We chat with author John J. Jacobson about Cupid on the Loose, which is a romantic comedy about the exuberant intoxication of amore and its often hilarious antics.
Hi, John! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
I have, to use a Churchillian phrase, somewhat of a variegated life. I was born in Las Vegas (which is an interesting story), grew up mostly in Southern California, quit playing football and dropped out of college to live in Hawaii and surf, survived the sixties and seventies, corporate America, and grad school, travelled all over the world, got married, had and have some wonderful kids and now grandchildren. I was one of those kids who crammed four years of college into more than ten, finally getting an MA in Renaissance Literature (as well as an MBA) and now live in Nashville.
When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?
For me this is a two-part question: writing and stories. I have loved stories, especially highly imaginative stories (I guess all stories are imaginative if not highly imaginative) from my earliest remembrance – old adventure stories, detective stories, mythology – I read all three books of the “The Lord of the Rings,” and “The Hobbit,” almost non-stop if I remember correctly in about a week. As far as my love for writing, that didn’t happen till later, early in college. and that is more complicated. I rediscover my love and passion for writing every day that my writing is flowing well; it’s one of the greatest feelings in the world. But when I get blocked or when it is not working, it is quite painful. Someone has said, “Writing is easy, all you have to do is sit at your desk and sweat blood.”
Quick lightning round! Tell us:
- The first book you ever remember reading: “Great Expectations.” My mom gave it to me around third grade. I still remember from then the images of an escapee sloshing around dark marshes.
- The one that made you want to become an author: “Lonesome Dove.” Do you know how hard it is to give you only one?
- The one that you can’t stop thinking about: The story I have about an old girlfriend.
Your latest novel, Cupid on the Loose, is out February 4th! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
The mysteries and craziness of infatuation, or is it love. (Sorry, like Disraeli, “I can get inebriated by the exuberance of my own verbosity.” )
What can readers expect?
I hope they are entertained, and I hope to remind them, and thus feel a little how wonderous and wonderful it is to be deeply, crazily in love. And maybe on a deeper level, wonder where these compulsions come from.
Where did the inspiration for Cupid on the Loose come from?
My own experiences and Shakespeare, C.S. Lewis, Dante (among others).
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
Of course, my main would-be lovers, Billy and Kari. I also really enjoyed the story that Curdi, the shepherd, tells Billy and his friends when they arrive at the lodge up in the mountains. The heroine (Kara) and hero (the mysterious, eye-patched stranger) of Curdi’s story I also take much delight in.
Did you face any challenges whilst writing? How did you overcome them?
Yes, trying to capture the exhilaration of being in total infatuation. I remembered a few of mine and prayed a lot.
What’s next for you?
I am working on a big novel, trying to capture and let others experience, what it was like growing up in the late sixties and early seventies. Kind of an “On the Road,” during the hippie generation later.
Lastly, what books are you looking forward to picking up in 2025?
I am in the middle of rereading Jane Austen – all her novels are love stories and are about coming to a better self-knowledge.
I plan on digging back into Tolstoy. When Hemingway asked what a writer should read, he said, “Anna Karenina,” “Anna Karenina,” “Anna Karenina.”
