Reading by Deb: INTERVIEW with JANUARY JAMES

I want to first thank January James for taking the time for this interview!

Bio:

I write contemporary romance about love worth fighting for.

I live in the smallest cottage in East Sussex with my husband, daughter and imaginary cockapoo (I will get one, one day!)

Until recently, I inhabited the fast-paced, adrenalin-fuelled workplaces I write about, as a communications professional. Now I spend my days dreaming up new characters and stories and trying not to lose my marbles as the mother of a spirited preschooler.

When and how did you know you wanted to be a writer?

I’ve always been a writer in some sense. I still have a copy of the first poem I wrote, aged four. And I remember writing a lot of stories about my cat!

My dad was a great storyteller and I still get inspired by some of the stories he used to tell me. I attempted to write novels at various stages of my life but it wasn’t until I quit a particularly horrible job that I really stuck at one and finished it. That was a huge turning point for me.

The book was terrible but I proved I could write 100k words, with a beginning, a middle and an end. Once I discovered I could do it, I was off!

Did you have any influencing writers growing up?

I read so much as a kid – Enid Blyton, Roald Dahl, the Trebizon books, the Jill’s Gymkhana series.

Jilly Cooper’s Riders was my first ever spicy novel. I was mad about horses and getting interested in boys so that was a pivotal read for me! I still remember being introduced to it while sitting in the cab of a horsebox at a pony event.

Then my main go-to author was Louise Bagshawe. She was a kind of Jackie Collins for the nineties and noughties, writing about super ambitious women fighting hard in a man’s world. That’s definitely where I got my inspiration for my debut novel, A Class Act, and the Square Mile series.

Now, I’ll read a huge range of romance authors. I love Skye Warren, Melanie Harlow, Penelope Sky. My three favorite books of all time are Jane Eyre, The Great Gatsby and Shantaram.

Are any of your characters based on people in real life?

My main characters are completely fictional, but I do sometimes name the more ridiculous bit-part characters after people who’ve been mean to me in real life, lol.

Where do you draw your book inspirations from?

My own life a lot of the time. I’ve been fortunate to have had a varied and pretty exciting career and, as most of my books are based in workplace settings, I can draw on personal experience, which is why there’s always a lot of detail in the settings.

I’ve worked in the world of start-ups (A Class Act and He Turned), retail (Chasing Flames), marketing (Dirty Diana), travel and hospitality (Starling Key) and many more, so I’ve still got a lot of ground to cover!

Do you use have a basic outline when starting a new story or do you let the characters lead the way?

I like to have the bare bones figured out before I start, otherwise I tend to write myself into a black hole, from which there is no escape.

So, I tend to write out a paragraph for each chapter before I start. It does change as I go along but I generally stick to an outline.

I also stand in the character’s shoes a lot. I throw a situation at them and pause to ask how they would react. I do let them guide me, within the general parameters of a story outline.

When you are picturing the characters in your book, do you have a cheater photo for inspiration?

Sometimes. But other times, it’s a song. He Turned had both. My main character, Zac, was inspired by a young, tortured Tom Cruise and the song was Black, a devastatingly heart-wrenching ballad by Pearl Jam.

With Man Eater and Dirty Diana, I listened to those songs all through writing.

There was a moment growing up where I would hear these new romantic songs (I had older siblings and it was the eighties) and really wonder who they were written about. They’ve stuck with me, and now I can finally create those characters for myself.

Many people read as a form of escape and relaxation. What is your favorite way to sit back and relax?

Because I spend a lot of time sitting (to write) my favorite way to relax is to run! And I’m a qualified yoga teacher although I don’t practice nearly enough.

Who are your favorite current authors to read?

Mentioned above.

What are your favorite books by others?

Mentioned above.

Do the locations in the stories have any meaning to you?

As I said, a lot of them have been inspired by my own life. With my latest series, I do feel a little fraudulent because the whole series is based in the Florida Keys, which I’ve never visited, BUT I did live in the States many years ago.

