Tigris Eden

I had the greatest pleasure of interviewing Jessica Scott regarding her Journey to becoming a writer, She answered all of the questions I put out there with no hesitation what so ever! I love how straight and to the point she is. Hope you enjoy it, and please leave a comment, I am sure she is interested in hearing everyone's feedback.

Can you tell the readers a little more about yourself? Also please add your website as well and any other information that you feel the readers should know.

Thanks so much for having me and giving me the opportunity to share your readers. Al little about me, huh? Well, I?m fixing to turn 33 years old, I've been in the army since I was 18. I?m originally from Maine but have called Fort Hood Texas home now for a long time. I'm happily married with two daughters who are currently with my mom while my husband and I finish our tour up over her in Iraq.

I recently went through officer candidate school and earned my commission, which is totally different life than being a sergeant first class, or a senior NCO.

I love the army and I love reading about the army so I figured, why not write about the army? I've blogged extensively about writers journey as well as being a mom and serving in the army. Sometimes all three at once. It your interested in more about my year in Iraq, you're always welcome to stop by http://www.jessicascott.net for the rest of the journey.

Make sure you stop by and visit her web page!

Your book War's Darkest Fear features Shane Garrison and Jen St. James. What was the inspiration that prompted you to write this novel? Are there any emotional ties that come with the book?

My original idea for this book came when I was looking at one of the rangers I went to officer candidate school with. He was a dick to most everyone and I had thought: he had no time for weakness or laziness because he's seen combat. That was the original thought for Shane, which didn?t actually get written until months later. I wrote the book in a week and there is nothing left in the current draft from that original document, except the character names. What would happen if a man who lives for the army has that foundation taken from him? That was the idea behind it.

I have emotional ties to every book I write but had to learn (and still have a lot to learn) about the craft of writing. I had to learn to kill my darlings. There scenes that I loved that I had to slice and chop until they weren?t repetitive. Learning to look at something objectively is incredibly hard for me and it's the number one reason why I struggle with revisions.

How did you come up with the names of the characters in the book?

I don't remember how I came up with the original names but I do know that once I came up with Shane Garrison, it stuck. When I write him - and he's a recurring character in the series - he?s easy for me to visualize and write.

What was the worst and best part about your journey becoming a published author?

Ha, I'm still not published, though I did manage to land an amazing agent this year. So my journey continues as we speak and it's definitely got its peaks and valleys that's for sure.

The best part and also the most difficult part, is going through the revision process. Taking criticism and looking back and trying to see what the reader sees and discovering how to take the raw words and turn it into something readable. I might not always see it right away but if I wait long enough, I'll eventually see it. Both Joann Ross and Roxanne St Claire have read War's Darkest Fear and both suggested I change the point of view to open with Shane. I didn't see it at the time but when I finally went through and made the change, the difference was staggering. So it might take me a while but I never discount what someone says when they take the time to give me comments or advice.

The hardest part for me is the waiting. I'm so incredibly lucky to have an agent. I've got to say, the publishing industry is not for the faint hearted or impatient. Had I not joined Austin RWA and the RomVets, I probably would have given up. It's incredibly challenging to find the will to sit down and write every day when you've got a stack of rejections (well deserved by the way when I did get them). But for every rejection, I simply figured I wasn't there yet. I didn't rail at the agent or editor, even if I did whine a little about what I wasn't seeing. I sat back and looked at what they were saying and worked (and still work to get better)

Who or what is your muse?

I get random ideas all the time but mostly, if I'm writing, I need music. Good rock music really gets my brain going and if I've got good tunes, I can get into the zone and really crank.

But the soldiers I work with every day are a huge part of my inspiration. There are stories there that aren't told that I hope I get a chance to tell.

Can you tell us about your upcoming books and how was your experience writing a paranormal romance vs. military/romantic suspense?

