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Janelle Meraz Hooper |
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Janelle’s 18Q |
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The Eighteen Questions |
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18Q |
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Bibliography |
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1. Did you choose the writing profession, or did it choose you? I come from a family of storytellers. I just tell my stories on paper.
2. What is your background? (education, work, etc.) I have one year of structured college education, and a whole passel of college classes in subjects that interested me (watercolor, marine biology, anthropology, Chinese history, etc.). I also have many hours in adult education classes in subjects I was curious about (photography, stained glass, pottery, crochet, knitting, cooking, decorating, movie-making, etc.)
For work, I’ve done a lot of retail in ladies ready-to-wear and antiques. For people-watching, selling is a wonderful job for a writer. Only waitressing is better, because you get tips!
3. When did you “know” you were a writer? My cousin and I pooled our money and bought a Dick Tracy print set when I was seven. The first thing we printed was a neighborhood newspaper—we got in a lot of trouble!
4. How would you describe your style of writing? I’m kind of an Hispanic Erma Bombeck kind of writer. Most of the time.
5. What is your writing process? I write an outline, do too much research, then write as fast as I can until I get the story down. Then, I go back and embellish and rewrite. I love to rewrite. I call it tweaking.
6. What was your path to publication? I rushed into pod when I realized that I was losing the women I was writing about. I knew I didn’t have time to go the traditional route if I wanted them to read it. Note: I didn’t make it. Even with pod, the women passed away without ever having read the valentines (My Turtle Trilogy) I wrote for them.
7. What is your favorite self-marketing idea? It isn’t a creative idea, but I love my website (www.JanelleMerazHooper.com ) and my Squeaky Wheels blog (http://janellemerazhooper.blogspot.com). I have two more that I run for independent Northwest writers (www.NorthwestAuthors.org) and a private one for the group. I like being able to express my ideas without anyone’s permission. Since I do my own, I can change them at any time. And I do, sometimes at four in the morning!
8. What are the biggest surprises you’ve encountered as a writer? I’ve been surprised to discover what was inside my brain that I never knew was there.
9. How do you inspire yourself? What are your sources of creativity? My inspiration and creativity come naturally, as long as it’s early in the day. Nothing creative happens with me after ten PM. When I was young, I imagined myself being like Mickey Spillane on TV. I could see myself, smoking and drinking shots of whiskey in the wee hours while I sat, typing in a dark and dusty room. It doesn’t happen with me. I can’t write a grocery list after ten o’clock. And I don’t drink or smoke.
10. What is your proudest writer moment? Opening the letter that announced I was a finalist in the 2004 Oklahoma Book Awards for fiction. But it made me sad to know my book would never be in my hometown Carnegie Library, as it had been replaced with a new building. I used to live in that library!
11. What’s the best advice you were given as a writer? An editor told me I had a strong voice, and I should be careful about other people’s advice to change it.
12. What is your most embarrassing writer moment? Oh, there are soooo many…
13. What business challenges have you faced as a writer? Business? What business? I’m supposed to make money? Seriously, I’m a very quiet, mellow person, and I don’t do conflict well. When I have a business problem, I try to resolve it with humor, but that doesn’t work. People walk all over me.
14. What is your writer life philosophy? To write the truth, even if it’s fiction, but do no harm.
15. When you’re not writing, what do you do for fun? I used to hike, climb mountains, fish, and camp. Now, due to physical restrictions, I read, watch old movies, and well-written TV shows (Mash, West Wing, Boston Legal). I also watch a lot of the History Channel. I do some photography. I have a lot of writer friends. I like to visit resorts because they have pools.
16. Who do you like to read? My current passion is books about T. E. Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia), but I also read a lot of anthropology books, self-help books, how-to books, and bestseller novels. I really liked the Donovan books by Elizabeth Lowell. I like Sue Grafton, Rebecca Wells, Fannie Flagg, and Sue Monk Kidder.
17. What’s your advice for new writers? If you’re young, forget about publishing pod. Learn to write. Invest in yourself by hiring a professional editor. Otherwise, you’ll keep making the same mistakes.
18. What are you currently working on? I just finished Bears in the Hibiscus. Next, I’m working on two outlines. One is another humorous romance (they make me laugh), and the other is a novel about senior citizens with limited means. |
