needs that outside-the-genre input. I read a lot
of popular science books, thrillers, historical romance, nonfiction history,
and science fiction.
Scherry: What are some great books you’ve read
recently?
Vivien: Eep! Well, I
judged for the RITA and PRISM contests (not in my own category!), so I’ve read
some pretty incredible books … that I can’t talk about. Just check out the
finalists for those contests; you’ll find some goodies.
Scherry: Who are some of your favorite authors?
Vivien: I don’t have
a whole lot of auto-buy writers, but these guys get my click-finger working
every time: Sherry Thomas, Darynda Jones, John Scalzi, Brandon Sanderson,
Haruki Murakami, Jodi Picoult, Beverly Jenkins, Michio Kaku, Dean Koontz,
Rebecca Royce, Kit Rocha, Farrah Rochon. Erm, the list goes on. So maybe it is a whole lot. lol
Scherry: What is next for you? Do you have any scheduled upcoming book
signings, releases or works in progress?
Vivien: I will be
hosting a table at the Buns & Roses literacy event in Dallas in October,
and then next February/March I’ll be at Coastal Magic in Daytona Beach (my
first time! I’m so looking forward to this! I have reason to believe that
Coastal Magic is my people).
In terms of
releases, the third and book in my Wanted
and Wired series is complete and ready to go, but I will be self-publishing
it and have no idea what I’m doing! So, I guess you can look for that as soon
as I can educate myself on how to do this indie thing and get contractors lined
up. Also, she needs a title. *gulp*
Scherry: So, if you are a fan in the Dallas area, be sure to find Vivien at Buns & Roses. And definitely come to see her in Daytona Beach at Coastal Magic 2019.
Vivien, thank you for being with us here at The Novel Lady. I am looking forward to seeing you at Coastal Magic in February!
Hey Readers! If you want to learn more about Vivien Jackson or want to contact her, here's where to find her!
Email:
jacksonvivien@gmail.com
Website:
http://www.vivienjackson.com
Facebook:
I have a reader group! Viv’s Vortex of Readers and Space Vodka: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2193046674256564/
Twitter:
@Vivien_Jackson
#CMCon19, #VivienJackson, #Wanted&Wired
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