War's Darkest Fear is a military romance. I recently discovered, however, that marketing myself as military romance meant I was writing romantic suspense, which Fear is not. It's straight romance, not suspense, which significantly impacts reader expectations.

The paranormal angle plays on my education and interests outside the military. I have a bachelor's degree in religious studies and for a while in my younger days, I seriously considered becoming a chaplain (let's just say that didn't pan out and that I'm not meant to minister to the flock, so to speak). But in the paranormal as well as the military books, I look hard at right and wrong, retribution, and revenge. I love religious themes and ethics, so you'll find a lot of that in my stuff. The paranormal simply allow me a great flexibility in the story than the straight military stuff.

On your website there are mentions of other War's Darkest Series how is that coming along so far?

So far, there are four books to the series, with a fifth in the works. None are fit for public consumption, however, or are ready to be sent to my agent for that matter. The three full books are rewrites of earlier drafts in the series, as is the fourth. The fifth is still the first draft and I've set that aside for the time while I wait for comments from my agent on the first.

One of the things I've discovered about myself as a writer this year is that I need distance from my writing in order to be able to even passably revise it. So I might be able to crank through a complete revision in two weeks, but I really need to take time and set it aside before I try to dig into it again.

That I can totally understand.....Revesions at times can be grueling

On your website you mentioned that the first novel that you completed all the way was After the War. How did that make you feel once you knew it was completed?

If I had known how many times I was going to rewrite that sucker in part before throwing the whole thing out and starting over two years after I wrote it, I might not have gotten the same thrill from it. That being said, I got tingles. I remember lying in bed with a smile on my face, thinking I did it. I finished a book. Granted, it was complete garbage (and yes I queried it, proudly) but still felt a huge accomplishment.

Any advice for aspiring authors?

I've learned so much over my path and I still feel like I know next to nothing. But some of the lessons I've learned are:

If you find someone who loves you enough to put on their 'evil bitch critique partner hat' and really tear into your manuscript, stick with that person. It's really hard to learn to kill your darlings but when someone mentions that this motivation doesn't work or that character doesn?t work, listen. You don't have to take the advice but there may be underlying issues. Don?t hesitate to ask authors? for advice. I've asked and felt bad for asking but if you don't know, you have to ask. There are some great industry blogs out there so the question has probably been out there. Sometimes, thought, you need a personal answer. Mostly, don't blame agents and editors for not taking you on. In my case, and I can only speak for self, I had many rejections but my stuff was not ready for prime time. It NEVER should have gone out and I'm just glad at this point that I'm not blacklisted in the industry

Slow down, take time, and learn (not like me, who can?t slow down if I tried). Listen to people around you. Join a writer's group, if you haven't already. I'm not saying a critique group, unless you're comfortable with that idea, but most writers are going to need a critique partner that loves you enough to tell you your baby is ugly and here's the recommended scalpels to fix the problem.

The other thing is a piece of advice that I received from Allison Brennan once: be professional. Don't rail and blame everyone because your book didn't get snatched up. Don't email agents and call them names because they rejected you. Publishing is a small world and agents and editors talk to one another. Ask a question and if an agent or editor takes time to give you a personal rejection, read it. There's gold in there but you'll never see it if you think they hate you. They don't even know you. It's not about you, its about the writing.

A NYT Bestselling author did not steal our work. Famous authors are - rightly so - leery of being accused of plagiarism. Joann Ross and I had a good laugh about this one. She had a book called Shattered with a lead character named Shane. Oh and he was wounded in combat. I saw that and went, holy crap, I pitched my wounded GI story, called Shattered with a lead character named Shane to her agent (prior to landing my agent). Imagine my embarrassment but never once did I think she stole my idea. She actually found my blog and commented on it and asked to read my book. The ideas might have been the same but the execution is completely different and now we share a good laugh about it. Stephen King said it best: unless there is verbatim plagiarism where passages are lifted word for word, it wasn't stolen.

What are you currently working on?

