Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Author Interview: Reena Jacobs



Today I have Reena Jacobs on the blog. I have previously reviewed her book Brandon's Story. She is now on tour promoting her newest book, Shadow Cat. Reena is a an author of fantasy and erotic fiction.

Shadow CatControl Freak: Brandon's Story


Welcome To Beck’s Book Picks Reena Jacobs. I am so happy you are here today.
 
Thank you, Beck. I’m been looking forward to stopping by.
 
Tell us a little about yourself?
 
The question everyone asks. The one I struggle to answer without describing myself as someone’s daughter, sister, mom, wife. So let’s see.
 
I never get bored when I’m by myself. I realized that little fact when I was in high school, trying to fit in with the crowd. It was the first time I remember being bored… stuck in a group, forcing myself to do the things everyone else wanted to do. Just leave me to my imagination, and I’m good to go.
 
I don’t have a favorite color. When I was younger, I loved blue then something about red drew my attention. Later I added purple to the list and black. The only colors I really don’t like are orange and yellow. Pink is okay, but it’s really one of those meh colors for me.
 
I have read Brandon’s Story, your short story erotica. Tell me about writing this and what it felt like when you got word your book was being published.
 
Brandon’s Story was my try out the indie world piece. I’d just been sitting on it, thinking I’d submit it to a few magazines. After a little encouraging from my writer buddies, I decided to send it out into the world via Smashwords.
 
Since agents and publishers typically won’t represent a single short story from a debut author, the risks were minimal. I was still chicken at that stage and just wanted to get my feet wet.
 
As for writing it, the initial draft was pretty easy. Brandon’s Story is only 3k long, so it was complete in my head… no need to plot. I sent it to critters, and the men said it was obvious it was written by a woman. Ouch! Not good since it’s all from Brandon’s point of view (POV).
 
Research time! I delved into amateur porn written by men, but my husband was the biggest help. We did some “hands on” research with him describing the sensations as they happened. I tackled Brandon again, and according to the guys that time around, nailed it.
 
These days, I get a refresher course from my husband before I send any erotic scenes with the male POV to critters.
 
Is the erotica genre hard for you to write?
 
Yes and no. I’m not overly fond of erotic works. I’m the type of gal who’ll skip all but the first sex scene in a book just to get to the story line. Hopping into erotica had more to do with the plot of my first two works than anything.
 
Brandon’s Story was about a man’s issues with his wife and sex. The nature of Eric and Berani’s relationship inShadow Cat was lustful. Those two stories compelled me to write sex, sex, sex. Now that I have those out of my system, I do find it a bit more difficult to write erotic scenes. Chances are my future works will be a little less erotic.

Shadow Cat is your newest book; please tell us about this book and how you came up with this story.
 
Shadow Cat came with a simple desire to be productive. I’d recently decided I didn’t want to be a psychologist, so dropped out of my doctoral program. I was jobless and thought, I can write a book. It was one of my whimsical moments.
 
So why shape-shifting tigers? 1) Paranormal Romance is my favorite genre. 2) Shape-shifters are my favorite paranormal creatures. 3) Wild cats are my favorite animals. 4) Tigers are full of awesomeness.
 
I wanted a story which was different from the typical urban/Westerner fare. Go to the source, the voices told me. My research led me to the Malaysian jungles and tales of the Striped Ones.
 
With E-books being the new craze, have you seen a difference in sales between e-book and paperback?
 
Haha Definitely. All my sales so far have been in eBooks.
 
What are you currently reading?
 
I try to read a book a week. Last week was Spiderwork by L.K. Rigel. This week it’s Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment by James Patterson.
 
If you  had to choose a favorite book, what would it be at this moment?
 
Amy Tan’s The Joy Luck Club. It’s been my favorite book for almost 20 years. :) I’ve read a lot of great books, butThe Joy Luck Club has sentimental values for me.
 
Do you have any writing quirks?
 
Writing quirks? I honestly don’t even know what to say to that one. I wish I had something cool to say like, I’m only productive on a full moon, but on those days I can shell out like 50,000 words. Instead, I’m stuck with something lame like, I can’t write and listen to music at the same time.
 
What gets you in the mood to write?
 
Daydreaming. If I can get away with it, I’ll snuggle with a blanket and let my mind wander. Eventually a story or scene will come, begging me to write it. I hop up and get to pounding on the laptop. The key is finding time to dream.
 
Do you have anything else you want to share about yourself or either of your books?
 
I’m working to get the next two books of the Striped Ones series out this year. I’m not going to make any promises, though I want to. :) I will say the first drafts of book two and three are written. I’m in the process of pre-editing before I send them off to critters.
 
I’ve also just finished the first draft of a New Adult story called I Loved You First. It’s my first attempt at a college-aged story, and I’m really excited about it.
 
Thank you for being here today. I loved Brandon’s Story and I can’t wait for the next one in this series. My review can be found HERE.
 
Thanks for having me. :)


Reena




4 comments:

Reena Jacobs said...

I love how the comments say "Choose an identity." Makes me wonder if they know about the voices in my head. :)

Thanks again for having me, Beck.

Unknown said...

Nice interview! Looking forward to the 2 sequels.

Adrienne said...

Have not been by in a while because I have been reading in reader... thanks again for the great reviews and info =)

Reena Jacobs said...

Marlene ~ Thanks for keeping up with the tour. I spent a few days in Slack City, but I'm back on track and posting my writing/editing goals again. So, hopefully you won't have to wait forever and a day. :)

Adrienne ~ Thanks for stopping by. Beck had some great questions, that's for sure!