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INTERVIEW WITH GUEST AUTHOR A. P. JENSEN
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Q: Tell us something about yourself, A. P.
A: I live in Hawaii, where I write contemporary romance, paranormal romance and YA fantasy. I began my self-publishing adventure in May 2013. I’ve self-published 11 books and have about three or four more waiting to be revised, so I don’t plan on stopping anytime soon! I love my lhasa and shih tzu and am (of course) a coffee connoisseur.
Q: How long have you been writing and how long have you been publishing?
A: I’ve been writing since I was around ten years old and I’ve been self-published for three years now.
Q: Are you a plotter or a pantster?
A: It differs for every book. Sometimes I do elaborate outlines and other times I just start. Both methods work.
Q: Do you aim for a set amount of words/pages per day?
A: I do aim for a certain word count per day. In Scrivener I have a target and it keeps me focused.
Q: How long on average does it take you to write a book?
A: It can take me anywhere from 10 days to 3 months. It depends on what’s going on in my life and how demanding my day job is.
Q: Speaking of day jobs, what are some you have held? If any of them impacted your writing, share an example.
A: I’ve done everything from housekeeping to Accounts Payable and a bit in between. I love trying new jobs because it gives me different perspectives and insights that I can work into a story.
Q: As you say, life can often come between us and our plans, so how do you find or make time to write?
A: I’m a binge writer, which makes it hard for me since I don’t like to stop once I get started and I don’t want to stop until it’s finished. At the moment I’ve been trying to write an hour before bed to get my word count in.
Q: What are your ambitions for your writing career?
A: I want to be able to support myself on my writing income. I don’t want to be world renowned. I just want to be able to make enough money to continue to create.
Q: What do you like to read in your free time, and do you prefer print or ebooks?
A: I like to read romance because it absorbs all other genres--suspense, paranormal, contemporary, etc. I prefer ebooks now and am in love with my old Kindle.
Q: Just as your books inspire authors, what authors have inspired you to write?
A: Too many authors to count but the ones that stand out in my mind are: J.K. Rowling, Linda Howard, Julie Garwood, Stephanie Laurens, Jayne Ann Krentz, Nora Roberts, Kristen Ashley, David Eddings, Tamora Pierce, Robin Hobb, Phillip Pullman and so many more!
Q: What do you consider to be your best accomplishment?
A: I would say one of my best accomplishments is finishing a book—eleven times now. ☺
Q: How important are character names to you? Do you choose a name based on liking the way it sounds or the meaning? Do you have any name choosing resources you recommend?
A: I personally hate naming characters. Sometimes I just randomly ask people around me to give me a name for a “bad” character or say “give me a girl’s name.” Other times, I will name the character based on its meaning. It depends. I always have a baby name book handy because at 11 books I think I’ve used up every name in the world! Haha.
Q: Is there a certain type of scene that's harder for you to write than others? Love? Action? Racy?
A: I think racy scenes are harder for me. I rush through them because I feel like a voyeur. And when you’ve written a lot of romance books, you’re wondering how you can make it different from other sex scenes. I tend to get overly creative with dialogue and sex positions…not something I should spend hours thinking about, but it happens.
Q: What is your best marketing tip?
A: Write more books.
Q:What is your least favorite part of the publishing/writing process?
A: Least favorite part of publishing? After publishing, waiting to see if it sells. Least favorite part of writing? Probably rewriting. Cutting/pasting scenes is torture, but you feel so much better when it’s as close to perfect as can be.
Q: If you didn't like writing books, what would you do for a living?
A: Hmm. Anything that could keep my interest. I’m restless by nature and have had nearly 30 jobs, which has given me a lot of material for my books.
Q: Do you read your reviews? Do you respond to them, good or bad? Do you have any advice on how to deal with the bad?
A: I don’t read my reviews anymore. And, no, I don’t respond to good or bad reviews. My advice for dealing with a bad review is to just keep writing. In the beginning when I read bad reviews, I would use it as fuel. “You think that was tame?! Wait until you read this!” (Clears throat) I guess I can be a bit vindictive when riled.
Q: What literary character is most like you?
A: I have to choose one of my own. I think I am most like Raven from my Unmemorable series… aside from her ninja assassin skills.
Q: What are you working on now? What is your next project?
A: Right now I’m working on the fourth book in the White Mist Series, Ever After. It’s about a seamstress turned bridal gown designer who is forced into the spotlight. After Ever After, I’m not quite sure which book I’m going to work on. It depends on which characters jump in front of me, demanding to have their story completed.
A: I live in Hawaii, where I write contemporary romance, paranormal romance and YA fantasy. I began my self-publishing adventure in May 2013. I’ve self-published 11 books and have about three or four more waiting to be revised, so I don’t plan on stopping anytime soon! I love my lhasa and shih tzu and am (of course) a coffee connoisseur.
