I want to welcome
Stacy Juba. First I’d love you to introduce yourself.
I have published books for adults, teens and children,
everything from mystery and romantic suspense, to a hockey novel and a
paranormal thriller for young adults, to a patriotic children's book that
teaches kids about American flag etiquette. I like to say that all of my
characters are at a crossroads, or a turning point, in their lives regardless
of the genre or age group. I'm also a
freelance editor for writers and teach online writing and marketing classes,
Tell us about your
latest release.
My upcoming release,
which should be coming out in early 2015, is Fooling Around With Cinderella. It's a blend of chick lit, romantic
comedy and clean romance, and is about a marketing coordinator who gets roped
into playing Cinderella at a fairy tale theme park for the summer and winds up
falling for her boss. It is the first in my upcoming Storybook Valley series.
Now I have a few
questions for you – I have found readers do like to know fun things about us
writers.
1.) Who is your
favorite villain – it can be from a book (even one of yours), movie or TV show.
And why?
The favorite villain from one of my books is the mysterious
Miles, the stalker obsessed with former reality show contestant Cassidy Novak
in Sink or Swim. I remember after my editor read the book, she e-mailed me and
said, "Whoa, that Miles is nuts!" There was one scene in particular,
set in an old mill with dance music playing in the background, that was really
fun to write as I got to showcase how disturbed Miles really was. My favorite villain in something that I
didn't write is Regina, the Evil Queen, from Once Upon a Time. I love how the
writers showed how she became evil and how she truly loves her son and wants to
change for him, but obstacles keep getting in her way.
2.) Who is your
favorite character out of your books? Why?
My favorite character is always the protagonist of the book
that I'm writing, so currently it's Jaine from Fooling Around With Cinderella. She is sweet and funny, kind of
"adorkable" and I enjoy making her put on a Cinderella dress. I also have
a soft spot for Dawn, the teenage psychic in my YA thriller Dark Before Dawn, as she feels like she
doesn't fit in and needs to learn self acceptance. She is a good kid who makes
mistakes so I think a lot of girls will relate to her. I relate to her as Dawn
is always picked last in gym class, like I was in school, only she gets a
chance for revenge!
3.) What do genre do
you write? What made you pick that one?
Although I've also written YA and children's picture books,
I mainly focused on mystery novels until recently and now I'm branching out
into the Storybook Valley chick lit/sweet romance series. I have loved reading
mysteries since I was a kid as I enjoy trying to figure out who did it. I
became a fan of chick lit and romantic comedy books over the last few years,
since I started reading e-books and being exposed to a wider variety of
genres. I enjoy romantic comedy as those
kinds of books are light, fun and sometimes I chuckle out loud.
4.) What are you
working on now?
I am working on the final rewrites of Fooling Around With Cinderella, and on developing the next couple
books in the Storybook Valley series.
5.) What got you to
start writing?
I started writing in third grade and by fifth grade I was
writing my own mystery series about an amateur sleuth named Cathy Summers. I
was very introverted and writing was a way for me to express myself. My
teachers realized that and encouraged my writing, making me feel as if I had a
special talent.
6.) Where do you get
your ideas from?
I pick up ideas from my daily life. My mystery novel Twenty-Five Years Ago Today, is about
an obit writer who stumbles across a 25-year-old murder on the microfilm, and was
inspired by my days of working for a newspaper and compiling the flashback
columns. Sink or Swim was inspired
by the reality TV show craze, but I made Cassidy a personal trainer for a
health club because my college major was exercise physiology and I once worked
in a gym. Fooling Around With Cinderella
was inspired by a family trip to a fairy tale theme park.
7.) What would people
who read your work be surprised to find out about you?
They would probably be surprised to find out that I am so
introverted. Because I'm so quiet, a lot of people who know me casually are
shocked that I write mysteries and chick lit and that I'm all over Twitter and
the blogosphere. I think readers who are just familiar with the confident voice
in my novels and on-line would have the opposite reaction and be surprised at
how introverted I am. At a party, I'm usually content just talking to one or
two people in the corner.
8.) Do you have any
special talents?
Writing is my biggest talent but I'm also good at
researching and conveying dense information in a way that is easy for people to
understand. I've written a lot of health articles over the years for a
mainstream audience. If a friend or relative needs to find out something and
doesn't know where to start, they come to me.
9.) What was the one
piece of advice you received when you were an aspiring author that has stuck
with you? Why?
I remember reading that to be a successful author, it took
20 percent talent and 80 percent determination. I think there is some truth to
that. You need determination and drive, regardless
of whether you submit to publishers and agents or self-publish. You also need
determination to hone your craft and improve your stories, so that your raw talent
grows and becomes much more polished.
10.) If you could talk
to any famous figure (present, past or fictional) who would it be and what
would you talk about?
Dale Carnegie wrote some insightful books about
self-improvement, leadership and interpersonal skills such as How to Win Friends and Influence People.
One of the core ideas in his books is that it is possible to change other
people's behavior by changing one's behavior toward them. I think it would be
fascinating to sit down and have a conversation with him.
11.) What song would
you say describes your life?
My husband and I danced to the song "Don't Want to Miss
a Thing" by Aerosmith as the last song at our wedding and I think that
song describes my life to some degree. The lyrics capture how I feel about my
family. I also don't want to miss out on anything whether it's pursuing my
dream of being a writer, traveling, or whatever else I feel compelled to do,
even if it means going out of my "introverted" comfort zone.
12.) If you could come
back as any animal – what would it be?
A cat! My cat lounges around on beds and couches all day and
her entertainment is watching birds out the window. Sometimes I think of how
simple her life is!
Barnes & Noble:
iBookstore: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id640267820
Audible:
Bio: Stacy Juba loves to write
stories about Characters at
a Crossroads: individuals who are finding themselves and
getting on the right life path after overcoming obstacles. Her goals are to
entertain readers of all ages as well as inspire them. She has made numerous
bestseller lists including GalleyCat’s Barnes & Noble Bestsellers and
GalleyCat’s Mystery and Thriller Bestsellers. Stacy has written about reality
TV contestants targeted by a killer, an obit writer investigating a cold case,
teen psychics who control minds, twin high school hockey stars battling on the
ice, and teddy bears learning to raise the U.S. flag. She has had a book ranked
as #5 in the Nook Store and #30 on the Amazon Kindle Paid List. Stacy also
offers a beta reading/editing service for writers. Watch for her upcoming
romantic comedy Fooling Around With Cinderella.
Website: http://stacyjuba.com/blog/Facebook https://www.facebook.com/pages/Stacy-Juba/100155471301
Twitter https://twitter.com/stacyjuba
Thanks so much for hosting me, Barbara!
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