Writers At Work
This is the tenth in Ravenshead's series of interviews with writers.
Most writers dream of having one book published. Author JoAnn Ross is about to have her 100th published!
JoAnn has regularly been in the New York Times best-seller lists and two of her novels have been excerpted in Cosmopolitan magazine.
Her
web-site is a "must visit" site for writers and has interesting background about her books and career plus some great research links and detailed articles
full of hints and writing advice.
JoAnn was Born in Santa Monica and grew up in Oregon's ranching country and is now blissfully settled in the foothills of Tennessee's Great Smoky Mountains.
Her next book will be out on February 5th, 2008 and is the first of the new "High Risk" series featuring former Special Ops heroes.
Ravenshead interviewed JoAnn Ross (JR) in September 2007 and the interview is reproduced here. What's very clear from the interview
is that her enthusiasm for writing and telling stories is as strong as ever.
An Interview with JoAnn Ross
RH: Please tell us a bit about your background.
JR: My first job, when I was three years old, was in a roller skating
follies. My mother was a chorus line skater, and since dependable
day care was hard to come by in those days, I was made a member of
the troop. My pay, a hot fudge sundae and a weekly movie matinee,
seemed extraordinarily generous at the time. I've also written for a
large metropolitan newspaper and was an advertising account
executive, writing copy extolling the wonders of everything from
household appliances to diamonds to tires.
RH: When you first started writing twenty-five years ago, did you ever dream
that you'd be such a prolific and popular author?
JR: Not at all. My grandfather McLaughlin was a hugely popular
seanachie
-- an Irish teller of tales who taught me to dream big. But I've
been fortunate to exceed even my wildest dreams.
RH: When did you start writing?
JR: I think I've always been a storyteller. My mother told me that
before I could talk, I’d babble as I turned the pages of my little
cloth books, apparently telling stories to go along with the
pictures. I wrote my first "official" story -- a novella about two
star-crossed mallard ducks -- for a second grade writing assignment
when I was seven. The story earned a gold star from my teacher, so I
just kept writing.
While still in grammar school, I wrote melodramas, casting my sisters
and neighborhood kids in the roles. Since I was a prolific writer,
even then, box office receipts paid for my first bike.
RH: Where do you write?
JR: Although I have a lovely second story office in my home with tall
windows on three sides that look out over my gardens and the leafy
top branches of trees, I'm not particular about location. I've
written with teenagers blasting video game aliens – with all the
accompanying cheers and groans – on the other side of a very thin
walls; I’ve written at my son's basketball practice, on planes,
sitting on a sidewalk curb waiting for a Christmas parade to begin,
on an Irish beach, out in the forest on a camping trip, and once I
edited a manuscript during halftime at a national conference football
game surrounded by tens of thousands of screaming fans.
RH: What makes you write?
JR: It's not as if I have a choice. I'm a storyteller by nature. It's
not only what I do, it's who I am. I can't imagine NOT writing.
RH: What's the easiest thing about writing? What's the hardest?
JR: It’s been said that if you want to write a novel, you should go in a
dark room, lie down, and wait for the feeling to pass. A lot of
writers enjoy "being writers," but aren't overly fond of the
process. I'm one of those very fortunate people who loves the actual
act of writing. I enjoy watching my computer screen fill up with
words. I enjoy deleting half those words and changing the others. I
changed majors five times in college, and since I prefer writing
about what I don't know (rather than the standard advice about
writers writing what they know) beginning each book is an adventure
into uncharted waters. There's always something to learn and I enjoy
sharing those newly discovered tidbits with readers. Several years
ago I had a sticker on my car bumper that read "I'd rather be
skydiving." These days, if I had a sticker, it would read, "I'd
rather be writing."
Writing isn’t always easy. Sometimes, when the words won't flow, the
characters are balking, the muses refuse to co-operate, and you
suddenly realize your plot has more holes than a sieve just as a
deadline is fast approaching, it’s flat-out hard. My favorite
writing cartoon shows a castaway sitting on a tiny, one-palm tree
island. He’s making a list: Things to do before writing. Number one
is
“polish seashells.” Writing takes more than talent and a knowledge
of craft.
It takes self-discipline. That hasn’t changed since people
began drawing stories onto cave walls. And on those difficult days, I
remind myself that people actually pay me to sit home in my pajamas
and tell them stories. How cool is that?
RH: Where do you get your ideas? Do your own experiences appear in any of
your stories?
JR: I believe we’re all born storytellers. If you watch infants babble
to themselves and toddlers having conversations with their stuffed
animals, you can see the wealth of creativity humans are born with.