Right now, I'm working on a rewrite of a paranormal book called Resurrection about a SoF team up here in Mosul and some of the paranormal discoveries they make. Iraq is so full of history, I couldn?t ignore the temptation to write about it.

You have two younger children at home, both girls when at home what is it that you and the family enjoy doing together most?

We spend a lot of time together because we've lost so much time to the army. I realized this year that I've missed my oldest daughter's third, fourth, and fifth birthdays. We try and make the most of each day because time is so precious and the one thing you'll never get back. Once a day is gone, its gone forever. You don't get a do over. I let me girls help me cook, we go to the zoo a lot and the park. We don't watch a lot of TC and we have annual passes to the zoos in Texas. My kids travel well, so I'm looking forward to the 4 day drive from Maine to Texas in a few weeks when we get home from Iraq.

If you could get a redo for some part of your life what would it be?

I don't really look back on my life and think I'd redo it, even the tough times I had as a teenager. I am who I am today because of the experiences I've had. I'd try to be more grateful for everyday, because life is so short. I'd like to have more patience - with everything - and be a better housekeeper (seriously, my Martha Stewart gene is completely missing). But overall, I'm pretty happy with my life. There've been some dark times this year in Iraq but it's an experience that's influenced me in more ways than I can count. I hope it makes me a better leader and parent and spouse, you know?

That I definately know about trying to be a better leader and parent and spouse, wanting to make all things in life just flow better.  Its a task but somebody has to do it, or the world would be gloomy.

Favorite Music Artist or Artists?

I listen to a little bit of everything but I really like hard rock and most of the time, when I'm writing, its going to be a rock music. Even's Blue, Framing Hanley, Breaking Benjamin, Signs of Betrayal, Hurt, Red. Harder stuff like Mudvayne or Korn if I'm writing a fight scene or battle.

Each of my books has a song or a play list that I listened to as I wrote it. For War's Darkest Fear, it was almost entirely Evan's Blue, Framing Hanley and Digital Summer. For War's Darkest Choice the song Mystery of You by Red ran through my head so much, it helped define the book.

I love the soundtracks to BlackHawk Down, Pirates of the Caribbean, Gladiator, and Braveheart.

What's in your Ipod/who's on deck in your Kindle to be read (if you have one)

The paranormal I'm working on right now is getting heavy doses of all three Signs of Betrayal albums and Breaking Benjamin's new album Dear Agnoy.

I don't have a kindle because I can't justify the expense of a separate device to carry around. Plus, I get a little thrill of just being in a book store, so I'm loathe to give that feeling up. I love being around books too much. I might make the shift down the road sometime, thought because I hear they're great.

Alpha Male or Sensitive Male? Explain?

My all time favorite character is Samuel Gerard from Laura Kinsale's The Shadow and The Star. He's incredibly scarred and fighting against what's inside him because of what happened to him when he was young. She takes a flawed character who can't see his own goodness and shoes his transformation as he's able to see himself through Leda?s eyes. It's a classic and timeless story.

What's your best personality trait? Your worst?

I'm aggressive and go after what I think needs to happen. A lot of people aren't used to dealing with someone as blunt as me. This is also my biggest weakness, because people aren?t used to dealing with me.

What girly thing can you not do without?

Lip gloss. I've stocked up over here, with Clinque SPF 15 lipgloss. I'm addicted but let me tell you, gloss in a sandstorm is a bad idea!

Favorite Authors?

One thing that's come out of Iraq is the fact that I?ve had time to really read much more than I might have if I was home (the ever present working mommy time crunch). These are the ones I go to for a story that is going to rock my world every time. There are so many fantastic authors out there but here are a few of my go to favorites in no particular order:

Julie Kenner

Laura Kinsale

Allison Brennan

Laura Griffin

Sherry Thomas

Tracy Wolff

Emily Mckay

Tami Hoag

Roxanne St Claire

What would we find in your To Be Read Pile?

