Interview Jayme Evans

by

Cindy A. Christiansen

Hi Jayme,

Here are your questions.  Let’s get started.

CINDY:  It looks like you have published multiple books in a lot of different genres.  What is your favorite genre and what was your favorite book to write?

JAYME:  Hum, that’s a hard one. I think I like paranormal romance best because I love vampire and paranormal romance, but it’s been fun to create my own worlds for my futuristic romance. I have to say my favorite book to write was Eternity’s Many Love, book 1 of my Eternity series. Ethan was a great angsty vampire, and reminded me a little of Nick Knight on Forever Knight, a 90s vampire cop TV show.

CINDY:  What inspired you to write your very first full-length book? What kept you going to the very end?  How did you feel when you completed it? 

JAYME:  Oh, I’ve wanted to write since I was a teenager and attempted with several boring failures. Back in 1992, I started my first full-length novel, Sinister Knight, a romantic suspense, and the story changed many times as I wrote and rewrote scenes and characters. I even used that one with the Writer’s Digest Novel Writing Workshop and still had to get my ‘voice’ long after I finished that story with the school. I had to take a grammar refresher class.

CINDY:  You have another book entitled, To Wish Upon A Star.  Is this a sequel to it?  What genre is your new book coming out? Tell us a little about it.

JAYME:  To Wish For Peace is the second in my ‘To Wish’ futuristic series. This one takes place all on the planet Elfax, which is a primitive world, compared to the technologically advanced empire of To Wish Upon A Star. Elayna is from one of the empire planets and lives in a mining colony on Elfax. She finds the vengeance laws of Elfax to be harsh and after her father wipes out an Elfax village, she becomes part of the vengeance law that can affect even family members of the guilty one. Someone committing a crime on Elfax can cause the family members to become slaves of the avenging family.

CINDY: What part of the writing process do you enjoy the most?  What part do you dislike?

JAYME:   I guess I like the story creation best. The story comes as I write. When I start, I have no idea where it is going with each scene until I write it. After I finish the first draft, I have to go back and flesh out the story, fill out the characters and correct bunches of logic errors. It’s probably not the best way to write, but I can’t seem to think far enough ahead to know how to make a scene until I write it. My least favorite is the spit-and-shine edit before I turn the story in. I tend to get too caught up in my characters to pay attention to the little word details. The biggest problem my editor has is using the wrong words, where for were, it’s for its, etc. My eyeballs just tend to go right over those when I’m doing my polishing, even though I know the right words to use.

CINDY:  A lot of authors listen to music while they write.  Do you?  Do you have any rituals you do before, after or during writing?

JAYME:   No, quiet is the best for me. I actually don’t do any rituals—no mood music, no mood food. I’m either in the frame of mind to write or I’m not. When I’m on a roll, I can write for hours and chug out pages in a hurry and then go days before the next part of the story hits me. Surprisingly, I become most creative just after I’ve read someone else’s book. I’ve been in the middle of reading and put that book down and dig into my characters and scenes pretty quickly.

CINDY: If you could write yourself into one of your books what kind of character would she be? (The heroine, the best friend, the antagonist, strong, funny, supportive, etc.)

JAYME:   I guess if I was going to write myself into a book, I’d be like Kristen in my first Eternity book. She is a bold, curious heroine and truly wants to help the vampire find a cure. She is loving, and confident. She thinks she knows what she wants in life until she gets it but easily adapts to the danger around her. She can be compassionate but strong in the worst situations.

CINDY: Your books seem to be mostly fantasy.  Do you do much research for your books?

JAYME:   Actually, I don’t do fantasy, but paranormal and futuristic aka Sci-Fi. My ‘To Wish’ futuristic series is totally in my head. There is no research when you create an entire world for your characters. You have to imagine the environment, the size of the universe, literally, and create laws, customs, fashion, architecture, home furnishings and everything that surrounds your character. In my Eternity series, the only thing I created was the vampire world. Any research involved the time periods of the flashback chapters to 1600s Spain, 1700s London and 1400s Italy. To Sail Through Time, my historical time-travel involved the most research because of the era. I actually went to New Orleans to see the French Quarter, Barataria and the battlefield for The Battle of New Orleans of 1814.

CINDY: What has writing a book taught you about yourself?

JAYME:  Ha ha. That I’m more than a little weird. Sometimes, I can’t explain the craziness in my own head. I can’t get on the computer all the stuff that floats around in this strange head of mine.

CINDY: What do you want your readers to gain from reading one of your books?

JAYME:  Entertainment. Escape. An easy read. I don’t want my readers to go away with anything more than a good feeling and a need to read more. My books aren’t complicated, intricate plots that take a genius to figure out.

CINDY:  Do you have any plans for another book?  Can you give us any details?

JAYME:  Bunches of plans. The draft I’m working now is a third in the ‘To Wish’ series. It is more like To Wish Upon A Star in that it involves an Earth encounter and goes back to the same small community that the heroine came from. On my back burner, I have several more To Wish stories and Eternity stories that need to be filled out and finished.

CINDY:  How can readers find out more about you and your books? Do you have a website?  Where can they buy your books?

JAYME:   My seven books are at www.wings-press.com and my web site is www.jaymeevans.com where you can read free short stories, see excerpts from my books and read reviews.