Mysterical-E

author interview

JAMIE HILL
interviewed by Barbara Hodges

Jamie Hill was born and raised in a beautiful, mid-sized town in Midwest, USA. At various times she wanted to be a veterinarian, teacher, cheerleader, TV star or a famous singer. The one thing she always wanted to be was a writer. Starting at about age ten, she penned romance as she envisioned it in one spiral notebook after another.

When she’s not working at the day job she loves, Jamie enjoys spending time with her family, reading, and watching movies (the scarier the better!) In her ‘spare time’ she can often be found writing, editing, or doing something more mundane like housework. After that, she’s probably taking a nap. She loves to hear from readers, so feel free to drop her a line at: jamiehill (at) jamiehill (dot) biz

Website: http://www.jamiehill.biz/

BMH:    You're president of the United States for enough time to only make one executive decision. What is it?

JH:     Pass a law that allows same sex marriage. I recently read a quote by the late, great Paul Newman that made me smile. “I'm a supporter of gay rights. And not a closet supporter either. From the time I was a kid, I have never been able to understand attacks upon the gay community. There are so many qualities that make up a human being... by the time I get through with all the things that I really admire about people, what they do with their private parts is probably so low on the list that it is irrelevant.”
BMH:    What's a common and accepted practice for Americans nowadays that you think we'll look back on with regret?

JH:    Posting every single thought or action on social network sites like Facebook. Sometime less is more in the information department!

BMH:    Describe your level of ambition.

JH:    Hard question! I'd like to think I'm fairly ambitious but it seems like I usually run out of time and/or energy before I get everything I'd like to do accomplished.

BMH:    What would you attempt to do if you knew that you could not fail?

JH:     Toss up between bringing peace to the world and ending world hunger. I attempt and fail at simpler things every day.

BMH:    Describe a few pet peeves of yours.

JH:     People who say "No problem" instead of "You're welcome". People who don't change the toilet paper roll when the new roll is sitting right there. People with narrow minds and big mouths.

BMH:    How often do you Google yourself?

JH:    I have an auto-alert that notifies me once a week. Most of the articles are on a prosecutor named Jamie Hill or the athlete by the same name. Every once in a while I find a nice review that does belong to me.

BMH:    What do you know now that you wished someone had told you ten years ago?

JH:     Life's too short to sweat the small stuff.

BMH:    What childhood event shaped or scarred you the most?

JH:    I've always been a fan of true crime books and movies. When I was about twelve my mom told me not to watch Helter Skelter on TV and I snuck downstairs and watched it anyway. That movie (and book) and In Cold Blood tell two of the scariest stories I know. I still have an addiction to true crime, and it still scares the bejeebers out of me.

BMH:    What is a typical writing day for like?

JH:     I get up between 5:15 and 5:30 a.m. and get in an hour and a half of computer time before heading to my day job. I put in a couple more hours in the evening. Not all of that time is spent writing, some days it's promotion, email, or other important items like Bejeweled and Words with Friends. I try to write for a few hours each day on the weekend as time allows.

BMH:    Are you an outliner or a seat-of-your-pants writer?

JH:     Used to fly by the seat of my pants but these days I get along better if I have an outline penciled out. I don't always stick with it, often the storyline takes off in ways I never expected and then I have to wing it.

BMH:    Would you rather... live without music or live without TV?

JH:     This is tough because I love music but I'm not sure I could live without TV. It would be too quiet!

BMH:…be gossiped about or never talked about at all?

JH:     I'd prefer not to be talked about but as an author that's probably the wrong choice. It's funny, I recently found a review for one of my books on a site I rarely visit. Now, this book has gotten many good reviews. But this particular person said the book was so bad it made her head hurt! She went on and on about it in great detail. She also mentioned reading three other books of mine both before and after this one, which made me chuckle. Love my books or hate them, but keep reading them!

BMH:    Do you blog? If so, why and what do you usually blog about?

JH:     I used to blog regularly but life doesn't permit that extravagance anymore. Blogging consistently takes time and energy and when I have that to spare, I need it for my writing. So my recent blogs are mostly promotion and funny things I've found and want to share.

BMH:    Have you ever done a blog book tour? What was that like and would you do it again?

JH:     Sure, a well-planned blog tour is a great event. I've done several. The key is being organized and getting everything sent to the right people well in advance. Then visiting the blogs daily to comment and follow up.

BMH:    Do you enjoy doing promotion?

JH:     Some of it, but I feel like writing the next book is the best promotion an author can do, so I try to focus my energy on that.

BMH:    What’s the oddest thing you’ve ever done to promote your work?

JH:    Stapling candy onto bookmarks to take to the Romantic Times convention. Gave away a lot of bookmarks that day!

BMH:    What’s the strangest fan question/request you’ve ever gotten?

JH:     One reader, commenting on a rather sexy scene in one of my books, asked if that was from personal experience. I've since found out that's a fairly common misconception, and one we writers laugh about regularly!

Respond to these pairings and tell why you respond the way you do:
•    Series or stand-alone books?
•        JH: Love series because I enjoy seeing what happens to the characters once a story ends.
•    Lots of research or make it all up?
•        JH: A little research and make the rest up.
•    Neat or sloppy?
•        JH: some of each. My living room is very neat but my office is another story.
•    NY or DC?
•        JH: NY if I can take bedbug spray with me.
•    Carnivore or vegetarian?
•        JH: carnivore- love steak and seafood.

How have you grown as a writer?
1) What has gotten better? –
    JH:    I don't head-hop so much anymore. I started out writing with an     omniscient POV, where everyone knew everything. I've gotten better about this     and can usually stay in character these days.
2) What things have you dropped along the way?
    JH:    I used to seek reviews, sending my manuscript out to dozens of     Mostly good, a few stinkers, but they come and go. I appreciate them, but don't     seek them out anymore.
3) What helped most in your growth as a writer?
    JH:    Having a good friend/writing partner to read and critique my work.     I've learned a lot from her and still look to her for advice and help when needed.

BMH:    If you were to go to a deserted island for an extended stay what are three things you would take with you?

JH:     Bath and Body Works Lotion. Fully stocked Kindle Fire for my book/TV fix. Fully stocked refrigerator carried by husband.

BOKS:

FAMILY TIES
By link:    http://www.amazon.com/Family-Ties-Cop-ebook/dp/B00457XJMK/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1339032612&sr=1-1

FAMILY SECRETS
Buy Link: http://www.amazon.com/Family-Secrets-Cop-Book-ebook/dp/B004478IN6/ref=sr_1_2?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1339032612&sr=1-2