Today I am pleased to welcome Jennifer Loiske to my blog! She graciously agreed to answer some questions and I am excited for you all to get to know her! In this interview you'll learn about books and writers who have helped Jennifer, writers she admires, advice she has to give, and info about her writing!
Hi Jennifer, and welcome to my blog! Why don't you tell us a little bit about yourself?
I live in Finland in Naantali, which is a small sunny town on the southwest coast (mostly known as the Moomin Valley). I’m a pre-school teacher by profession but I stayed home when my youngest daughter suffered brain fever, which developed severe epilepsy in 2004. I guess that’s when I first considered starting writing again as I had to stay awake and monitor her whilst she was sleeping and it can be really sleepy and boring when the house is quiet… I’m a workaholic and I always have a lot of projects going on at the same time. I write articles to the magazines and I’m a part of the team that makes Epilepsy Finland Magazine. I love chips, cheesy teen movies (and series too!), books, animals and I have a soft spot for the ones in need of a helping hand. A huge part of my royalties go to charity; mainly to help families with epileptic children but also to the epilepsy units in the hospitals.
Wow, that is such a wonderful thing to do with your life! I hope someday to make enough money from my books that I can create a charity of my own. And Finland, I imagine that is a beautiful place! Now, to learn some more about you: I am one who thinks that it is vital for writers to read the works of others, so to start off with, what do you like to read?
I
read mainly PNR but once in a while I try to jump out of my comfort zone and
read something totally different.
Are
there particular writers that you admire?
Many
and with various reasons but just to mention a few I love Jennifer L.
Armentrout’s effortless way to write, Richelle Mead’s ability to keep up the
suspension until the very last page and L.J. Smith’s versatility.
Those sounds like great writers to look up to. What
have you learned about writing from reading the books that you love?
That
one of the most important things is to create believable characters, end the
chapters with a hook and make sure there are no mess ups in your plot.
Some really great advice! If
there was one author you could meet with and learn from one on one, who would
you choose?
Only
one? Hmmm…maybe L.J. Smith as her imaginary worlds are beyond the others and
also because she is one of the few writers whose books I like to read over and
over again.
From your experience as a reader and writer, what
advice would you give to aspiring writers?
Dare
to dream and never give up! If you’re willing to work hard you will achieve
your dream one day. But if you think the big publishers, movie producers and
agents are gonna come knocking on your door while you just sit and wait…wake
up! It takes a lot of hard work, sweat and tears before the success.
I love how you said that! Any
advice for the editing process?
First
advice: edit, edit, edit and then edit some more. And the second: Know when to
quit editing!
I whole-heartedly agree. Editing is so important, but at some point you have to just let it go. If
you could do everything over (writing your book, or publishing, etc.) would you
change anything?
Yes.
I think I did every possible mistake with my first book. So definitely yes. I
would re-write some parts of the story and change the plot line a bit…
Yeah, I know what that feels like, haha. My first book is FAR from being anywhere near a publisher. Is
there anything particularly helpful you have found as you have
written/edited/published?
Gather
an awesome writing team around you. You don’t have to do everything alone and
it actually makes your writing better when you listen to what the others have
to say about it.
You are just full of great advice today :) And now a for some more general questions, just for fun. To start off with, one of my favorite questions: What
did you want to be when you were little?
Does
Jane count? Although, I’m not sure I’d have been totally comfortable living in
the jungle and jumping from tree to tree. But seriously (and don’t laugh) I’ve
always wanted to be a writer.
Awesome! Do
you plan on being a full time writer, or do you have other career plans?
Well,
one can always dream, so yes, of course I wish I could be a full time writer and
hopefully sooner than later.
How
long have you been writing?
Since
I knew what to do with a pen.
What
do you write? Specific genres, ages groups, etc.
I
write Paranormal and Paranormal Romance stories for young adults and new
adults. I’ve also tried my wings with the children’s stories but somehow I
always find myself in the middle of vampires, shape-shifters, witches and
demons.
