This month, I’m pleased to feature a fellow writer, who is part of the Ninja Writers Science Fiction and Fantasy book promotion on Instafreebie. Check it out here.
So allow me to introduce J.R. Bournville to you with a little interview and an invitation to check out her writing.
Q: Right off, please tell me about your books and the one included in the promotion, #NinjaSFF giveaway.
J.R. – I’m one of three contributing authors to the Prompted Musings series. Prompted Musings is a collection of flash fiction, based on visual writing prompts. As flash fiction is so very short, these anthologies allowed each of us to experiment with form as well as content, trying ideas which might well have been too intimidating to pursue in a longer piece of work.
Volume 2 is free as part of the #NinjaSFF giveaway, with Volume 1 available for free on https://www.instafreebie.com/free/VDBGS
I have also written two short stories; Company of the Raven, a reworking of the well-loved poem by one of my earliest influences, Edgar Allen Poe; and The Old House
Recently, I’ve branched out into non-fiction with my book, Embracing Possibilities, which talks about how a change in attitude helped get me to where I am today, and helps readers to take steps toward whatever would make them happy in life.
Q: Does writing energize or exhaust you?
J.R. – Both, equally, though not usually at the same time. When I’m writing, and the words are flowing, then nothing else exist. There is no fatigue, no aches and pains, no hunger. But if the flow of words is more a trickle, each one is a drain on my already-limited resources. On those slow times, my solution is usually to disengage from my writing, and dream.
Q: How did publishing your first book change your process of writing?
J.R. – The first book I published was A Humourless Death. I’d spent several days not quite daring to click publish, and finally daring to was a great relief for me. Since then, I’ve learnt how to recognise when my writing is not ready to be released into the world, (which is why I unpublished A Humourless Death earlier this year). My writing process now includes more time away from the finished book, with added opportunities to discover weaker sections within my writing before publishing.
Q: How many unpublished and half-finished books do you have?
J.R. – At current count, excluding all books which only exist as scattered notes (there are far too many of those), I have four half-finished books. This includes A Humourless Death, the first book I released, which I decided to unpublish and revise earlier this year.
Q: How do you select the names of your characters?
J.R. – If the character is willing to “talk”, then I’ll write a scene or two, and see if their name comes to me. If that doesn’t work, I usually sit the character down and interview them. I’ll ask them all manner of questions, but crucially, not what their name is. I’m a firm believer that there’s power in a name, and a person’s name is a reflection of their personality.
Q: If you didn’t write, what would you do for work?
J.R. – If I didn’t write—that’s a difficult reality to imagine—then I’d want to teach. Smaller classrooms, working with children and adults with disabilities or learning difficulties. With my experiences of falling ill and recovery, I understand more of the challenges and frustrations which arise in learning something new.
Q: Do you read your book reviews? How do you deal with bad or good ones?
J.R. – Yes, I do. I like to know what someone has enjoyed (or not) about my book. No one likes a bad review, but I try to understand what exactly that reader didn’t like, and if it is a fault in my writing then I make note to improve. Good reviews, I sit quietly, smiling. If I can contact the reviewer then I do so, thanking them for their review, and wish them well.
Thank you, J.R. Bournville, for taking the time to answer these questions. You can learn more or connection with her at:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/JRBournville
twitter: http://twitter.com/JRBournville
web: www.jrbournville.com
And now that you, my readers, know a little more about this up and coming author, go check out her books. You might find a new gotta-read author.
Author Interview Blog Hop: Read more about some of the authors in the Ninja Writers SciFi and Fantasy Giveaway by going here,