Greetings
humans, half-breeds, and everything in between. A while back, I had the
pleasure to interview my new friend, Darlene
Jones. She is visiting the ECS as a guest and sharing loads of interesting
insights into her work. Be sure to look around and see what she has to offer.
Here are the results of our interview. A good time was truly had by all, and
here’s how it went down.
Hi there Darlene! It’s so awesome to have you
here at the ECS Universe. Don’t worry about the darkness, your eyes will
adjust.
So tell me, who is Darlene Jones?
I like the idea that
your writing reflex your desire to make the world a better place. I can’t wait
to get to the knitty gritty of this interview and what wonders you have to
share.
So whacha got for me
today?
Strange messages in
the fillings of teeth is a new one for me, but I like it. With an premise like
that, I’m sure this will be a good and non-predictable story.
So who’s starring is this 2 dimensional script read of EMBRACED?
Abby is a junior high school principal with what could be
considered a very ordinary life. She doesn’t believe in aliens and is baffled
as to why she thinks the clickings in her teeth are messages from “out there
somewhere.” She feels guilty for involving a student, but feels she has no one
else to turn to.
I like it when main
characters are simple ordinary people. When their lives become not so ordinary,
it make their story so much more interesting and exciting.
Past, present, future, is there a rhyme or reason to your writing?
LOL. This is
a good question. I started playing with the story when I suffered from insomnia. I thought it would help put me to sleep.
It didn’t! Eventually, I felt compelled to write it down. I thought I’d write
one novel, but I’ve published three and have the fourth almost ready to publish.
I feel you on the
whole insomnia issue. Sometimes I think that if I just write it down, the idea
will leave my head and I can sleep…it hasn’t worked for me yet either.
What author(s) has
most influenced your writing? Why or how?
Robert J Sawyer. I’m not a hard core technical sci
fi writer like he is, but I had a chance to participate in a week long seminar
with him. He’s amazingly generous in sharing his knowledge. We learned so much.
I credit him with giving me the courage to go ahead and finish my first novel.
That’s pretty cool
that you had a chance to attend a week long seminar with him. I glad you
received the inspiration and courage you needed to complete your first novel.
Whose brain are you just itching to scratch?
I agree with you. It
seems to me that some people are put on the earth for the sole purpose of
inspiring others and making the world a better place in one way or another.
Some people’s lives are so harsh, adventurous, outrageous, and unbelievable
that it makes you appreciate the mundane and simple struggles of your own life.
Who is so you and
why?
 |
| Amazon.com |
I try to find a way to
relate to at least one character in every book that I read, but I haven’t yet
experienced a true parallel such as yours. I can’t image what it must have felt
like for you to leave home and live in Africa as a young girl. I bet that would
make for a good story.
What’s your ideal
reading spot for your next highly anticipated read?
I’m in the
office/laundry area of our place in Mexico listening to the washing machine
going through its cycles. Soon, I’ll take a break to go hang the clothes on the
roof and perhaps catch a breeze while doing so. I prefer to read lying on the
sofa and I usually save my reading for evenings.
I read
Domingo’s Angel on my Kindle. I read it fast to find out what happens and then
I liked it so much, I read it a second time more slowly to savor each nuance.
That sounds cozy. I
read in the evenings too, but only because I work days. On the weekends I like
to read in the afternoon. It’s cool that you sped through that book just to get
the gist and then re-read it for enjoyment. I’ve done that before.
What was your
favorite book or story, pre-teen years?
In those days I loved anything that focused on horses. I
read all the time and hated that you could only take out 3 books from the
library at a time.
Again, I can relate.
For me though, my biggest problem with getting my library books was the fact
that my family would lose them all the time- What’s a kid to do…Now this is where
the questions get a little kooky; are you ready?
Awesome!
Alright then, here we
go.
If you could only watch
one movie for the rest of your life, what would it be?
 |
| IMDB |
That’s a pretty good
movie and given your life and travels I can see why you picked it.
What makes you geek out?
Ah, that’s easy -- computers and related gadgets – I’m like
the “boys and their toys” when it comes to laptops, Kindles, iPads etc. I’m
anxious to see the new Microsoft Surface.
What makes you geek out?
Sweet. I’m somewhat
into gadgets, I mean I do like my tech, but I’m very picky.
So what’s testing your patience right now?
I’m frustrated that I’m behind my self-imposed schedule for
releasing my fourth book. I wanted to have it finished by the end of December,
but that’s not going to happen.
Deadline are a beast
even when self-imposed. I hardly ever meet my own, but I figure things get done
when they are supposed to as long as I don’t waste time and procrastinate.
When the soundtrack
of your life is playing in your head, what songs express your glee and what
songs bring out your rage?
I don’t listen to music – I have no ear for it.
I gotta tell you that
as a music lover, this almost breaks my heart. Then again, I like music so much
why shouldn’t the opposite expression exist; not everyone has to like music.
What’s the most fun experience
you’ve ever had, to date?
Safari in Kenya. A life-long dream and an
experience that lived up to every expectation.
That sounds like an
adventure to me and I bet it was fun.
Remind me again how I was lucky enough to meet you?
Now that’s funny. I
guess someone must have put info about my guest spots on there. Usually people
find me through LinkedIn.
Not that you can see
into the future, but in your opinion, what does the future hold?
I hope my life is more of the same – writing, reading,
playing with my granddaughter. As for the world … I’d like to think conditions
and relations between countries will get better, but I’m not overly optimistic.
Ok humans,
half-breeds, and everything in between, that’s all for today. Be sure to follow
this blog to see who will be visiting next time. For more from Darlene Jones,
check out these great links:
Amazon: EMBRACED
