Written by Teralyn Mitchell
Jamie McGuire, author of From Here to You, answered some questions from our contributor, Teralyn, about her recently released novel, her life, and writing. Check out the interview below to learn more about her and books!
Why don’t you tell us a little bit about yourself?
My name is Jamie. I’m a ginger, a Scorpio, mom, wife, and mompreneur. I’ll be turning the big 4-0 this month!
When did you first start writing?
I’ve always written–in a diary, journals, comic strips, plays, and in my mid-twenties began blogging. I wrote my first novel, PROVIDENCE, in January of 2009.
For you, what is the most amazing thing about being a writer?
Working from home and still paying the bills!
What do you like to do when you are not writing?
I run a couple of other companies which are passions of mine, spend time with my family, my dogs and horses, and travel. My ideal day is sitting on a beach watching my kids play.
Writing can be an emotionally draining and stressful pursuit. Any tips for aspiring writers?
For me, writing is cathartic; it’s a creative outlet and then people absorb it and tell me they enjoyed it or it changed them in some way. I advise authors to finish their book and then perfect their craft. You can’t improve a work unfinished. Also, in the editing process, never ‘accept all changes’. You might find something that changes your voice or meaning, and by going through each edit you’ll learn from your mistakes. This will improve your writing.
What one piece of advice would you give to your younger writing self?
Don’t go to Goodreads.
You’ve published many books before From Here to You. How do you stay motivated and inspired to keep writing and publishing new stories?
It’s like any job. If I don’t keep writing, I don’t get paid. I just happened to do well in my dream job, which I’m so very thankful for! Ideas come to me all the time. I don’t think I’ll live long enough to write all the stories in my head.
Which book (or series) is your favourite that you’ve published so far? Why?
ALL THE LITTLE LIGHTS is so different from anything I’ve written before. It took me an entire year to complete, and it was very difficult to pull off. I loved that Elliot’s love poked holes in Catherine’s dark world, letting in light every time she needed it. It’s set in Oklahoma and Elliot is Native American. There is a lot of difficult topics touched on in the book that is the reality for so many people. ALL THE LITTLE LIGHTS is sweet and grim and complicated. I loved every second of it.
Do you have a favourite character that you have written? If so, who? And what makes them so special?
I think I give a different answer to this every time! But, truthfully, Jared Ryel is the first male I’ve ever written. I was able to spend time with him recently when revamping and adding bonus material to the Providence series, and he’s still swoon-worthy perfection. Travis is of course Travis, but Jared holds a special place in my heart. Scarlet from RED HILL is my favourite female because she’s my superhero alter ego.
From Here to You has such an interesting premise, what can you tell us about the book?
FROM HERE TO YOU went through so many transformations! The whole series did, really, but I realised early on while writing that book that what I thought was going to be a series about the Alpine Hotshots the Maddox twins worked with, there were other characters I wanted to explore, too—which I get to do in book two, THE EDGE OF US! FROM HERE TO YOU chronicles the lives of Darby and Trex, bringing back a mysterious character from the Maddox Brothers series, and Darby carries her weight in the book, too. Many of my readers have said Travis Maddox has been replaced by Trex, and that blew my mind. I wasn’t sure that would ever happen!
What is the future for the characters? Will there be a sequel?
I never rule out a sequel, and like many of my books you’ll see cameos, but there are a lot of characters in this world who need their stories told.
If you had to describe Darby & Trex in three words each, what would those three words be?
Darby is sweet, determined, and cautious. Trex is strong, stubborn, and patient.
The cover for From Here to You is absolutely breathtaking! Can you tell us about the process for coming up with the cover?
I had a concept before I began writing FROM HERE TO YOU, and that concept was what nudged me to seek out a publisher for this series because I’d priced it out and the cost would’ve been outrageous. However, the more the series’ center changed the less the cover made sense, so we canned the original concept and went with something mesmerising.
Lastly, do you have any book recommendations for us?
I just finished THE MIRACLE MORNING by Hal Elrod, started PLAGUE by Dr. Judy Mikovits, and in the queue is GIRL, WASH YOUR FACE by Rachel Hollis, and DARE TO LEAD by Brene Brown.
