Nov 25, 2013

Interview with Jacqueline Conwell


Author of Jax & Marbles


When did you realize that you wanted to become a writer?
After writing a play for my grandparents based on two of my favorite video game characters when I was a kid, I knew that writing was something I wanted to do when I got older.

Is being an Author all you dreamed of, or did it just happen? The best and worst thing about it?
Being an author was one of the many things I dreamed of being. The best thing about it is that I get to share my characters and stories with others. The worst thing is when I have writers block. It can last for a while sometimes.

What was the very first thing you ever wrote?
Back in the early or late 90’s, I wrote a book dedicated to my dog, Buster, before he passed away. It was only about ten pages or so on sheets of printer paper, but there were illustrations and everything. I believe my parents still have it.

What made you create (your book)? How did it come to you?
These particular books came from dream I had many years ago. I originally logged it as a dream, but then I started adding to it as time passed to make it more interesting. While editing it one day, I realized that at least four books could be pulled from what was already written.

How much of your characters are based on your traits or someone you know personally?
I built my characters around my own personality traits, and those of people I know. A few of them have more of my personality, while the others have more personality traits of people I know. That’s what helped me make them unique and real, while giving them their own quirks as well.

Describe your main character in six words.
Kind, open minded, forgiving, patient, special, real


Describe the world you’ve created in six words.
It’s hard to come up with six words to describe the world I’ve created. The best one I can come up with is “open”. I built it based on places I’ve lived and visited in real life. But, I purposely didn’t include heavy details of what I saw in my mind when I was writing. I left it open so that the reader could decide how they wanted to see the town, the school, etc., based off of minor descriptions so that their imagination could build a world for them. This also goes for the characters in the books.

What scene was your favorite to write?
For “Jax & Marbles”, it was when Julian found Alexia sitting under the willow tree toward the end of the book. For “Pick-up Stix”, it was when James and Julian went to help Alora in the funhouse.

What scene was the hardest for you to write?
The hardest scenes to write in both of the books were the ones where there was confrontation. I didn’t want them to drag out, and I didn’t want to have too many. I was concerned that they’d get boring after a while.

What are you working on now?
·     I’m currently working on the third and fourth book to the series.

Goals? Accomplishments? Improvements?
·    My current goal is to get the third book published by mid / late 2014, and obtain at least 100 “Likes” for the FB page I created for the series. I’m glad I was able to get more people to read both of my books and learn that they enjoyed reading them as much as I enjoyed writing them. I’m working on trying to improve my editing skills so that the turn around when it goes to proofreaders is much faster than it has been.

Are there any authors or books you recommend?
·  I’d definitely recommend books by Erin Hunter. I’m excited that she’s starting a new series called “Survivors”. I’m falling behind with her “Warriors” series, so I’m hoping to finish them all soon so I can start something new.

What's your favorite thing to do when you're not writing?
·  I enjoy watching my fair share of cartoons, going to the movies at least once a week, and playing video games. I also enjoy outdoor activities.