Author Interview With Cassandra Janey

Today we have an interview with the author Cassandra Janey!
So, what exactly do you write?

Excellent question. Mainly, I write romance. Specifically, it actually varies. Right now, my main works in progress are contemporary, small town romances. On the side, I have started a Young Adult romance involving a mute girl; an adult Fantasy romance involving a half faerie/half human King and his human wife he technically kidnapped from Earth; and a Historical/time-travel/paranormal romance about a woman who is tossed back to 1812 to be the wife of an Earl at the hand of an Angel who wants to catch his evil brother. As you can see, I enjoy spreading my writing love around, haha.

How would you describe yourself in a short third-person bio?

Cassandra is a puzzle, one in which most people cannot figure out. Awkward and introverted, she does not talk much in person and enjoys people watching more than participation. That is, until she gets to know you, in which you will find it difficult to get her to be quiet. The oldest of seven girls, with one older brother, she is considered bossy, stubborn, compassionate, kind and a great listener. She finds it easiest to be herself online, though.

What made you initially want to write? Has your motivation changed since then?

I have written since I was a little girl. I’d write stories down in notebooks. When I was about ten or eleven, I submitted a story to a publisher. It was about a girl who was adopted into a new family and they gave her a new name, it was all rainbows and happiness. The publisher at the time actually sent back a letter telling me that I was a great writer, but here’s what I could work on. It was really nice and I don’t remember the specifics now, but it really stuck with me.

My motivation has not changed. I want to share my stories. Most of the time, they are from my point of view, the way I would describe things, or feel them, etc. I believe in love and the power it can have over you. In general, my stories are described as ‘sweet’ by those who read them – with heroes who just simply want the heroine. It’s a quiet thing – I’m not high drama and do not really like writing dangerous scenes. That’s not real life – and even though I read to escape, I still don’t want to have that level of disbelief going on. That’s what keeps me writing. That…and the love of HAPPY ENDINGS! 🙂

What do you think is the most important part of writing?

The desire to do it. Without that, nothing else will matter. You could have a million stories to tell, but if you don’t want to write, it will not matter. I didn’t write for a long time and it was because, honestly, college (Uni to those in the UK) ruined it for me. Especially when every class, including Accounting, thought making us write papers was a good idea. For a while, I didn’t write anything because I simply couldn’t stand to look at an empty document on the computer without wanting to cry. So yeah, I had to want to write, more than anything else, before I could finally do it again! 🙂

What is your favourite part of writing?

Finishing! Haha. No actually, its the sharing. I love when I’m writing and I can share scenes, get feedback and advice. It’s great. I also love when it’s over and someone reads the whole story and says they sobbed at the end, in happiness of course. I love the fact I can move people with a story. I also love when a book does that to me. I know I’ve read a good story when I’m either crying during reading it because I identify with it, or I feel so…content when it is over. There is nothing better than the love you have for a truly good book – and then the desire to share that book with the world as well.

Tell us an interesting fact about you.

I have been unofficially diagnosed with Aspergers Syndrome and PTSD by my clinical counselor. In reality, I cannot afford to pay thousands of dollars to get to a specialist. However, I fit all the criteria for that diagnosis and when someone finally said it, it was like all the pieces of my life fit together. When I was a young girl, it certainly wasn’t something they thought most girls had and even if it had been, my family certainly didn’t think anything wrong with me.

It is not something I talk about all that much because being unofficially diagnosed, I feel that nobody except those closest to me would take it seriously. Without knowing me and simply being online, people cannot see it but it affects everything I do. My writing is a perfect example – I’m not descriptive, and it is usually very crisp & clean. In general, I have adapted exceedingly well but after 26 years, I had learned to gloss over my weirdness. However, it made it impossible to relate with others or get close to them. Now, it is something I embrace and I am much happier, even if people think I’m weird. I’m totally okay with that! 😀

Do you have a day-job (other than writing)?

Technically, no. At least, not a job I get paid for. I am a stay at home mother to an almost 4 year old son. Although recently, I did start blogging for Novelnook. I consider that a job but it’s not something I get paid for, yet, as it’s rather new.

Do you prefer a physical book or an ebook? Why?

Definitely a paperback. eBooks are great, but when technology breaks, you chance being left out in the cold. I say that even as all my writing is done on my computer and I’d be bumming without it! Nothing compares though, to holding a book in your hands. Not to mention, I have collected romance novels of my favorite Authors since I was a young girl. It mainly started when I was around twelve and I probably had about $3,000 worth of paperbacks at one point. I still collect my favorite Authors. I can only hope to inspire that kind of devotion in my readers!

Are you an indie author, or did you/would you get your work published traditionally?

At this point, I am neither. I am simply a writer and author. I’ve submitted my first novel to Avon Romance on March 31st and have an agonizing 8 to 12 weeks to wait for an answer. After that, I intend to self-publish if I am turned down. So, it will depend on what happens!

How long does it take you, on average, to produce a completed first draft of a novel?

I don’t really have an average at this point. My first novel ‘Love Renewed’ was started during NaNoWriMo last year. I finished and promptly deleted the last 10,000 words. I put it aside because I was stuck. Why was I stuck? Because I debated how to continue – if I’d have a sex scene or not, in all honesty! I started writing my historical romance, only to be halted by the need for more research on the time period, even though I’ve read historical romances since I was 12 years old. Then I started writing my fantasy romance, only to realize I needed to ‘world build’ as I intended it to be a series and needed a map. Then I tried to draw a map – did I mention I am NOT artistic in any way? I still draw stick figures.

