Wednesday, November 13, 2013

Author Interview – Kristen James @writerkristenj

at 1:00 AM

Image of Kristen James

Who do you admire?

I admire people who believe in their dreams and work toward them.

What is your favorite quality about yourself?

I love my creative side, and also how I can think about things and people differently.

What inspired you to write your first book?

I didn’t see it at the time, but I copied my favorite movies. I was around ten years old and wrote a novel very similar to Swiss Family Robinson.

Do you intend to make writing a career?

I’ve planned to be a career novelist for quite a while now, and it’s become a reality in the last three years.

Have you developed a specific writing style?

It’s happened through practice and intention. There are things I work on, and see mentioned in reviews, so I feel my style is emerging to my readers. I work towards having characters that feel real and have real emotions. I love using dialogue and actions to show inner changes. More and more, my novels feature married romance and families, and I set most of my books in Oregon.

What is your greatest strength as a writer?

This is a bit broad, but many reviews say, “I couldn’t put the book down!” Others say it’s a great story. That points to having a strong plot and memorable characters. I’m always working on the big things like that, and I try to polish the things people praise about my writing too. I’ve been complimented on my description, and I love to show the beauty of Oregon and the Pacific Northwest. Readers have also complimented my dialogue, which I really enjoy writing.

Have you ever had writer’s block? If so, what do you do about it?

“Writer’s Block” can mean so many things. Maybe the story isn’t working, so I need to take a break and think about it. Or I need to refresh my brain by getting out for a while or reading. Or maybe there’s something that’s holding the story from flowing well or moving forward. Other times I find a new subplot to add. I try to focus on moving forward, one way or another. Even if I step away and stop writing, I don’t see it as being blocked. I know I’ll come back later and make progress.

Can you share a little of your current work with us?

Point Hope is a romance and family drama set on the Oregon Coast. Trey and Rosette are splitting up, but tragedy stops their plans.

How did you come up with the title?

I originally called this story Raising Hope, related to the orphaned baby, but I learned about a TV show with the same name. I thought about the story and setting, and Point Hope seemed perfect. I end up liking it even better, and it relates to the story on several levels.

Can you tell us about your main character?

Trey has PTSD and feels very disconnected from his wife and family. Rosette feels like he locked her out. They’re dealing with relationship issues, and then they lose two family members and gain a new baby.

How did you develop your plot and characters?

I thought about how people would really deal with a situation like this, and I also wanted to show that family really matters. Stories tend to simmer in my mind, too, so I’ll be doing something else and new story points click into place. I can’t always say where all the ideas come from.

Who is your publisher?

I’ve been self publishing for the last few years, and this year Montlake Romance picked up my latest novel. So far I love working with them, and hope to continue the relationship.

Why did you choose to write this particular book?

It began with a simple idea: what would happen if a couple decided to divorce and then found a baby on their doorstep? I changed that to make it more complicated and believable, but the main idea stuck. I wanted to show the love can conquer all.

Point Hope Cover

Buy Now @ Amazon

Genre - Romance (women’s fiction/ family drama)

Rating – PG13

More details about the author and the book

Connect with Kristen James on Facebook & Twitter

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