Then, about the time children start going to school, they learn to
color inside the lines. That the sky is blue, the grass is green,
and no, you can’t have a separate desk for your imaginary best
friend. Little by little that storytelling ability drifts away. Most
of the writers I know have somehow managed to stay in touch with that
inner child who’s never heard of such a thing as an internal editor.
Believing that everyone’s life is fodder for fiction writing, I'm
always putting bits and pieces of my life into my stories. For
example, I never knew my birth father. I'd come to terms with that
until my son entered his teens and I realized he looked like the only
photo of my father I'd ever seen. Which caused all those earlier
feelings of abandonment to come flooding back. So I wrote a book
about a heroine who'd been abandoned at birth, and while my heroine
dealt with her issues, I managed to exorcise my own.
Writing emotionally involving fiction isn’t easy; in fact, it’s a lot
like standing naked in front of the world. But readers can tell when
our hearts aren’t behind our words, and when we write about
ourselves, we’re writing about the universe, because humans are all
very much alike in our basic emotions. Which is why sometimes a
writer has to open some very scary personal doors and go down some
very dark stairs. But if you analyze the most popular stories of all
times, you’ll find that deep down they all possess a universal
appeal, some emotional pull that transcends plot. That’s the scarlet
thread I believe we should try to weave into the tapestry of our
stories.
RH: Do you find writing a lonely occupation?
JR: It's hard to be lonely when you spend your days with dynamic, sexy
heroes. :)
Seriously, before the internet, it could get lonely because it can be
an isolating profession. Every writer I knew had huge phone bills
every month. These days, there are fabulously supportive groups of
writers online, so there's always someone to talk with.
RH: How long does it take you to write a typical novel? Do you have to revise
or rewrite it much?
JR: I'm convinced that just as the amount of clutter grows in direct
proportion to how many flat surfaces I have in my office, how long it
takes me to write a book is exactly how long the publisher gives me.
I’m a constant tinkerer. I’ll go through a manuscript, take every
other word out, then change the rest. Then start in all over again.
Most days I'll start out editing -- on the screen -- what I wrote the
day before. Then continue on. Some days, usually in the early
stages of a book, I'll edit continually as I write, even line by
line, which can be a slow process, but necessary in order to anchor
the story before I reach the middle. Usually, by the final 1/3 of a
book, I don't need to edit overly much because having laid out all my
conflicts, developed my characters, formed the arcs, all I have to do
is start wrapping things up. Also, in order to tell my stories, I
have to live inside all my characters' skins, which means I'm
constantly researching months, sometimes years before I begin writing
a book, and usually keep researching up until the day before I turn a
manuscript in.
RH: Was it easy to find a publisher for your first book?
JR: It was a struggle, because when I first began, back in 1982,
publishers weren't buying the type of stories I was writing. I
received twelve rejections on nine completed novels; one day I
received three rejections. The rejection letters would say things
such as
“We love your writing, but your story just isn’t right for
us.” Then suddenly, eleven months and ten days after I'd submitted
my first manuscript, there was a publishing sea change; romance got
hot and my world shifted when I sold three books to two different
publishers over a six week period.
RH: As well as stand-alone novels, you have written a number of trilogies.
Which format do you prefer, and why?
JR: I find them both enjoyable to write. Of course trilogies are fun --
for me, and seemingly for my readers -- because I can catch up on the
lives of characters in previous books. But even many of my stand-
alone novels share characters. For instance, Brendan O'Neill, from
my Irish trilogy, appeared in
Out of the Storm
and
Blaze, and will be
finally get a romance of his own in
Crossfire (9/08). Father Mike,
from
Out of the Storm
and
No Safe Place, returns, having left the
priesthood, in
Crossfire, and readers will discover his secret past in
Shattered, which will be out in February, 2009.
Of course, it's admittedly tricky remembering all the details in
connected books. In the past, I'd write them down in notebooks I'd
never bother to dig out, or pieces of paper I'd lose, which was why
I was so happy to discover WriteItNow just in time for my
High Risk
series! It's fabulous for keeping track of details and
upcoming scenes and I've been recommending it to every writer I know.
RH: How has your writing developed and changed over the years?
JR: Well, hopefully I've kept getting better. And although I've written
all over the romance fiction spectrum, my books have always been
character driven, with strong, yet flawed women who’ve usually
overcome adversity; to-die for men (who tend to be either emotionally
wounded Alpha heroes or bad boys, occasionally both); a very strong
sense of setting and a satisfying ending. The past few years,
because my own life has been very rosy, wandering over to the “dark
side” of romantic thrillers brings an edge to my writing day that
keeps me from getting bored. Also, like my heroines, I’ve never done
“easy.” If something isn’t challenging, I lose interest. And if I’m
bored, I figure readers would be, too.
