22 questions with one of the most exciting authors of today. Marie Jem has burst onto the scene with her first book “Pursuit For Lucidity.” Marie is a writer you will be hearing a lot from in the future. For those of you who have read “Pursuit,” I need explain no more. For those who haven’t, you need to read this one. Just believe me–you need this!

1. If you could work with any author who would it be?

A)  Danielle Steel.  I love the way Danielle writes and describes surroundings and makes you feel what her characters are feeling.

2. Who is your favourite author, and is your writing style similar to theirs?

A) The late V.C. Andrews is my favourite author.  If my writing style were similar to hers, I would be one AMAZING writer.  I love the way she draws you into her characters’ minds and emotions.

3. What’s your favorite part of a book?

A) My favourite part of a book is that moment when you are not expecting to discover a secret and all of a sudden it’s in your face and you cannot believe it.

4. When naming your characters, do you give any thought to the actual meaning?

A) I just imagine what I think the character should look like and pick a name that I think fits their appearance in my imagination.

5. How have your personal experiences affected your writing?

A) Personal experiences such as jobs, school, and everyday living over the years have given me many creative ideas.  I believe the people I have encountered throughout my life makes it easy for me to create all the different personalities of my characters.

6. What genre of books do you personally like to read? Do you limit yourself to only the genre that you write yourself?

A)  I do not limit myself to a certain genre.  I have interest in many different genres.  Although I write romance, I very much enjoy a good suspenseful thriller, which is something I’m currently reading.

7. Were you always good at writing?

A) I wasn’t the best writer in school, but I managed to do well with essays, as they came easy for me.  I never had to sit in front of a blank sheet of paper, trying to come up with a story.

8. How do you get started with writing a story and how do you start developing the story? How do you get inspired for it?

A) Thoughts flow into my brain, and I put them together in my head over time.  I change the plot around many times, adding and deleting characters, changing their personalities, etc.  Before I know it, I have a very long story.

9. What advice would you give to people who “run out of creativity” when writing?

A) Take a long walk along the beach or the park.  Sometimes, just walking and not trying to create anything seems to automatically plant information in my head.  I don’t think there is such a thing – to run out of creativity.  I believe it is all in timing.

10. What is the most important lack in your life?

A) Time.  I honestly wish there were more than twenty-four hours in a day.  I want to fit in so much in one day, that I wish only an hour or two more per day would make my life so much easier.

11. Why a fiction book? What caused you to decide to write fiction?

A) It’s more fun to make things up.  I love to make up my characters – their names, ages, where they reside, and what they do for a living.  I love the fact that I can make them as beautiful, rich, powerful, and as smart as I want.  I love to create places that only exist in my book.

A) Faint. Then when I regain consciousness, I would take pictures and post them on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and everywhere else because I wouldn’t believe my eyes.

13. You are on a plane and someone asks if you are Marie Jem and raves about your new book—how do you handle it?

A) I would be extremely thankful and ask them what they loved most about it.  I would feel so honoured to be recognized like that.

14. You have the #1 bestseller in America—what would be your first thought?

A) Tears.  More tears, until there are no tears remaining.  Tears of joy, that is.  Then when the tears of joy have completely dried out my eyes, I will thank all those who helped me get there.

15. Are you at ease when interviewing? Do you find interviews generally exciting or boring?

A) Interviews can be as exciting as you want to make them.  I’m a social person and enjoy talking with other people, especially about things I love.

16. Are you a woman with strong convictions, and do those convictions shine through when you write a novel?

A) Yes.  My characters express that about me, and there is an obvious difference about what is good and what is evil in my stories.

17. What puts you off when reading a book? Bad grammar? Awful editing? Slow stories?

A) I can get past anything, but reading a book that is too predictable or doesn’t go anywhere puts me off.  I like to be surprised and unable to see what’s coming.  I have to feel what the character is feeling.

18. Is paradise self-made or can it be found? Is writing your paradise?

A) I believe paradise is self-made, and writing is definitely my paradise.  It’s a place I can go to if I want to escape, and a place I can share with my readers when the time is right.

A) I MARRIED THAT GUY! LOL! Let me just say, opposites really DO attract.  It’s a wonderful balance, though – he never wants to borrow my Kindle or any of my books.  I read and narrate to him after I’m done with a book.  I enjoy talking about what I read, and he enjoys hearing the stories.  It works both ways.

A) What a sad place that would be.  I wouldn’t leave in disgust just yet.  I would explore and see if I could find a way to introduce literacy to that sad new world.

A) I cannot blame any of those things because I grew up playing video games.  It never stopped me from reading, though.  I always made time for a book I enjoyed. When children see their parents reading, they will follow.

22. Do you agree that writers have to be salesmen in the Indie world?

A) Definitely.  Although all I want to do is write, write, write, and automatically have everything else taken care of for me, it doesn’t work that way in the Indie world.  I don’t think it works that way in the publishing world either.  It’s hard work all around.  It takes a lot of effort and word of mouth to get the book moving.
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