An Interview with Coralie Hughes Jensen

Today my guest is Coralie Hughes Jensen. Author of Winter Harvest. Thank you for joining us Coralie. I appreciate spending this time with you and I know readers will as well. So let's get started, shall we?

What genres do you write?

I started by writing suspense. My first two novels were about terrorism on the European continent. Unfortunately, neither was published. My first published novel was mainstream, my second, women's fiction. Both Passup Point and Lety's Gift took place in Newfoundland/Labrador. My third novel L'Oro Verde, under the name L. E. Chamberlain, is a mystery set in a Tuscan hill town. My latest Winter Harvest is a historical novel in Massachusetts in 1838. I have three manuscripts yet to find a home: a mystery that takes place in New Zealand, a historical novel in Tudor England, and a suspense set in the Arctic.

Tell us what your favorite leisure activity or vacation spot is.

I like to travel. I travel to find settings for books and also to do research on the book I'm writing.

I traveled to Newfoundland/Labrador for my novels set there. While living in the Netherlands, I went to Italy and came up with the idea for L'Oro Verde.

I don't normally travel first class. My husband and I drive and try to stay with people along the way to see how they live. Stories about mishaps - losing our passports to a traffic cop in the Czech Republic so we couldn't leave the country, having to report to a police station in Germany when we passed a counterfeit DM100 bill at a restaurant, sharing fast food with East Germans in Lubec the week after the border opened - are all fodder for upcoming books.

Have you ever included a real experience of your own in a book? Did anyone who knows you notice?

I use my own experiences or those of my friends all the time. The scenes in Montriano's police station are based on the station and detectives in Germany. Most of my sites are derived from real places I have visited. I give them new names and locations, but most of the churches in my books are based on other churches in similar areas. Sophie's fascinating childhood experiences in Lety's Gift are similar to those of a friend in seminary in Newfoundland.

No one has mentioned they recognized a specific experience, but many have written about my knowledge of certain cultures when I use personal experiences in my stories.

Where do you get your inspirations for a book? How do you get your ideas?

I get my ideas from a variety of sources. Events in the newspaper can give me ideas. When I travel, I am always looking for sites, especially for mysteries where I can develop the character of a detective or find a body or hide a suspect. Places where cultures clash are fascinating - both sides are rational and true to their own beliefs, and getting along means both sides understand each other.

What is the best reader or reviewer comment you've ever received?

Recently I received wonderful comments from a couple of agents who have read my manuscripts, including that my novel is "superbly written" and that my work is very literary.

What does your family think about your writing? How, if they do, do they support you in your writing endeavors?

My husband helps me edit my books. He's a tough editor because he seems to sense when a word or phrase doesn't work. My daughter and son always buy my books as gifts for their friends. My sister in California writes reviews for me and also buys books as gifts.

When and where do you do the bulk of your writing?

I write on the computer in my office, a bedroom on the second floor of my house. I can look out the window beside me and see a dogwood tree now in full bloom.

I also have a TV beside my desk where I can glance over and watch the Red Sox while I'm writing. I have moved a lot because I used to work in high tech and the company would move us. I found that being knowledgeable about sports was a way to break the ice with new neighbors and workmates. In each place I've lived, I have been able to enjoy a championship - a Super Bowl, a World Series, or a European Cup.

What's your favorite part of being a writer?

Sleeping in when I need to. I hated getting up at 5:30 a.m. in order to get ready to face the commute. I don't mind getting up early now because I have an idea about how to fix a problem in my novel. It must be the commute I hate!

What advice would you give a new writer?

Having been a copy editor for a small publisher, it is my opinion that writers should know their craft well enough to make the story clear. Many new writers comment that grammar and punctuation will be cleaned up by the editor. I know very few editors who want to spend their time correcting manuscripts. I once got a manuscript that was so bad it needed to be cleaned up just to know who said what. If editors have trouble reading it, they'll reject it. If grammar isn't the author's forte, the new writer should get help from a friend or family member who is able to fix it first.

What book is your favorite and why?

I like Winter Harvest because the main character is much like me. She watches everyone else and falls into her role by accident. Lucy is not as pretty as Sarah or as evil as Ezekiel. She tries to be good, but finds it difficult.

Give us your backlist...with all publishers...

My books include:

Winter Harvest (2010) published by Five Star Gale/Cengage

L'Oro Verde (under the name of L. E. Chamberlain) (2008) published by Lightening Rider Press

Lety's Gift (2006) published by Lightening Rider Press

Passup Point (2006) published by Lightening Rider Press

Give us your URLS...

Website: http://www.coraliejensen.com/

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000493215204

Twitter: corkyyhj

Thanks Coralie for a wonderful interview. I wish you the best of luck on your next publication. come back and visit us again!