RH: Is sharing your knowledge about fiction writing an important part of your
work?
JR: I'm not much of a nuts and bolts type writer, but I do enjoy sharing
what I've learned about writing and the publishing business, with
others. In fact, I was honored to receive a mentoring award from
Romance Writers of America.
I also give workshops on-line and at
conferences, and have an on-line writers group where I give the
occasional workshop, offer advice, answer questions from members
about the writing business, and share my opinions.
RH: What are you currently working on?
JR: I'm currently working on
Crossfire, the second in my
High Risk
series, about a serial sniper terrorizing my southern town of
Somersett, South Carolina. My heroine, FBI agent Cait Cavanaugh,
appeared in Out of the Storm and Blaze; she and former navy SEAL
Quinn McKade team up to stop him. It's very fast-paced and I'm
having a lot of fun writing it! It'll be out in September, 2008.
RH: When is your next book published and what is it about?
JR:
Freefall, which will be out February 5th, 2008, is the first of my
High Risk books featuring hot, hot, hot former Special Ops heroes.
RH Note: FreeFall will also be available
in an unabridged audio edition and for those who can't wait until 2008 here's a
video preview.
Zach Tremayne's last mission as a SEAL was a nightmare that
continues to haunt him. Sabrina Swann is living her dream in
Florence, Italy, when a terrorist attack changes everything. Seeing
peace and quiet, both return home to sultry Swann Island. When they
discover danger waiting in Swann’s shadows, the woman who's desperate
for peace and the man who's sworn off war will discover they're
willing to do anything, risk everything, to protect a love neither
saw coming. I really enjoyed writing Zach and Sabrina's story,
which New York Times bestselling author
Iris Johansen, who was kind
enough to give me a cover quote, calls "A page-turning mix of danger,
suspense, and passion!"
RH: I loved seeing the interpretations that publishers in different countries
have placed on your books, through their choices of book covers. However,
would you like to have more control over how your work is presented, and
over aspects such as reprints?
JR: Wouldn't that be lovely? My previous and current publishers do allow
me a great deal of input, but I long ago decided that what writers
love about covers might not be the most effective for marketing. So
I mostly trust the art departments to know what they're doing, and
try to stay focused on the one thing I can control, at least some of
the time, the Work.
RH: What is it about the southern US, and New Orleans in particular, that
appeals to you and makes you want to write about it?
JR: New Orleans has always been a particular favorite location because as
Nick Broussard, in
No Safe Place, tells my heroine, it isn't like
anywhere else in the United States; it's not even like the rest of
Louisiana. It's as close as we have to a foreign country within our
borders, impervious to outside influences. Or course, it's still
going through a terrible time after Hurricane Katrina, but as a
colorful New Orleans potter said, "You can't let New Orleans die.
The food's too good!"
The moment we moved to the South several years ago, I immediately
felt that same inner "click" I feel whenever I land at Ireland's
Shannon airport. Having grown up in an Irish-American family, much
of what's Southern is very familiar to me: the slower pace of life,
the richness of the language, the sense of community, the deep
connection of people to the land, the lushness of the scenery, the
interconnectedness between the present and an often tragic past. The
region, also like Ireland, revels in irony and contradiction that
makes it a perfect setting to explore emotional themes.
RH: What do you enjoy doing when you're not writing?
JR: I love to travel, to hang out with my sweetie (my high school
sweetheart, whom I married twice), read, watch movies, read, hike,
create scrapbooks for my family from the mountain of photographs
we've taken over the years, read, hug my fuzzy doggies we rescued
from shelters on their kill days, and play with Marisa and Parker
Ryan Ross, the world's most precious grandbabies.
RH: Finally, do you have any advice for new writers?
JR: Read, read, read. Then write, write, write. Read some more. Keep
writing. Don’t ever let anyone ever tell you that anything is a
Rule. As
Somerset Maugham said, “There are only three rules in
writing. Unfortunately, no one knows what they are.” And most
importantly, enjoy the process. Because, in the end, the work is
what it’s all about.
Don’t worry about what others are doing. Write the book you’d like to
read. Send it out to a house that has shown an openness to publishing
that type of story. Then sit down and do it again.
RH: Thank you for taking the time to answer our questions, and good luck with
all your future writing.
JR: Thank you. I was very pleased to be invited to be interviewed