Then I picked up ‘Love Renewed’ again in a moment of determination to finish and submit it. I gave myself a deadline…and I finished with enough days left to have a few people read it and give feedback. So if I go by that, FOUR MONTHS would be my average. However, I’m participating in CAMP NANOWRIMO this month (April) with the intent to finish book two, ‘Love Desired’ in that time. However, I am often distracted by shiny things so this is all dependent upon my ability to focus.

I also struggle with getting the words out. My novels come in pieces and parts, even with deadlines I give myself. That’s why I have so many stories – because I bounce around until the characters scream at me to come back and write their scenes!

What is the minimum word count that you would consider to be a ‘novel’?

Well, ‘Love Renewed’ ended up being roughly 46,000 words. From what I’ve read, that is considered a novella, as 50k is the length for a “novel” but because I am dialogue heavy with only necessary descriptions, I think 46,000 is really close. I consider my story a novel because it’s a whole story. It’s not rushed, it’s just the way it ended up. I didn’t want to fluff it up to hit 50,000 words, even though I was tempted. I say a novel should be 45k+ but maybe I’m bias 🙂

Which projects are you working on at the moment?

The easier question is, what am I not working on?

Let’s see. So, my YA romance is being written very slowly. It’s tentatively titled “Don’t Speak” and it’s about a mute sixteen year old girl named Helena Jensen. I’ve actually posted the first scene on my blog. It’s the only story I’ve written that is in first person. I don’t actually LIKE first person most of the time…but her story calls for it. She’s an American girl but her father is Swedish. Of course, it’s a romance so it has to have a boy – cue Vincent Wolfe, an English boy who will befriend her from the very beginning. I’m excited about it, as you later find out what made her choose to stay mute, along with finding out she has Aspergers.

Then, I am working on ‘Love Desired’ as I mentioned above. It is Ramsey and Arabella’s story. Mainly Ramsey lives in the small town, Arabella shows up out of nowhere, running from her abusive boyfriend of seven years. She’s also pregnant. Ramsey puts up an ad for a wife, his reasons later revealed. I love this story so far and feel the desire (haha) to write it more than the first. I think its because I can relate better to Arabella than I did to Charlotte in ‘Love Renewed’ even though I think all my characters have a bit to do with me.

After that will be book 3, called ‘Love Hidden’ about Gwyneth and Lucien, best friends since forever. Classic love story but it will have a twist, as Gwyneth will have said over the years she’s had boyfriends when she hasn’t dated since HS. She lost her HS sweetheart in a terrible accident and is afraid to love someone for fear they will leave her. I think that story will be a bit of fun, honestly!

How has writing changed your life?

It has allowed me to express myself. As a child,I had difficulty making friends. I had a few definitely, but I also moved a lot with my family. Being online and socializing was the way I stayed connected with people. I always felt out of place everywhere else – but not online. It is the best way I can communicate. You will get more information out of me online that you will get in person. I can be open, honest and direct in writing – yeah I can still be judged but it’s through writing that you can get to know me. I can create characters that have my hopes, my fears and my dreams and solve their problems even when I can’t solve my own.

For me, it’s therapeutic along with freeing. I’m not afraid to be myself in my writing. I can be myself from the get go, rather than easing my weirdness upon those who meet me in person. And I don’t just write stories… I also share memories on my blog and hope to one day write about my life. I’m not to that point yet – there are still too many things I want to figure out before I open myself up like that!

Where do you get your insipiration from? Do you listen to music whilst writing, or have a ‘writing cave’?

I get my inspiration from myself – and those around me. Any character, at any time, is probably based on somebody I know, heard about or have met. It’s like this.

The saying that people will forget what you said, or what you did, but they will never forget how you made them feel? That is so true. For me, at least. I can forget what was said exactly, or what was done…but I will never forget how a person made me feel. Get over it, yes…but the way people treat me embeds in my memory forever. A certain villain in one of my stories is based on someone I know. Not that they were evil in their treatment of me, but because of the way they made me feel. It’s fun, also, to characterize the actions and words of others into your story. I think in some way, we all base our characters on people we know, or ourselves – be it who they are, their desires or their actions.

As for music, I listen to it 24/7. I am a big 80s and 90s fan but I also love newer stuff. I’m the kinda girl that will listen to anything once before judging it. However, I’m sensitive to a lot of things and don’t listen to anything that involves screaming/screeching/etc. My “cave” is my headphones that block out all sound except the music. I am very talented, through years of practice, at just tuning people out though. THAT is a very handy skill to have!

Is there a particular form, style or genre that you’d like to have a go at writing in the future? Why?

I would love to write a memoir type book. In truth, the why is because I want to share MY view of the world. I want to write about the things people don’t see in passing. It wouldn’t be able to be called non-fiction though. Too much of it would have to be filled in with things I can’t recall specifically. But I lived a long time being misunderstood and if one person had reached out, I think my life would have been totally different. As I said up there though, that’s a long time away because it’s a hard thing to get out, let alone share with the world and I admire anyone who has already done it.

What would you say to those who want to become a writer?

Just write. It’s that simple. Write the words, no matter how they come out and worry about fixing them later. Don’t worry about overusing ‘said’ and don’t be afraid to NOT describe that particular scene in detail. The important part is to get it out. Be yourself. Be raw. Some people may not like your writing – they may hate it, actually – but don’t stop just because of them. If you’ve a love to do it, then get it done. And just remember, that any story is beautiful, no matter how it is told – because somewhere out there, even if ten thousand people hate it, one person may very well resonate with every single word you’ve written.

Thank you very much for your time. 

Thank YOU for having me! 🙂

 

My blog – www.cassandrajaney.com

Twitter – www.twitter.com/CassJaney

FB page URL (until I get 30 likes, that is) – http://www.facebook.com/pages/Cassandra-Janey-Author/512096175501076

Goodreads – http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/14624281-cassandra