I’m
delighted to welcome Emma Jackson to
my blog.
Hello
Emma – I’ve been looking forward to hosting you on Arabella’s Blog and Chit-Chat,
and I am eager to learn some of your writing secrets. But before we discover
more about your latest release, A Mistletoe Miracle,
here are a few questions which will hopefully give your readers and followers
and insight into some of the things that matter to you.
Arabella: Authors can release
books, making them available to readers in various ways…via an agent, or
working directly with a traditional publisher, or they can even go the
self-publishing route. Which method of publishing do you prefer, and why?
Emma: I’m working directly with two different publishers
and enjoying the experience immensely. I’ve been able to appreciate that at
points it would be very useful to have an agent but at the moment I’m happy
without one. I have tried self-publishing in the past but it was a long time
ago and I didn’t really know what I was doing!
Arabella: If the person of your
dreams, (husband/wife/partner/or superstar), were to take you out for the
night, where would they take you and what would you do?
Emma: I’d love to go to Italy or Sicily and have a
delicious meal looking out over the sea. If I could enjoy a glass of wine or
two with the prospect of being able to sleep in the following day, that would
be ideal too. (I have a 7 & 3 year old who are up just after 6am everyday!)
Arabella: Who or what inspired you
to write your latest release, A Mistletoe Miracle?
Emma: I live very close to the village of Alfriston in
Sussex and back in 2013 I went along with my partner and our daughter to watch
their Christmas lights be turned on. It was freezing cold, but such a gorgeous,
atmospheric event, and my imagination started working immediately on a
Christmas story featuring that kind of setting and event.
Arabella: Currently, what is your
most favourite T.V. programme, and why?
Emma: The Long Run starring Idris Elba. It captures
precisely the place (London) and the time I grew up in (the 80’s) with such
warmth and fondness whilst also being honest about the problems.
Arabella: A slice of Chocolate
Cake, a piece of Fruit, or Burger and Fries?
Emma: I wish I could say fruit but chocolate cake!
Arabella: When writing a book or
chapter, which do you concentrate on first: plot, character, or setting?
Emma: The character comes first, or characters I should
say, because it’s usually how two different ones are interacting that comes to
me initially. Often, I can hear them having a conversation or an argument in my
head.
Arabella: How do you research your
novels and characters?
Emma: Once I’ve got an idea of the personalities of the
characters and how their story is going to play out, I draft. Sometimes I stop
to research small facts as I go, but often I leave most of it until the end. I
like to read books, use the internet and films to give me a feel of settings
and visit places if I can – money and time doesn’t always allow that
unfortunately! Doing it that way around means that some things about the story
usually have to change, but often that will be a positive thing which inspires
a new, better turn of events.
Arabella: What advice would you
give to someone who is starting out on their writing journey?
Emma: Find other writers you can talk to about the ups and
downs of it, wherever best suits you, whether it’s a writer’s group who meet in
person or friends you make online. Dedicating yourself to writing - and more
specifically to getting published - can be gruelling and the support from other
writers, commiserating the rejections, offering to swap chapters with you, and
celebrating the good news, can make all the difference.
Thank
you for joining me on Arabella’s Blog and Chit-Chat, Emma. I like your idea of
researching the finer details and facts of your plot…after…you’ve completed the first draft of your story. At times, it
can be annoying to stop the flow of words and research a place or a date when
your characters are in the middle of a passionate row!
Best
wishes and good luck with your latest release, A Mistletoe Miracle.
Arabella
Sheen
About Emma Jackson
A devoted bookworm and secret-story-scribbler since she
was 6 years old, Emma
Jackson joined the Romantic Novelists’ Association on their
New Writers’ Scheme at the
beginning of 2019, determined to
focus on her writing. She has been overwhelmed by the
encouragement given by the published authors and fellow NWS members who are
part of the RNA and highly recommends joining to any
romance writers looking for support and friendly guidance (there are some
bursaries available). When she’s
not running around after her
two daughters and trying to complete her current work-in-progress, Emma
loves
to read, bake, catch up on binge-watching TV programmes with her
partner and
plan lots of craft projects that will inevitably end up unfinished.
A MISTLETOE MIRACLE is her debut novel, published by Orion Dash.
You can follow Emma on:
www.esjackson.co.uk
Book Blurb:
A Mistletoe Miracle
At the Everdene Hotel, snowflakes, romance and
mayhem are in the air...
A cosy hotel in a sleepy, snow-covered village should be the perfect
setting for a Christmas to remember... But for Beth, returning
to her childhood home after a disastrous break-up looks more like a festive
fiasco.
With her mum stranded in a blizzard and most of the hotel staff off
sick, Beth is forced to take the reins, impress a mystery hotel reviewer, and
somehow find a way to work with Nick, the very grumpy -
and very gorgeous - pilot who is staying for the holidays.
Between mince pie emergencies, deadly decorations, and two dozen
disgruntled guests, Beth might just find a miracle under the mistletoe this
Christmas...
Heartwarming and hilarious, this is the perfect festive romance to curl
up with this winter. Perfect for fans of Heidi Swain and Sue Moorcroft.
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