Do you write in single or multiple POV?

I write in everything!

My debut, which I launched without really knowing anything about the current romance market, was written in third person omniscient. I now know that is NOT a favorite POV in romance. And not only that, the MCs get together through an illicit affair. I broke every rule in the book! There is a HEA though.

My readers tend to favor first person, dual POV, and I don’t mind that—I like getting into both the female and male character’s heads.

Sometimes though, I think the story dictates the POV. With Dirty Diana, for example, so much goes on with Diana’s character, featuring Jude’s POV could have complicated an already full storyline, in my opinion.

What do you find to be your best research tool?

Google! Honestly! I have tons of ideas in my head so I don’t necessarily need to seek inspiration, but my thinking can be quite blue sky so, to make my ideas and scenarios feasible, I have to research them.

My latest book, The Brain, features a leading male character who is an ex-marine with PTSD. The last thing I want to do is disrespect any member or veteran of the US armed forces, or sufferers of this debilitating mental condition by not doing due research to ensure I represent them accurately and sensitively.

Do you write under a pen name? Also, do you write under more than one name?

Yes! For two reasons.

I don’t want my family to read my books and my own name is nowhere near as fun as January James.

Just the one pen name right now but I wouldn’t rule out a second.

What genre do you write and why is this your preference?

Contemporary romance.

I’ve tried writing YA and women’s fiction but to be completely honest, it’s the spice, the angst and the sexual tension that keeps me interested.

Also, the settings I prefer (offices, a lot of the time) could be quite dull without the saucy stuff! Boardroom tables are as much a part of the plot as the characters!

Tell me something about yourself outside of writing. Jobs, accomplishments, family, quirky trait...what led to you being you?

Gosh, I think I’ve already covered a lot. I do live life to the full I think.

I’ve had tons of ‘lives’ already—which probably explains why I’m exhausted! That, and the fact I have a spirited pre-schooler.

Starting work at 15 and moving to the States alone at 19 were character-defining moments.

I’m very driven and have enjoyed a long, successful career in fashion PR, as well as having run several businesses. My work has taken me all over—from fashion shows in Paris, to photos shoots in ghost tube stations and test flights for brand new airplanes.

I love adventure. I think that’s why I love writing too—my travels don’t have to end when there’s a pandemic.

What advice would you give to an aspiring writer?

Never stop learning. You don’t have to learn solely about craft, but listen to other authors and read other authors’ work.

You can save yourself a lot of time and heartache by learning from others’ successes and mistakes, and it can be endlessly inspiring. I’m constantly floored by how many talented authors are already out there in this space, killing it.

How do you deal and process negative book reviews?

Ugh, I try not to read them but I can’t help it!

I think of them in two ways: First, I try not to think of it as a bad review; instead I think of it as the wrong person read my book. But then, I also try to look at them objectively, and learn from them too.

If a lot of people tell me they struggled with the multiple POVs, I learn that third person omniscient is perhaps not the best POV for this genre! It can be hard though. One person might love the characters while another has issues with them.

You can’t please everyone, and fundamentally, I can’t keep these opinions in mind too much when I write as I end up watering the characters down and that doesn’t work for anyone.

What is the most difficult part of your writing process?

Starting! And these days, having to jump in and out of the action at a moment’s notice.

What do you need in your writer’s space to keep you focused?

I don’t really have the luxury of having an option! I work for myself and I have a toddler so I’ve gotten used to working wherever and whenever I can.

I wrote almost all of The Brain on my phone while sitting in the car waiting for my daughter to finish napping!

What is your naughty indulgence as you are writing?

Whisky! Or if it’s a civilized hour and I’m somewhere indoors, decaf coffee with oat milk.

If you could spend a day with another popular author, whom would you choose? And why?

Melanie Harlow, because she’s just so likeable and articulate and accomplished. She has a great work ethic, lots of experience and I could listen to her talk about marketing strategy all day! (Is that weird?)

What is your schedule like when you are writing? Do you have a favorite writing snack or drink?