About Jennifer Felton:
An avid reader since childhood, Jennifer loved to read any book she could get her hands on. She especially enjoyed tales with paranormal or supernatural elements. Her love of words evolved as she grew older and later in life became someone her friends turned to when they wanted a school paper read and proofed.
After college, where she received a degree in Education, she reached out and networked with several authors and joined the ranks of ‘Editor”. There was nothing that could quite touch the thrill of being able to shape some unexplored world that would land in the hands of thousands – in the shape of a book.
All the books she had read throughout her life stoked her imagination, but she had never tried to put down on paper the characters she had in her own head. That was, until the characters began their rebellion. It seemed she no longer had a choice but to tell their tales.
Through Life and Death, is the first in her One Hell of a Romance series that is being published through Booktrope where Jennifer also serves not only as author – but also editor, proofreader, and book manager for their other authors!
What inspires you to write?
A lot of different things inspire me, it just depends on which book I’m working on. I love all things paranormal, especially vampires. So, when I started to really sit down and write, it was a no-brainer that I would have vampires as my main characters.
Some things are taken from real life. The companion to my One Hell of a Romance series, Through Love and Hate, actually has a fictionalized version of someone I know. My character, Anya, is based off someone I know who has been diagnosed with stage four breast cancer. This book was sort of my self-therapy to deal with finding out about her diagnosis.
As far as the rest of it, not to be cliché, but dreams or a spin off something I see or hear in TV shows or movies.
Tell us about your writing process.
I like to have somewhat of a general plan, though it doesn’t always end up working. I am quite proud of myself for having a few future books completely outlined!
I tend to change things in stories as I’m writing. When the story changes, sometimes it’s hard to already have an outline of what was *supposed* to happen, especially when it’s now not going to happen…
For Fiction Writers: Do you listen (or talk to) to your characters?
OMG! They don’t shut up, especially Maya. She tends to overshadow everyone. At the moment, I suppose that’s ok, since I’m writing her story in the series. 😉 But, it may prove to be a problem when I’m trying to write her father’s story, or her brother’s story! Ha! But, we do have some lovely (and some not-so-lovely) chats! Believe me, she’s quite vocal if I get something wrong or she doesn’t like the way I have it written.
I have another character, whose name I won’t reveal – yet – who is also quite a chatterbox. The worst part of that, is I’m quite a while away from writing her book. :/
What advice would you give other writers?
The biggest thing is not to give up. It may not be perfect the first, or even seventh, time you write it. THAT’S OK!
It takes time and practice. I’ve been writing this series for about *FOUR YEARS* now, and I only have a prequel and a companion book out. Thankfully, I’m almost done with the first main story, and I can’t wait.
Let the excitement, and characters, drive you forward. You can do it.
It’s also important to get a few people who are impartial, to read what you have written. Let those with more experience guide you. Listen to what they have to say – it’s important. If they say it, so will readers.
Also, be prepared for haters. Not everyone will love, or even like, your books. Let it go. I know, it’s hard, but it’s a must.
How did you decide how to publish your books?
Self-publishing seems to be the no-brainer option these days. You have complete control of everything and higher royalties.
Not everyone can afford to pay for their editor, formatter, cover designer, etc. out of pocket. This was actually one of the driving forces behind me choosing to go with a publisher, especially Booktrope. You get to choose who is on your team, and then arrange for them to get a certain percentage of royalties from the books they work on.
What do you think about the future of book publishing?
Really, I’m not sure.
There are a lot of books flooding the market right now because self-publishing is so easy and free.
That’s great, and not-so-great.
YAY! for the ones who have fabulous books with fabulous covers. Then there’s the flip side – the authors who sell their blub and pay a lot for great covers. But then when you go to read the actual book, it falls way short of all expectations that were built up.
What do you use?: Professional Editor, Professional Cover Designer, Beta Readers
What genres do you write?: paranormal romance with some mystery/thriller thrown in!
What formats are your books in?: Both eBook and Print
Website(s)
Jennifer Felton Home Page Link
Link To Jennifer Felton Page On Amazon
Your Social Media Links
Goodreads
Facebook
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All information in this post is presented “as is” supplied by the author. We don’t edit, to allow you, the reader, to hear the author in their own voice.
