Author Jo Robertson: Answers, Asks ?s, Offers Giveaway

It’s a pleasure to welcome author Jo Robertson back to Thoughts in Progress as she tours blogdom with her latest release, THE TRAITOR.

After waiting five years for a New York publishing house to acquire her books, Jo finally decided to take her career in her own hands and publish them under Amazon's independent publishing platform. She’s here today to answer some questions about her writing.

Hi, Mason, thanks for having me return to your blog. I love these interview questions so here goes!

Mason - Have you always wanted to write or was there an event that led you to writing?

Jo - As a teenager, I wrote lots of "stories" and poems. I still have some of my high school poetry and actually made a scrapbook for my daughter's thirtieth birthday filled with photos and poems. She's a much better poet than I, but I thought she'd enjoy having this little slice of family history. When I went to college I took a creative writing class and discovered I was terrible; that squelched my budding ambition.

However, after I'd taught for a number of years, especially style analysis of Advanced Placement English, I realized I did have the tools to write creatively and took it up again at a rather advanced age! Now I have three published books, all part of the loosely connected Bigler County series: THE WATCHER, which was a 2006 Golden Heart winner; THE AVENGER, which won an overall Daphne Award under another name; and THE TRAITOR, which just became available at Amazon in e-book only.

 

Mason - What advice have you received writing that you have passed on to other inspiring writers?

Jo - As trite and clichéd as it is, never give up. If you have the desire, learn the craft, refine it, and continue writing. As with many successes in life, the task is achieved with 90% perspiration and 10% inspiration.

But, and this is a big but, if you don't enjoy the process, maybe the industry is not for you.

 

Mason - How do you go about doing research for your writing? Is it a process you enjoy or just find it necessary?

Jo - I majored in history in college, so I enjoy historical research. I'm not as keen on digging out minor facts, for example – when the color "ecru" was first used  (1800, by the way) because that interrupts the creative process for me. But I'm afraid I'll neglect cementing that detail if I don't look it up right now!

Mason - Of all the authors (past and present) you enjoy reading, has any one (or more) been an influence in your writing?

Jo - It may sound strange to admit since I've taught the classics and contemporary literary works for 20 years, but I think J.D. Robb's "In Death" series has affected my writing most. She has a paucity of writing that is almost genius at times, but shows enough flaws that I realize this brilliant writing pretty much comes from her brain to the page as is. I'd bet money she does very little revision, which for most writers, is the heart of writing. Manipulation of diction, syntax, organization and point of view usually come during the revision process when the writer "re-sees" what she's written. For more information, see the article I wrote on Diction and Syntax at Five Scribes on August 30.  

Mason - In what order do your characters come to life - name, physical description, personality?

Jo - Name and personality usually precede physical description because those can be highly symbolic and I guess I tend to think in symbols. I usually know the two protagonists (hero and heroine) and the antagonist (villain) from the get-go along with the ending of the story. In fact, I often see the end of the book before I understand completely what the conflict is.

Mason - Of these three elements (name, physical description, personality), which is the easiest to develop and which is the hardest?

Jo - Physical description is by far the hardest and as different aspects of the personality come to me, I often change that description. Which can be very tricky!

Mason - What is next on the agenda for you?

Jo - THE TRAITOR, the third book in the Bigler County romantic thriller series, went live on Amazon on December 31. 

I'm taking a month's break and then intend to publish my two historical thrillers, both set in the 1900's (1909 FRAIL BLOOD and 1901 WEAK FLESH).  They're both "inspired" by true events, one that occurred in northern California in 1909, and another in North Carolina's Outer Banks in 1901). 

I'm very excited about making these available to my readers as quickly as possible, probably early February.

Mason - You have been shipwrecked on an island. You have 2 books, 1 food item (plenty of it) and your favorite _____. Name the books, what food would you want and fill in the blank.

Jo - I take it my husband is nowhere to be found on this island scenario LOL (unless he's my favorite lover!).

The favorite food item (though it hardly qualifies as "food") would have to be an endless supply of Pepsis. My kids claim I'm a Pepsiholic, but hey, it's my only addiction! I figure if there aren't fresh water and some type of native edible vegetation, I'll be a goner soon enough, so I might as well enjoy my imminent demise.

My favorite item would be my quilt. I cannot sleep without my quilt, which I've often packed in my suitcase when I travel. I swear I'm like a baby with a blankey or what my granddaughter Emma calls a "nonny."

As far as books, I'd definitely want ones I could read and reread without growing bored with them, so it's likely to be Shakespeare's Complete Works (does that count as one?). I know it's geeky, but I'm a serious Shakespeare fan!  

The second one would be Charles Dickens' "David Copperfield," or anything by Dickens I could get my hands on! His characters are amazing and his social commentary is as applicable today as when he wrote.

Thanks for having me today, Mason! I'd love to give a free download of my newest book, THE TRAITOR, to one lucky commenter.

A few question for your readers: 
*  Single title or stand-alone books?
*  Tall, dark and handsome or blond and athletic?
*  Shorts or briefs?

Oh Jo, thanks so much for guest blogging again. I enjoy learning more about a writer’s process. BTW, I’m a huge J.D. Robb fan myself.

Now a bit more on Jo. A former high school English teacher, Jo lives in northern California, near the beautiful Sierra Nevada foothills. She enjoys reading, scrapbooking, and discussing the latest in books, movies, and television shows. Any "spare" time she has is spent enjoying her seven children and 16 grandchildren, who bring a great deal of joy to her life. 

When her Advanced Placement English students challenged her to quit talking about writing and "just do it," she wrote her first completed manuscript, THE WATCHER, which won the 2006 Golden Heart Award for romantic suspense. Following that came THE AVENGER, which won the 2007 Daphne du Maurier Overall Award for Excellence, and finally THE TRAITOR.

For more on Jo and her writing, visit her website at www.jorobertson.com and she blogs at Romance Bandits. 
 
Here’s a brief synopsis of THE TRAITOR:
Assistant district attorney Isabella Torres and DEA Agent Rafe Hashemi want to prosecute the same man, notorious and vicious Diego Vargas. But Isabella believes Vargas knows something about the disappearance of  her older sister twenty years ago and wants to charge him for his current human trafficking operation. Rafe wants to nab the corrupt councilman for drug trafficking.

 

When Isabella and Rafe meet anonymously at an upscale bar and end up spending a passionate night together, only to learn the next day who the other is, sparks fly and the game is on for control of the case.  Forced to cooperate with each other, they must balance the danger of the case against the danger of their hearts.

Be sure to answer one or all of Jo’s questions for a chance to win a free download of THE TRAITOR. Thanks so much for stopping by today.