In my to be read pile is Stephanie Bond, Teresa Medeiros, JoAnn Ross, Robyn Carr. I'm really looking forward to Julie Kenner's Blood Lilly Chronicles. The first book, Tainted, is getting rave reveiws and I?ll be home just in time to pick them up. I can't wait for Allison Brennan's first paranormal, Original Sin in late January. I?m eagerly awaiting Laura Griffin's new book Untraceable comes out in November and Sklyer White's debut And Falling, Fly comes out in January

I still smile about skye's book because she came in a the last meeting I was able to attend before I deployed and was so excited because she'd gotten The Call for And Falling, Fly. It was so cool to be there and share her experience.

I've also got The Good Soldiers, by David Finkel, coming in. I read a lot of war stories (BlackHawk Down and The Long Road Home as examples) to help me get into my characters heads. My characters are all still in the army, so reading about real soldiers helps me to understand a little more of their experiences.

What did you just finish reading? What are you currently reading?

I just finished Roxanne St. Claire's Bullet Catcher Series. She does a fantastic job of mixing sensuality with suspense. Before that was my ARC of Laura Kinsale's Lessons In French (it's fantastic and will be out in Feb). I go through about a book every day and a half over here and I?m going to miss having that kind of time when I get back to the states.

Name of your pets?

Ha, good question, I have so many, its hard to begin. We have two dogs, Lily (who's a hundred pound lap dog) and Megan the alpha female of the house. The cats are Cooki and Biscuit. We had some fish but did a release into the wild program before we deployed and my mom just relocated Whiskers and Mr. Mustache, the rabbits, simply because there?s nowhere in Texas for us to keep them. The animals are split between my in - laws and my brother in law's house and we'll be rounding everyone up for the car ride back to Texas very soon.

Favorite desert you would consider Erotic?

Chocolate Syrup. Use your imagination  

You?re a member of RWA. Which Chapter?

I belong to the Austin RWA Chapter as well as the RomVet's loop and the online Kiss of Death Chapter. I can?t say enough good things about RWA in general but my home chapter is especially amazing.

The folks in Austin are incredible (I can?t say ladies because we do have on very funny guy). They've been so supportive not just to me prior deploying but to all our unpublished folks. We cheer when someone makes a sale and we support when the rejections come in. We?re really an incredible tight nit group and I really love it.

My RomVets sisters are all former servicewomen and I've really gotten some fantastic advice and support from them over the years. Merline Lovelace share her stories of being in Vietnam with me and it's just incredible how much military service has changed over the years for women. Some of those ladies led the charge that enable me to be where I am today.

Charitable Organizations.

I donate to a group called Puppies Behind Bars. They use prisoners to train service dogs for special needs people. They started a program called Dog Tags that helps returning veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan. It's an incredible program. I also donate to our local no kill animal shelter in Killeen. They're overwhelmed with animals from all the deployments so if you can adopt a pet from a shelter, please do. We got our dog Lilly from the shelter in Salado and she's fantastic dog (we do know, however, why she was let go. Lets just say she's a little bit of a chewer).

Last but not least where can we find Darkest Fear? 

On my agent's desk, lol. Seriously, the thing I love about my agent is the fact that she won't send something out that she feels isn't ready or doesn't believe in. Fear has gone through some really amazing changes because of her input and advice and we?re in the final round of revision/editing before we put the pitch together.

Again Jessica thanks so much for allowing me the opportunity to pick your brain!

Thanks so much for having me! Fell free to continue the journey, both through Iraq and home again as well as becoming a published author at http://www.jessicascott.net 

I truly enjoyed my very first author interview with Jessica Scott!  I will definately check back with her as she progresses and can hopefully pull another interview from her later in 2010 to check back with her.  (Once she becomes uber famous it may be hard to get a hold of her). Make sure you post a comment and visit her site!  Have a terrific Sunday and see you next week!