What
genre do you write and why?
I love writing juvenile
science fiction, mostly at the middle grade level. There is very little science
fiction out there for middle graders. I’ve chosen the middle grade level
because the 5-8th grade years are key to catching students interests
in science. My goal is to inspire students to ask questions, and to explore the
hows and whys of the world around them so they can reach for their dreams.
Visionary From The Stars and The
Alien Mind have both been previously published but in 2013 they were picked up
by PDMI Publishing LLC and their science fiction imprint Rara Avis. They
offered to breathe new life into my books and help me promote my books farther
than I could do myself. Both books have been thoroughly edited and gone over;
my apologies to all my fans who may find some changes in the newer editions,
trust me- the changes were necessary and make for a better reading experience.
The brand new e-book editions
release this November, The Alien Mind was released early this month. The
paperback books will be released here soon as well. The covers and the interior
illustrations are brand new and sport a modern futuristic twist thanks to
PDMI’s amazing digital artist Matt Ostrum. He took my previous sketch designs
and turned them into amazing works of art! Nessa Mckinney has also created a
fantastic interior design layout that furthers the enjoyment of the reading
experience as well.
I am very pleased at the
transformation they have achieved with both of my books and I am very excited
to share them with everyone!
What are your
thoughts on self-publishing verses traditional publishing?
I learned that while I CAN self publish
my own work it is very hard still for self publishers to gain acceptance by
bookstores. Unless you have a large following or a large street team willing to
spread the word about your books far and wide it is hard to get your work noticed.
Being able to show that I have a publisher that believes in my work enough to
invest their time and money into it has made a big difference. The one thing I
stress over all though is to find a publisher that treats you and your book
like family. Yes, they are providing you a service in editing, promoting,
illustrating, and publishing your work. However, you are providing them the
means to pay their bills as well, if you are not pleased with how your book
turns out then you won’t be as energetic in your end of the promotion of it.
Both of you should be working together and collaboratively in the design and
promotion of your book because a non selling book hurts not just the publisher
but you as well. You are both on the same team.
Who or what inspired
you to become a writer?
Honestly, it was a mix of the Star Trek
television series Enterprise and the space program that inspired me to become a
writer. I wanted to go out there and explore new places and new possibilities.
To discover how things work and help people. Unfortunately, I realized that the
farthest we had gotten was sending some robots to Mars and we were many years
away from feasibly being able to send people there.
So, instead, I decided to put my creativity
to work exploring the universe and our place in it through storytelling.
Did you learn anything from writing your book that was unexpected?
It was
through writing my books that I discovered that there are numerous alternate
ways to achieve your dreams, to stretch your potential. I may not have actually
explored other worlds but I feel like I have.
I’ve also
unexpectedly discovered that characters don’t always turn out like you expect
them to. If you write them correctly they come to life in your mind and often
take over the story and tell you how the story will play out, how they intend
to respond to situations, instead of allowing you to puppeteer the story in the
direction that you had originally intended. It truly has been a wild ride!
Both books were influenced by CS Lewis’ story telling
style as that was what I was reading at that point in my life. However, I have
also been told that they also bear a bit of resemblance to Heinlen’s style as
well. Beyond that, I believe readers are going to enjoy my books because there’s
no mumbo jumbo thats going to throw you for a loop like other hard core science
fiction books; just an adventure that will pique your curiosity in the unknowns
along the way.
What is your
work in progress? Tell us about it.
Right now I am working on a sequel to
The Alien Mind. The Alien Mind is a stand alone novel but things with the Aruk
are gearing up to be much more troublesome in the second book. Rivinaig and
Daniel’s relationship is growing and Rivi is struggling over whether to let it
grow or whether she should ignore their connection due to the Aruk threat. I’ve
realized that the outcome of the Aruk take over is greatly affected by her
decision and I’m not entirely sure if she will be able to make the right
decision in time- which is why this is a work in progress.
I have other,
less developed stories that I am exploring as well, so the next completed story
you read from me all depends on when Rivi decides to make up her mind.
When
you’re not writing, how do you spend your time?
Just this past year I was
hired on to be PDMI’s Illustration Department Manager so much of my spare time
goes into keeping the illustrators and authors organized, collaborating, and on
track with their respective book projects. I also illustrate childrens books
for PDMI, most notably the Wiggle Worm series by Karen and Kathy Sills.
When I am not doing any of
these things I am busy with my three kids. I have a three year old that I stay
home with and I also have a ten yr old and a 13yr old both of which have some
medical issues. I’m a researcher at heart so between running them to doctors
appointments I spend some of my free time researching things like Pectus
Excavatum, Di George syndrome, and Idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura. I also
have plans to go back to school for web designing. I also enjoy taking time out
to watch tv shows like Doctor Who, Flash, and Walking Dead. On the weekends you
might catch me at a comic book store or at my local theater watching the latest
science fiction or action adventure movie.
 |
| V.L. Jennings |
I offer the same advice to writers that I give to every one else; never
stop exploring your potential, never stop reaching for the stars. Anything
worth doing is worth doing right. Explore, learn, figure out what works and
what doesn’t. Find people who will support you and help you along the way; that
could be a publishing team or a street team. You can’t get very far working
alone.
Where can people find out more about you and your writing?
Well, I ‘feel’ as though I am everywhere. The reality of it is I can
most easily be found on my blog at www.virginialorijennings.com or on facebook at www.facebook.com/vljennings. You may also catch me over on twitter or google+ from time to time, but
those previous two places are where I hang out the most. For those of you who
don’t have facebook... my page is public so you can still stop by if you’d
like. I blog more than once a week but I pretty much always keep it open on my
computer screen so if you’d like to chat with me feel free to start up a
conversation any time!
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3 Comments
Weird... earlier comment didn't take...
ReplyDeleteThanks for hosting the interview Jo! I really enjoyed your questions!
You're always welcome here at W&A Virginia :) All the best with the re-launch of both books.
DeleteAww thanks Jo!
ReplyDeleteI love to hear from you. So feel free to comment, but keep in mind the basics of blog etiquette — no spam, no profanity, no slander, etc.
Thanks for being an active part of the Writers and Authors community.