Jackie Gamber's Bio:
Author Interview
Questions and Answers
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1. It's a real honor Jackie to be able to ask you questions @ Book and Movie Dimension a Blog! Especially since as of recently been reading your books and really have become a fan of your fantasy series of The Leland Dragon series. For anyone who hasn't yet discovered your Leland Dragon series how would you introduce them to it as?
Thank you, Cassandra! I’m so glad to hear you’re enjoying the series. In introducing the series, I like to ask people “What do you like to read? Romance? Adventure? Mystery? Magic?” And I can honestly tell them, “That’s in my series! With dragons.”
2. How long did it take you to write Redheart? Sela? Can you share what were your favorite moments in writing each of them?
REDHEART was the first, and took the longest to write, because I dabbled at it for years, before finally promising myself I would take myself, and my writing, seriously. The novel went through a lot of incarnations before it finally gelled into the novel it is now. One of my favorite personal moments in writing REDHEART came after I’d typed “The End”. I was a busy mom of two little ones at the time, involved in their school activities, and working part time to pay for writing courses. My husband had moved ahead to a new job while I stayed behind until the house sold. When I told my mother-in-law I had finished the novel, her eyes went wide. She said, “With all that’s going on, with the move and everything, you had the discipline to find the time for that! That’s amazing.” That’s when it dawned on me. I did have what it took. And it was amazing.
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The writing of SELA came during a challenging year, too. Isn’t life full of things like that? All in all, it took me about 6 or 7 months for the first draft, and a couple of major rewrites. Something fun that started developing during writing it was how my dog was getting the hang of my writing routine before I realized I had one. We adopted an English bulldog from a rescue a couple years ago, and since I do so much of my writing from home, in a little corner office in the bedroom, she spends a lot of time near and around my chair. After her morning outing and her breakfast, she began settling at her place by my chair before I was even there, yet.
3. On the characters of The Leland Dragon series: Who are your most favorite characters to write about?
It’s hard to choose a real favorite out of my characters, although there are some that come more naturally for me to write. Orman Thistleby, the crotchety old wizard, is a hoot. Half the time I don’t even know what he’s going to say until he says it, and I have laughed out loud, sometimes, at his snark. Layce Phelcher, another wizard, is an awful lot of fun, too. I put her in a scene, and the scene writes itself.
4. On the characters of The Leland Dragon series: Is Sela in well Sela the only being capable of switching between being human and dragon or is Riza able to so as well? Just want to clear that up since she was once human herself.The magic that transformed Riza is a one-time deal: delivered and sealed. But the lingering effect of that is what has filtered into the next generation. It’s a perceptive question! And Book Three will reveal a deeper element to the backstory, relating to Riza’s mother and the Murk Forest folk, and how everything up until now has been in motion since before we knew it.
5. On the characters of The Leland Dragon series: Will there be something romantic cropping up between Sela and Drell...? That surely will create quite a whirlwind with Sela and Bannon no doubt.
Romantic intrigue, indeed! Lots of reveal and confusing emotions will rock the characters in the next book.
6. About how many books would you say are in store completely for The Leland Dragon series?
I’ve always planned the series in a set of three books, for the overarching storyline. As of now, Book Three, which is up and coming, will be the last.
7. As an Author: Where did the idea for the The Leland Dragon series come from?
Kallon Redheart introduced himself to me first. He had a story to be told, and in pondering how best to tell it, the world of Leland filled in. Riza came along. And then more and more details. Over time, I realized this wasn’t going to be one story, but several, and they all were a part of each other.
8. As an Author: What has been your experience with publishing with Seventh Star Press?
I couldn’t be happier with a press than I’ve been with Seventh Star. The editing process, the creative input, the interaction with all the involved principals has been positive and consummately professional. More than that, though, it’s a press that stands behind its authors as friends, too.
9. As an Author: Have you met authors over your writing career and that you are still in touch with?
Absolutely. One of the best parts of growing as an author has been the opportunities to meet and greet writers that I’ve read and respected. People on my bucket list to people that have worked hard and are just seeing the fruits of that, as well. I’ve made friends at all levels of this industry, and I treasure that.
10. On you as a regular person: What are things you enjoy doing?
One of my favorite things to do is adventure riding from the back of a Suzuki V-Strom motorcycle. My husband (and son) had been riding for years before I finally tried it myself. I don’t drive, because I’m too busy looking around and enjoying myself. I also really enjoy knitting and baking, when I have the time. And of course, reading.
