Jane is internationally recognized for her lively presentations and well-researched stories that encourage and inspire. Her works have appeared in more than 50 publications including Decision, Private Pilot and Daily Guideposts. Jane is the author of 20 books including 17 historical novels. Many of her titles are based on the lives of real people or incidents set authentically in the American West. Her first novel, A Sweetness to the Soul, won the coveted Wrangler Award from the Western Heritage Center. Her works have been finalists for the Christy, Spur, Oregon Book Award, WILLA Literary Award and Reader’s Choice awards. Several of her titles have been Book of the Month and Literary Guild selections.

A Tendering in the Storm won the 2007 WILLA Literary Award for Best Original Paperback and A Flickering Light, a story based on her grandmother’s life as a turn of the century photographer, was named to Library Journal’s Best Books of 2009.

CM: Jane, thank you for joining us today.  What prompted you to start writing?

Jane: I’ve always written but mostly little poems and short essays about things that were bothering me or that I felt passionate about. I didn’t start writing for other people to read until we made our historic (for us) move to a remote ranch.  Writing was something I thought would keep me sane as we undertook this grand adventure.  And so it did. 

CM: Has your work ever been rejected?  And have you ever felt like quitting?

Jane: Early on I had lots of rejections.  Mostly I wrote non-fiction at that time, articles and essays, short pieces and features for magazines and newspapers. So I’d query and get a go ahead but then the article wouldn’t be what the editor wanted. A couple of times they allowed me to “try again” which was great. Much of getting published is having a better understanding of what the publisher/editor is looking for and then meeting that need in an innovative or fresh way. I had one novel rejected, which is another story, but it was reworked and bought by another publisher and it comes out next month as Barcelona Calling.  Did I ever want to quit?  No.  I started writing so late in life that I knew if I wanted to experience what writers did I’d have to keep going.

 CM: Please share with us your writing schedule and how it fits into your day.

Jane: I like to say its seasonal. Since I have a contract with manuscripts usually due in early April, I try not to schedule events after December so I can write full time for five months. Then it’s 8 to 5 everyday but Sunday and sometimes it’s 1:30 AM until I get tired and go back to bed at 7:00 AM for a couple of hours. It gets really spacey but my husband and the dogs seem to understand. After April I’m promoting my latest book release and researching for the next novel.  Then my writing tends to be early morning for an hour or so, taking lots of notes, sketching out characters and ideas, living in the real world instead of my fictional one.

 CM: Where do you find your inspiration and what keeps you going?

 Jane: Inspiration means the act of breathing in so that’s something to do metaphorically and physically and spiritually.  I have an exercise regime that helps; the dogs are a great joy to me; I have private prayer time that always gives me strength even in the really difficult times. I read poetry often before I start writing and my four prayer partners keep me focused and I know they are there for me. Having contract deadlines keeps me going!  I have this paper weight that says “the ultimate inspiration is the deadline” and sometimes, I think that’s exactly so.  I have a note on my computer that says “you don’t have time for that” as a reminder to not dwell on the awfuls and terribles but to instead find gratitude in the every day. I also believe that I am not writing by myself and that’s a huge inspiration especially on days when I think I should have found another occupation years ago!

 CM: You’ve written so many books – how do you keep from using the same descriptions and metaphors over and over? 

Jane:  My editors help :).  Without realizing it I might use a phrase that becomes associated with my work which can be good but if used too much, becomes its own cliché. I challenge myself to find fresh metaphors and ways to describe people and landscapes.  When I’m stuck in traffic I think of new ways to finish “as white as….” or “lazy like a….” hoping to find the perfect words that go with the character and yet are new. They also have to be period specific so “as stiff as a wagon tongue” works in the 1850s but in a contemporary novel who would know what that means or be able to imagine it the way a character might who experienced wagons every day of their lives. I write them down so I always carry a pad with me because I might find the perfect words and then forget it when I’m no longer stuck in traffic.

CM: What, for you, is the most difficult obstacle in writing and how do you overcome it?

Jane: I think it’s the negative voices that haunt me.  I call them harpies and just when I’ve come up with a way to silence them they come up with new insults, worries, unworthiness comments. I have great admiration for writers who keep submitting after getting rejections or who have written dozens of novels without having them published. I’ve been so fortunate to have my works accepted and published but each new book is a challenge because I haven’t written THAT particular novel. Remembering how I got through those anxieties before helps.  I remind myself that everything new creates anxiety whether taking up tennis or writing a novel and that it is not my job to write the Great American Novel.  It’s to tell the stories I’ve been given the best way I know how and to trust that I’m not alone in the telling.

CM: Which book brought you the most satisfaction in researching, writing and completing?

Jane: Oh, not a fair question!  I’ve learned something from each book, things I didn’t think I needed to understand about myself but I did. I could tell you with each novel what insights the writing gave me but I’m not sure that any one novel stands above the others in offering that satisfaction.

 CM: Any chance we’ll ever see a co-authorship with your husband, Jerry?

Jane: Jerry laughed when I asked him that. He is a huge part of my writing life both as someone to bounce story ideas off of, to get a feel about a scene to see if I’ve captured the emotion that I want. His engineering background makes him a whiz at details and he catches things I might miss in those important details. We have collaborated on a book…he did most of the photographs for Aurora:  An American Experience in Quilt, Community and Craft and that was great fun to see his artistic photographic side blend with mine. We had a few moments of annoyance but got through them. He is also a staple at my events and people look forward to seeing him as much as they do me I’m certain.

CM: What advice would you give to someone who has just finished their first novel?

Jane: I’d tell them to take a moment to celebrate (plant that tree, buy a hat, take your family out for ice cream, etc.) and then begin the next one while you’re making up a plan to get an agent, editor or publisher to notice.  I’m very fond of writer conferences that bring in agents and editors so writers can pitch their work. When I went to my first conference I feared everyone would know what a fraud I was being there but apparently there was no red Fraud written on my face and I found it very inspiring to listen to how others were dealing with their craft, how they approached marketing and sales and research etc. There’s also a great interest now in self-publishing and ebooks and conferences are great places to explore those options and avoid pitfalls by learning from the mistakes of others. By the way, I find writers very generous in sharing those pitfalls and in offering encouragement for the next steps on our writing journey.

CM: Anything else you would like to share with us?

 Jane: Enjoy the writing journey as much as the pleasure of being published.  It’s a privilege and a pleasure to tell the stories. Author Wendell Berry once said of parenting that it was “a vexed privilege and a blessed trial.”  I think the same could be said of writing.

CM: Thank you Jane, that’s good advice.  I’m going to share with readers where to go to sign up for your newsletter, Story Sparks, which includes information on your upcoming workshops, book signings and speaking engagements: Go to www.jkbooks.com