Interview with author Trista
Jaszczak talking about writing her novels, including the upcoming, Little Red.
SDG: Welcome, Trista and thank you
for taking the time to do the interview. Can you tell me a little about
yourself?
TJ: I'm Trista Jaszczak
and I am originally from Hamilton, Ohio. I'm married to the military and
call home wherever the Air Force sends us, which is currently Anchorage,
Alaska. I've been writing for about 11 years now and have written close to 30
novels. I have Darkness Falls: Hunted and
Loverboy currently out for purchase and the upcoming Believe series.
SDG:
What inspired you to write this book?
TJ: I have always had a great love for
fairy tales, even as I near my 30's, I can't get enough of them. A close friend
of mine, knowing my love of fairy tales sent me a song (Hey There Little Red Riding Hood, by Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs)
and as I was listening to it, I couldn't help but to have this little movie
play in my head. A young woman, gorgeous, one night in the woods. Then in
dawned on me...who said fairy tales are for kids. Right away my brain went into
over drive and Little Red and the
rest of the Believe series was born.
SDG:
What was your approach to writing it (did it just flow or did you use an
outline or other preparatory method)?
TJ: Because my mind kicked in so fast
it really poured out of me. Once I started writing I found it difficult to
stop. It was unbelievable and completely verged off my normal writing routine
but somehow, it has worked out perfectly.
SDG:
How long did it take to write the complete novel from first draft to edited
final?
TJ: For Little Red, it took about 10 months with a lot of sleepless nights,
from start to finish.
SDG:
Can you tell us a little about your book and if you have had book signings or
readings?
TJ: Little
Red is a whole new look at the classic children’s tale, Little Red Riding Hood. It’s about one
woman’s desperate escape from her past where she finds herself landing in
Louisiana and into the arms of an unlikely hero. With lots of passion, a close
knit pack of brothers, some old bayou magic and feuding families, Little Red will spark the feeling that
fairy tales once created in every woman.
Little Red is currently beginning the
publishing process with Front Porch
Romance but I will definitely plan signings and readings when I can.
SDG:
Is your family supportive of your writing and what do they think about your
writing career?
TJ: My family is very supportive of my
writing career. For as long as I can remember I have had a wild imagination and
my parents always supported me. As I got older and got married, thankfully my
husband didn't think I was crazy for sitting around for hours as I scribbled
notes in notebooks and pecked away at the keys on my computer. I'm pretty sure
that when I'm up at all hours of the night writing, my husband is too. Without my
family, I don't think I would be where I am today. I am thankful to have my
family and my husband.
SDG:
Do you have any advice or words of wisdom for beginning writers?
TJ: Never give up. Never let a bad day,
bad review or bad anything tarnish your dreams. They're your dreams, after all.
Just keep writing and keep moving forward.
SDG:
What are you working on now? Is it in the same genre?
TJ: I'm currently working on completing
the Believe series, which Little Red
is a part of. They're all modern twists on classic children's tales. I
currently have The Shoe (Cinderella),
Who's the Fairest (Snow White), Only Sleeping (Sleeping Beauty), and Fairy Dust (Tinkerbell). I'm also
working on a few other romances that are separate from the series.
SDG:
What is the best time for you to write and does it ever interfere with your day
job, if you have one? Also, how long on average do you write each day?
TJ: All of my writing is done at night. For some reason at night when my
house is silent, my mind opens up with new ideas that begin playing like
movies, screaming for me to write them down. Each night I'll write anywhere
from 2 to 4 hours. As long as I write, every single day, I'm happy.
SDG:
Is writing, to you, a lonely occupation?
TJ: Not at all! For some reason all
these characters that I create are alive and thriving in my mind. I create new
places and people that, to me, feel real. I don't think I could ever consider
that lonely.
SDG:
What is your website and where can readers purchase your book or books?
TJ: I can be found on Amazon, Barnes
and Noble and Books-A-Million (Keyword search: Trista Jaszczak). Both Darkness Falls: Hunted and Loverboy have
print and eBook editions. Little Red
has a tentative release of June 2013.
SDG:
Do you have anything else you’d like to say?
TJ: I really have to thank my fans who
have been following my writing these past few years. I am so thankful for their
support and to see people waiting on the release of Little Red is completely mind blowing. I cannot say thank you
enough. It means a lot when someone buys a book from an unknown author. Thank
you.
Author
website/social media sites:
Facebook:
www.facebook.com/AuthorTristaJaszczak
Twitter:
TristaJaszczak
Tumbr:
AuthorTristaJaszczak
Blog:
www.tristajaszczak.wordpress.com