11. On you as a regular person: What are your favorite books and movies?
I could go on for hours about my favorite books and movies. The best of both worlds is when a favorite book is also a favorite movie, like Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol”. I adore the author, love that book. And I have a collection of several of the movie adaptations, from the 1935 version with Sir Seymour Hicks, to “Scrooged” with Bill Murray, to the 1999 release with Patrick Stewart. To me, it’s hard to make a bad version from such a great story, so I like a lot of them for different reasons. Of course, there are
some bad doozies, but we won’t talk about those.
12. On you as a regular person: Do you have anyone you really dedicate The Leland Dragon series to?
I’ve dedicated each book separately. The first, REDHEART, to my amazing husband, who has pushed me, believed in me, and wouldn’t let me hide out in my own dank cave. He has always encouraged me to write, and has encouraged me to fly.
The second, I’ve dedicated to Suzanne German (she’s Sooz to me). We’ve been best friends since 7th grade, and we grew up together through some real dark times. She’s had to battle through to her true self, which, to me, is medal-worthy. A badge of courage.
13. What are some previous books you have written and what were they like? What are you currently writing?
Aside from a lot of short stories, I’ve written a science fiction novella that appeared in Orson Scott Card’s Intergalactic Medicine Show called “Hologram Bride” that is about interplanetary marriage after the rain forests fall and Earth has begun disintegrating. I’ve also written a time travel novel based on real historical figures, The Duchess of Devonshire and Adam Worth, born one hundred years apart, but tragically in love.
Currently, I’m working on screenplays for short films and features, as well as a steampunk fantasy novel called “The Puppeteer”.
14. Thanks so much for answering all these questions. Hope readers can take a lot out of hearing everything here.
Is there something you'd love to mention on the blog before we come to a close, Jackie?
Keep an eye out for great things happening in indie press and indie film! It’s a changing world. And my husband and I have established Allotrope Media to harness all the story-telling potential of books, film, and music, and we’ve got fun, interactive ways for fans to be directly involved. Because there’s more than one way to tell a good story.
Jackie Gamber is the award-winning author of “Redheart” and “Sela”, Books One and Two of the Leland Dragon Series, now available! For more information about Jackie and her mosaic mind, visit http://www.jackiegamber.com
And meet Jackie elsewhere on the world wide web at:
https://www.facebook.com/AllotropeMedia
http://www.amazon.com/author/JackieGamber
http://www.twitter.com/JackieGamber
http://www.facebook.com/jackiegamber
http://www.lelanddragons.com
Sela Online Book Tour
A Note From The Blogger
Visit Lisa's World of Books to see Jackie Gamber interviewing her character, Jastin Armitage from the Leland Dragon Series!
The tour involves 36 straight dates of blog visits including interviews, reviews, contests, guest blog posts, and more!
The full tour will take place at the following blogs and dates:
March 27 Lisa's Book Reviews
March 28 Watch Play Read
March 29 Stuck In Books
March 30 Fade Into Fantasy
March 31 Ian's Realm
April 1 Jelly Bean Chair Reviews
April 2 Once Upon A Time
April 3 A Book Vacation
April 4 Jess Resides Here
April 5 Soliloquy
April 6 Vilutheril Reviews
April 7 Ritesh Kala's Book Review
April 8 Sci Fi Guys
April 9 Unputdownable Books
April 10 Edi's Book Lighthouse
April 11 Workaday Reads
April 12 Eva's Sanctuary
April 13 Book and Movie Dimension Blog
April 14 Babs Book Bistro
April 15 Azure Dwarf Horde of Fantasy and SciFi
April 16 Fade Into Fantasy
April 17 Reading Away the Days
April 18 Splash of Our Worlds
April 19 Ali's Bookshelf
April 20 Sheila Deeth
April 21 I Heart Reading
April 22 All-Consuming Media
April 23 Spellbound By Books
April 24 One Thrifty Gurl
April 25 Evie Bookish
April 26 Booklady's Booknotes
April 27 Ella Bella Reviews
April 28 I Smell Sheep
April 29 The Haunting of Orchid Forsythia
April 30 Darlene's Book Nook
May 1st From The Bookshelf of T.B. (special tour encore and wrap-up visit)
If you haven't had the chance to read any books in this series then, be sure to read the posts below:
Sela Online Book Tour: Review of Sela (Book Two of The Leland Dragon series) by Jackie Gamber
If you think you might check out Sela out or have any thoughts let me know in the Comments.
Let the Online Book Tour continue without further distractions!
