Artistic Reflections

AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT:

JENNIFER LOISKE

I’d like to thank Jennifer Loiske for stopping by and sitting down on my virtual couch with us for a few minutes.

. Can you tell us a little about yourself?

I’m a Teen/Young Adult Author who stubbornly refuses to grow up. I live in Finland, and no, we don’t have polar bears walking on our streets. Although, our summer is really short and the winter cold and dark, which actually creates a perfect writing atmosphere for a paranormal writer such as myself. In addition for my love for all things paranormal I also write articles to the magazines and blogs and am a part of the team that makes Epilepsy Finland Magazine. I’m also a part of international author alliance, Authors For Charity, which writes stories for all ages. All profits from Authors For Charity go to charity as well as huge part of my royalties, too.

. Who or what inspires you?

People, which keeps surprising me as I’m a bit of a loner and avoid crowds as much as I can (and now I hear my friends laughing!). But seriously, I love watching strangers, creating stories around them and imagining what their lives are like. I also love meeting new people and think that in every person hides a great story.

. Who’s you favorite author?

Jennifer L. Armentrout. I absolutely love anything she writes.

. Do you have a favorite time or place to write?

I have a strict writing schedule. Sure, sometimes I slip from it or if the inspiration hits I couldn’t care less about my schedules, but usually my creativity is in its highest point in the morning and in the middle of the night.

. Do you have a favorite food or drink while you write?

Hmm. Not really. I drink a lot of water whilst writing but food…I usually forget to eat or eat whatever I can grab fast from the closet.

.What do you do to relax?

Walk in the forest. I love nature and I love taking a long walks in the forest with my two dogs. My mind becomes clearer and my body relaxes.

. As writers, we all have to deal with writer’s block, what do you do when that happens?

I’ve never had one. I work with several WIPs so there is never a dull moment in my life. If I get bored with one MS or the writing does not flow fluently I simply put it aside and continue working with another MS.

. If you could ask one question of any writer, who would it be and what would you ask?

Probably J. R. R. Tolkien. I would like to know more about the world he created and how he managed to keep it all together as so far I haven’t found a single flaw in his work.

Now that we’ve got the easy stuff out of the way, let’s talk about your book.
. Would you like to share something from you latest project with us?

That was the easy part? Man, you are funny! Well, my latest project was to finish a YA series called Immortal Blood Series. I never was supposed to write this series but somehow after starting it I’m stuck with it for good, and even now when the series is ready my readers kept demanding to hear more about the characters so I created a new series, sort of a sister series of this previous one, where I included some of the most popular characters from Immortal Blood Series and made some pretty cool twists and turns.

. What genre is it?

Paranormal Romance for mature young adult readers.

. Where do you draw your artistic inspiration from?

People.

. Of all your characters, who is your favorite?

Samantha Green from Immortal Blood Series. She has a big mouth that often gets her in trouble, but she also has this warmth in her that makes people move mountains for her.

. What authors have had the strongest influence on you as a writer.

Definitely Tolkien and C.S. Lewis. I practically grew up in Narnia and actually did my master degree about his stories and their hidden meanings.

. Do you use an outline or do you let the story emerge as it goes along

Both. The story may start in a strange situation or begin from a one single thought but as it grows I use outlines to keep it together and truth be told as a reminder to myself what I was about to write.


. Are you traditionally or self-published?

Both. I have published couple of stories through a traditional publisher but I also have a lot of stories published independently under a company called Rogue House. Although I am the owner of Rogue House, which I guess you could call a small publishing company, as it also publishes works from some other authors.

. What made you pick that route?

Bad experience with, both big and small publishing company.

. What has been your biggest challenge?

Finding a trustworthy circle of people to work with. Some may think that authors only write books. Well, that may be true if you’re signed with one of the big six. But with the rest of us…hmm…Anyway, I’m very picky about people I work with and there is a reason for that. I want to be sure my alpha and beta readers actually are interested in the genre I’m writing about. And I want them to be able to be honest with me. I also need to trust that my proofreaders are doing their best with my work and that their best is enough to go to the big playgrounds. I don’t want just to send my work away and hope someone will do a miracle with it. I want to know why my editor wants to edit something and if I disagree I want her to be able to see my point without getting hurt. It took a long time to create my circle but every step was so worth it as I am more than pleased with the result.

. What has been your greatest reward?

Getting feedback from my readers. There is nothing more rewarding than hearing a reader praising my work and knowing they will be back for more.

. If you had one professional wish, what would it be?

If I could wish anything (professionally that is) I would wish that the lovers of paranormal romance would find my books and fall in love with them so badly they’d had this urge to spread the word and tweet, share, blog etc about my books to other pnr lovers.

That wasn’t so bad was it?  But before we go, do you have any last words of wisdom to offer those reading this?

Always be true to yourself. If something feels wrong, it probably is. If it feels good, then go for it!

You can find more about me at https://www.facebook.com/AuthorJenniferLoiske and http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=jennifer+loiske
You can also follow me on https://twitter.com/JenniferLoiske and http://jenniferloiske.wordpress.com

Thank you for having me here today! I really had a blast J