Interview

Hi Jennie and welcome. I am so glad you could join us here at RomanceJunkies. To start, will you please tell us a little bit about your current projects?

 

Thanks so much for having me here today! My first novel, McSHANNON’S CHANCE, is now available from Bluewood Publishing. Print should be available by Christmas. The book is a historical Western, set in the Colorado Territory in 1871.

 

The hero, Trey McShannon, is a Civil War veteran, a Georgia boy who fought for the Union and decided it would be smart to make tracks for the West afterwards. After spending a few years getting his homestead up and running, Trey realizes he’s overworked and lonely and sends for a mail-order bride. He gets Beth Underhill, a watercolor artist from a once-affluent Eastern family, now in reduced circumstances. Trey needs a wife and Beth needs a home, it’s as simple as that…until the sparks of attraction start flying between them. Trey is still haunted by his wartime experiences, and Beth has been hurt by a man she thought she loved, so they have a lot of work to do before they can find happiness together.

Please visit my websites:

http://www.jenniemarsland.webs.com  and

http://www.bluewoodpublishing.com

 

When first beginning a new project, how do you begin? Are you an outliner? Do you know the names of your characters right away?

 

With this book, Trey’s character came to me in a flash of inspiration, name and all. I was camping at the time and couldn’t find anything to write on but paper towel. I grabbed three sheets and a pencil and started scribbling. I still have those sheets tucked away. I wrote the book straight through with no planning, but with my current work in progress, McShannon’s Heart, I’m outlining. This book is the story of Trey’s twin sister, Rochelle, who moves to England with her father at the outbreak of the Civil War. It should be available from Bluewood in the spring.

 

Since you already have a great love of history, research must an enjoyable part of your writing. What research methods do you use?

 

The resources available on the Internet are amazing. Doing research for Chance, I looked at countless Civil War photographs, read first-hand accounts of battles, and found an 1861 census report from Morgan County, Georgia. I also read a book on the history of Colorado. For details of everyday life in the nineteenth century, I re-read Lucy Maud Montgomery’s journals. So much of the research doesn’t end up in the story, but it all adds texture.

 

It is a dream come true when a writer makes their first sale. What were you doing when you found out about yours? Did you do anything special to celebrate?

 

I was teaching full-time then and I was at school, in between classes. I checked my e-mail and there was the acceptance. I told my students when they came in for the next class, and they gave me three cheers. I was in tears. I called my parents at lunchtime and frightened them. I sounded so emotional that for a minute they thought something bad had happened! That night I went out to dinner with a friend to celebrate.

 

What do you like best, and least, about writing?

 

Best? The moment of inspiration when a character or an idea pops into my mind and I just can’t wait to write it down. Least? Writing the middle of a book. That’s the most difficult part for me.

 

What is your favorite way to unwind after a long and busy day?

 

Reading. I always have a book on the go. There’s nothing better to relieve stress than a good story with characters that take you along on their adventures.

 

If your fairy godmother waved her wand and whisked you away to the location of your choice, which place would you choose, and why?

 

For a visit, the Galapagos Islands.  I have a degree in biology and a fascination with genetics, so I’d love to walk in Charles Darwin’s footsteps and see live tortoises that he might have seen, too. For something permanent, I’d say the Annapolis Valley right here in Nova Scotia. I’d like a small, cozy farm tucked away on the North Mountain, where I could have a horse or two and write.

 

Do you have any “hidden” talents?

 

I sing, play guitar and paint with watercolors, though that’s all taken a backseat to writing for the last year or so. There are pictures of a couple of my paintings on my website, and I’ve recorded a song there as well.

 

How did you and your husband meet?  What was the one thing about him that made you know he was “the one”?

 

I met my husband by taking guitar lessons from him. I was impressed from the start with his talent, and his looks didn’t hurt, either. Before long the lessons started getting longer, and we were spending as much time talking as playing. Then he stopped charging me. I began thinking he might be ‘the one’ the night were at a folk club meeting and it started to snow. We’d both brought our cars, and he followed me home – a fair distance out of his way – just to make sure I arrived safely. We hadn’t known each other long at that point, and I thought, this is a really good guy. I was right.

 

What is the best way to spend a quiet evening at home?

 

Without a doubt, writing! I like to curl up on the living room sofa with my laptop while my hubby watches TV or plays guitar.

 

How do you describe Jennie Marsland?  How does Jennie Marsland’s husband describe her?

 

I remember when I was five or six years old, hearing my grandmother describe me as an old soul. I think she was right. I’ve just asked my husband and he describes me honest and caring, but he says he also appreciates my sense of humor. He’d better, since he has to put up with it.

 

MORE FUN…

 

Who is the person who has had the biggest influence on your life? Whom will you pass this “influence” on to?

 

Well, I come from a close family. My parents are children of the Great Depression, and I’ve learned to value the resilience and resourcefulness they gained from growing up in tough times. That’s one of the reasons I like writing historicals. I grew up with old-fashioned values, and I like creating characters who, for all their flaws, find a way to face challenges with courage. I’m currently working as a private tutor, and I try to pass on to my students that with hard work, they can succeed, whatever the obstacles in their way.

Name the one thing you could not live without.

 

Last spring there was a forest fire near our home, and for a while it looked like we might have to evacuate. I had to decide quickly what to put in the car and what to leave behind. The dog and the cats went first, and after that I realized that most of my ‘stuff’ didn’t mean that much. My laptop went, of course, and our guitars. The strange thing is, I almost forgot my paintings. I’m so used to seeing them on the walls, I didn’t think of them right away. If I could only have taken one thing other than my pets, it would probably be my guitar, because an instrument is unique and can’t really be replaced. Losing my laptop would be a royal pain, but everything important is backed up elsewhere.

 

What is your favorite expression? What is the one expression you wish you could stop saying?

 

My absolute favorite saying is one of Mark Twain’s: “It’s better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak up and remove all doubt.” And I start sentences with ‘well…’ far too often.

 

And lastly, no interview of a writer would be complete without this question:  what is your favorite comfort food?

 

Hmmm…food and I are such good friends, it’s hard to choose. I make a mean deep-dish apple pie – the recipe is on my website – and for a main dish, I like roast chicken or turkey with all the trimmings. Garlic mashed potatoes, roast squash with a dash of maple syrup, buttery peas…yum!

 

Yum, is right!  Thank you so much, Jennie, for spending time with us at RomanceJunkies.  Best of luck with your writing!

 

By Brooke Wills

Romance Junkies Publishing Editor

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