Q: How long have you been writing and how long have you been publishing?
A: I’ve been writing since I was around ten years old and I’ve been self-published for three years now.
Q: Are you a plotter or a pantster?
A: It differs for every book. Sometimes I do elaborate outlines and other times I just start. Both methods work.
Q: Do you aim for a set amount of words/pages per day?
A: I do aim for a certain word count per day. In Scrivener I have a target and it keeps me focused.
Q: How long on average does it take you to write a book?
A: It can take me anywhere from 10 days to 3 months. It depends on what’s going on in my life and how demanding my day job is.
Q: Speaking of day jobs, what are some you have held? If any of them impacted your writing, share an example.
A: I’ve done everything from housekeeping to Accounts Payable and a bit in between. I love trying new jobs because it gives me different perspectives and insights that I can work into a story.
Q: As you say, life can often come between us and our plans, so how do you find or make time to write?
A: I’m a binge writer, which makes it hard for me since I don’t like to stop once I get started and I don’t want to stop until it’s finished. At the moment I’ve been trying to write an hour before bed to get my word count in.
Q: What are your ambitions for your writing career?
A: I want to be able to support myself on my writing income. I don’t want to be world renowned. I just want to be able to make enough money to continue to create.
Q: What do you like to read in your free time, and do you prefer print or ebooks?
A: I like to read romance because it absorbs all other genres--suspense, paranormal, contemporary, etc. I prefer ebooks now and am in love with my old Kindle.
Q: Just as your books inspire authors, what authors have inspired you to write?
A: Too many authors to count but the ones that stand out in my mind are: J.K. Rowling, Linda Howard, Julie Garwood, Stephanie Laurens, Jayne Ann Krentz, Nora Roberts, Kristen Ashley, David Eddings, Tamora Pierce, Robin Hobb, Phillip Pullman and so many more!
Q: What do you consider to be your best accomplishment?
A: I would say one of my best accomplishments is finishing a book—eleven times now. ☺
Q: How important are character names to you? Do you choose a name based on liking the way it sounds or the meaning? Do you have any name choosing resources you recommend?
A: I personally hate naming characters. Sometimes I just randomly ask people around me to give me a name for a “bad” character or say “give me a girl’s name.” Other times, I will name the character based on its meaning. It depends. I always have a baby name book handy because at 11 books I think I’ve used up every name in the world! Haha.
Q: Is there a certain type of scene that's harder for you to write than others? Love? Action? Racy?
A: I think racy scenes are harder for me. I rush through them because I feel like a voyeur. And when you’ve written a lot of romance books, you’re wondering how you can make it different from other sex scenes. I tend to get overly creative with dialogue and sex positions…not something I should spend hours thinking about, but it happens.
Q: What is your best marketing tip?
A: Write more books.
Q:What is your least favorite part of the publishing/writing process?
A: Least favorite part of publishing? After publishing, waiting to see if it sells. Least favorite part of writing? Probably rewriting. Cutting/pasting scenes is torture, but you feel so much better when it’s as close to perfect as can be.
Q: If you didn't like writing books, what would you do for a living?
A: Hmm. Anything that could keep my interest. I’m restless by nature and have had nearly 30 jobs, which has given me a lot of material for my books.
Q: Do you read your reviews? Do you respond to them, good or bad? Do you have any advice on how to deal with the bad?
A: I don’t read my reviews anymore. And, no, I don’t respond to good or bad reviews. My advice for dealing with a bad review is to just keep writing. In the beginning when I read bad reviews, I would use it as fuel. “You think that was tame?! Wait until you read this!” (Clears throat) I guess I can be a bit vindictive when riled.
Q: What literary character is most like you?
A: I have to choose one of my own. I think I am most like Raven from my Unmemorable series… aside from her ninja assassin skills.
Q: What are you working on now? What is your next project?
A: Right now I’m working on the fourth book in the White Mist Series, Ever After. It’s about a seamstress turned bridal gown designer who is forced into the spotlight. After Ever After, I’m not quite sure which book I’m going to work on. It depends on which characters jump in front of me, demanding to have their story completed.
You can learn more about A.P Jensen and her works at the following sites:
Website: http://www.apjensen.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/authorapjensen
Twitter: http://twitter.com/authorAPJensen
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/authorAPJensen/
Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/A.-P.-Jensen/e/B00COQVH50/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7104155.A_P_Jensen
Website: http://www.apjensen.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/authorapjensen
Twitter: http://twitter.com/authorAPJensen
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/authorAPJensen/
Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/A.-P.-Jensen/e/B00COQVH50/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7104155.A_P_Jensen
