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Jenny, you are an established visual artist. Are there parallels for you
between the two creative processes - writing and painting?
There are a lot of similarities, although, for me the process of writing
takes much longer. (It takes a couple of days for me to do a painting - once the
mood takes me I go into a painting frenzy). I paint in the same way I write - I
have a ‘beginning’ idea - then I react to what is happening. For a painting
it means looking at it and finding what’s hidden there, then working with
that. When I write, I do the same thing - I watch the characters and follow
where they want the story to go.
Aha! Does this mean you are a “flimmer”? How much do you plot in advance?
Not a lot of advance plotting ever happens in my books. One scene swells into
two, then three and so on. After I have a few scenes, the whole thing seems to
spread out and it becomes the skeleton of a book.
Many writers say that their whole lives end up in their books, in one form or
another. What parts of your own life experience have gone into Honour Bound?
Very little really - only background things. I went to the University of New
South Wales when I left school and that forms part of the setting. And I did
study karate for a little while, but that’s about it - the rest is pure
fiction. Oh, and the scene with the cockatoos at Audley! That happened years
ago, but it stuck in my mind because of the eeriness of the silence after the
flock flew off.
What physical and personal qualities do you find most attractive in a hero?
(I’m dying to know if you see the gorgeous Lance as a Richard Gere type,
considering that he played Lancelot on film.)
I wrote the kernel of the book well before Richard Gere was in that movie,
but he’d be okay, I guess. The guy I see in my head is someone I’ve never
met (although my husband is usually there somewhere). The qualities I most like
in a hero are:
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gentleness (even if the man appears strong and very ‘male’ - it was
one of the things I wanted to convey in the book),
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respect for the woman’s intellect/equality - so it’s not something
the heroine has to strive for in the book. I like the hero to sense the
potential within her, and their relationship, from the moment they meet.
Honour Bound draws on Arthurian legend and
Trust in Dreams was an
adaptation of the Psyche and Eros myth. What is it that draws you to figures of
myth and legend?
There is an inherent sense of romance in mythology, and the heroes/heroines
have larger-than-life characteristics and personalities that are usually great
fodder for writing romance. The same goes for the ‘bad guys’, of course.
How do your skills in meditation contribute to your writing?
Meditation has helped in a number of ways. First and foremost, it allows me
to focus despite having to share an office with two teenage children (and their
music, mobile phones, game alerts and every other distraction they can throw at
me). I use it to unlock my inner well of creativity (if I can put it that way)
and tap the deeper level of consciousness that ‘knows’. Obviously, I use it
to relieve stress. My husband and I run a business, and I still work full-time
at the local high school, as well as writing - so time is at a premium.
I have been considering running a meditation session at the next conference
(aimed at all the above) for some of our frazzled colleagues.
You are presently Treasurer for RWA. How did you first become involved, and
how has being a member of RWA affected your career as a writer?
I became involved with RWA Inc. almost by accident - I thought they were the
Australian Chapter of RWA America. Later I found out they were two different
bodies. (I still belong to both.) They helped in a large number of ways.
Firstly, I had no idea about the publishing side of things - I remember having
my first submission professionally bound, not realising that it was a big no-no.
It was also single spaced and 10 point script. I quickly learned from the
conferences and articles in HeartsTalk what I was doing wrong and how to fix it.
Also, the advice from fellow authors, many of whom I now consider friends, gave
me the confidence to continue writing after the inevitable rejection letters
started to mount up.
Rocky River Romance is a relative newcomer on the publishing scene and
certainly a breath of fresh air for Australian romance. What has been your
experience working with them?
Rocky River has opened doors for me as a writer, as well as teaching a lot
more about the editing process. My current WIPs aren’t the kind Rocky River
are looking for, but being published by them has certainly helped in getting a
hearing with overseas publishers and agents. I love the covers and the fact that
Diane Colman, the publisher, is willing to look at books that don’t fit the
usual ‘lines’ of category.
Where can readers buy a copy of Honour Bound?
I’m not sure how long it’ll take to have the books in the shops, last
time it seemed to be staggered across the country. The Rocky River website has a direct order form which can be
printed out and posted if readers don’t want to wait.
How important do you think an attractive website is for authors? (And who did
your website?)
At this point in time, I’m not sure that websites do a great deal simply
because an author needs to be known before anyone will go looking for them on
the net. Having said that, keeping it updated with your latest work is essential
because as you build a readership, you should be accessible to a degree. A
website allows that. It also allows you to keep readers informed when new books
are coming up, which builds anticipation (hopefully) in your audience.
My ‘wunderkind’ son put the site together in a couple of hours. (He’s
available for outside work, by the way.) Advertising aside, what he can’t do
with a computer, simply can’t be done. I used to worry that he spent too much
time ‘plugged in’, but he wasn’t playing games, he was writing code. Now
he’s at university and his website work pays a few of his bills.
What’s your next writing ambition?
I love all genres of writing but my heart gravitates toward historical
fiction and fantasy (but they must contain romance). I studied ancient history
and mythology at uni and I often fell in love with particular characters from
antiquity or legends.
I’m currently in negotiations to sell a romantic suspense (single title)
about a gorgeous Egyptian Pharaoh and I have several others in mind for later
books. Apart from that, I’m in the midst of a Young Adult series centred
around four teenagers who all have ancestral links to magic. Writing for a
different age-group is a real challenge, but working in a school environment
lets me study these kids close-hand.
Beyond that, I’ve been asked to write a book on meditation, but I’ve only
gone so far as a rough draft of chapter topics. That one can wait till I have a
lull in my other writing.
What is it that attracts you to writing for teenagers?
Two things: one is the fact that they grow up too quickly nowadays and that
the adventure of childhood is lost too soon. The kind of writing I’m doing is
aimed at giving them back that sense of adventure. Also, teenagers are a little
more forgiving when a writer uses an unorthodox approach. Adult fiction has so
many underlying ‘rules’ that can be swept aside when writing for an age
group where imagination is still permitted a lot of freedom.
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Honour
Bound
Jenny Brassel is a Sydneysider, born and bred, and wouldn’t live anywhere
else. She shares a home with her journalist husband, her two teenage children
and a small white dog. An avid reader she enjoys Sci-Fi and fantasy, as well as
romance and regularly reviews books for the Australian Chapter of the Romance
Writers of America, and an on-line magazine from the US.