The Road to Publishing

Writing is fun, challenging and at times a real pain in the neck. Am I whining? No! Not at all. Just stating the facts. Here's how it goes (for me anyway)....
An idea niggles until it becomes full-blown (like a cold). It settles in for the long haul, working its way into my consciousness. From there, it becomes a nagging itch that insists it be scratched.

This can take some time, but eventually, the whole thing must be addressed, put into the computer or scribbled in a notebook somewhere, and then allowed to stew until it forms a story line. From there, it takes shape.

During its journey, the novel twists and turns like a snake weaving its way through tall grass. The story, and its characters, may take a few unexpected turns, make some stops, become mired and tangled, but sooner or later, it all works out.

These are the first steps, not the place where I get to write THE END. The story gets worked, reworked, reworked again, and again and....well, you get the idea. Just when you think this masterpiece is ready for debut, you find that the publishers don't want it, or it will be put into a slush pile somewhere, or that you'll be 100 years old before the novel becomes a reality for the public to read.

There are alternatives for those of us who refuse to sit around and wait for the magic wand of the publishing houses to grace us by publishing our story. There's often more money to be made by going to places like Create Space (paper portion of Amazon) or to Amazon's Kindle publishing. I know this is true since I have recently published my novel, Faerie Cake Dead, in Create Space and made sales. The first sales alone made more money than I ever made from the publisher who put the book out in ebook form. That isn't to say the book didn't sell well in ebook form, it's more like the sales were there, but when the money got divided up, what was left was a mere pittance by comparison.

If you're thinking of putting your novel up on Amazon's kindle or into Create Space for the paper book market, my advice is to go for it. You'll make more money, have total control (very important), and be happier with your experience.

Book is Up!!

I checked www.Amazon.com for Faerie Cake Dead today and low and behold, there it was listed next to the ebook version. Let me explain why the covers are different. When I signed my contract with Lyrical Press, it was for ebook only. I had so many requests for paper, that I asked if LP would publish it in paper. Since they do very little paper publishing, I was given permission rights to do so on my own. They own the cover rights, so I had to come up with my own cover. There is a preview of the first chapter on CreateSpace as well.

I'm so excited about this, and the preview ratings have been 4-5 stars. Who could ask for more!! (maybe some sales....)

New Cover For Faerie Cake Dead

It took some time to get this done, but I finally finished the cover for the paper version of Faerie Cake Dead. Now I'm trying top figure out how much time it will take to publicize it through the Creat Space program at Amazon.com

The book should be available by next week, but Amazon has a que, so.....need I say more. This is my first sojourn using creat space and it has been a challenge. I think it's a great idea and sure as heck saves money when it comes time to market. I enjoy a print-on-demand program, too. Been there, done that and my publisher, Lachesis Publishing, still uses it. It's much better than having thousands of books hanging around.

The novel name has been added, but blogger won't upload that picture, so here it is, in almost all its glory for your comments and thoughts.

Learning New Things

Did anyone ever tell you "it's easy to learn this, no problem"? In today's world of electronics and techie stuff, there's one sure thing...you need to learn as much as you can about using apps, linking, blogging, and above all 'cutting and pasting'. Those are the major issues that plague artists and writer's who want all the bells and whistles, but haven't a clue how to manage working them. Recently, I researched the ways in which to maximize my blogs and websites (yes, I have more than one of these little darlings). It wasn't as difficult as I thought it would be since the instructions are kindergarten clear, as in Step 1, Step 2 and so on. Thank goodness for that.

I went as far as setting up a newsletter through www.constantcontact.com What is nice about the company is that after you have set up the initial letter, they do the rest and send it out for you to everyone on the email list you presented to them. The trial is free for 60 days so you have a chance to ride the horse before you buy it. So far, so good.

If you've gotten a fever and chills whenever you think of techie stuff, rest assured you needn't worry. There are real techies behind the scenes to help you (for free, even). So get moving, try your hand at offering your friends and fans your news or latest book, product, artwork, etc. We want to know what you are doing and how you did it!! Honest!

Books on Sale at Amazon

My publisher emailed me with news that Amazon has my Vinnie Esposito humorous mystery novel series on sale. I'm so excited about this. I really want to share these stories and increase my reader numbers. I'm prepping the 4th book in the series for submission to the editor-in-chief this week. I know...it's Friday, but there's still time.



In this new book, Cold Moon Dead, Vinnie is robbed at gunpoint by a harridan whose identity will surprise everyone. Vinnie has a no-tolerance, yet inquisitive, relationship with a mobster, and her favorite buddy, Lanky Larry, makes a return visit in the story. It's a fun-filled, hilarious, adventure that you are sure to want to read....so stay tuned!

New cover for Dirty Trouble

My publisher sent me the finished version of the new cover for Dirty Trouble. The book will soon be re-released by Lachesis Publishing. The cover is cool and the book has some added twists.

The book will be availabe on Amazon.com and at www.lachesispublishing.com