Why
that particular genre/age group?
I
have absolutely no idea. It could be something else too as the stories just
pops into my mind and after that I’m like possessed. I simply have to write it
down. Maybe it’s because I love PNR or maybe I’m not mature enough to write
stories for adults, but either way I really love writing that genre.
Ebook,
paperback, or hardcover?
Ebook
and a paperback. I don’t care much about hardcovers. They’re not so easy to
slip into the bag and besides they cost more than the other ones.
I completely agree. What
are you currently working on?
I’m
writing a sequel to my Immortal Blood series. I’m also part of the Authors For
Charity, which is an association of writers who are willing to donate stories
for charity (all profits go to charity!) and we just launched our first charity
book TALES OF AN OLD WIZARD (age 9+ and up) and are organizing another charity
book for young adults.
That sounds wonderful! I am lucky enough to have won a copy of Tales of an Old Wizard and I am excited to read it! What
makes your writing unique?
That
you have to ask from my readers.
Nice answer! Do you have any writing rituals? Treats you have to have, places you have to be, etc.?
I
once answered this very same question saying no. But then I thought about it
and I have to admit that every time I have a new story in mind I drive myself
to a very dark place by exhausting both my mind and body before starting to
write…I listen to a ‘dark music’, watch certain series, stay up all night and
take a long walks whilst letting my brain work…
Sounds intense! What
are some of your hobbies besides writing and reading?
I
have two dogs and I try to train them whenever I have time. I also read a lot,
sail, and try to drag myself to the gym.
You must have a lot of fun with those things! Do
you listen to music while you write? If so, what do you listen to?
Actually
no. But I always listen to music just before I start writing. I love Linkin
Park, Evanescence, Adam Lambert, Bruno Mars, Disturbed, Pink, Olly Murs, Ed
Sheeran and some I’m too ashamed to mention…
Haha, fair enough! And now, the big quesion: Where
can people go to learn more about you and your work?
Why
would someone like your book(s)?
Hmm…well,
most of them are fun and engaging (CLUB NUMBER FIVE, BLACK DIAMOND). A bit
sassy and quite ‘easy’ to read. But if you’re looking for more serious PNR then
my Shape Shifter series (IMMINENCE, SEDUCTION) are the ones to read. It’s a
series full of possibilities, facts about epilepsy, wolves and of course some
young paranormal love…
They sounds really interesting, and totally something Caitlin Hensley would be interested in. For a little bit of fun, how
old were you when you finished your first book?
Twenty-ish.
It was a children’s book but then life happened and I had to put my writing
aside for a while. It took almost six years after that before I was able to
start writing again.
How
long did it take you to write it?
About
one year. Yeah, I know I’m a slow writer…and yeah, it only had thirty-ish
pages…
I think any pace of writing is great :) You mentioned some of your published books earlier, but can you tell us about everything you currently have available?
Yes.
I have two books from my Shape Shifter series out, IMMINENCE and SEDUCTION.
Then I have a first book, CLUB NUMBER FIVE, from my Immortal Blood series and
BLACK DIAMOND from McLean Twins out. I also have published a charity book, THE
TALES OF AN OLD WIZARD, with four other writers and two of my short stories
have been published in Little Acorn Press’s anthology.
And just because I have to ask everyone, because I am sort of obsessed, have
you ever participated in NaNoWriMo?
Nope.
Maybe some day but that would require me being a lot more organized and
discipline than I am.
And one last question. So many writers, all of them I think, occasionally have problems being motivated. What
do you do to keep yourself going when you aren’t motivated?
So
far I’ve always been motivated. I have so many writing projects going on at the
same time that if I get bored with one I always have another one waiting. So
never a dull moment.
There you go writers, just be like Jennifer and always be motivated! That's my new goal, since I haven't been doing much lately. Jennifer, thank you so much for such a great interview! Thanks for stopping by today! Readers, I hope you learned a lot today, because I did! Don't forget to show some love and check out Jennifer's sites and books. Have a great day!
