[Anne] Thanks for joining us today, Jena. When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?
[Jena] We moved a lot when I was a child. I did not make friend easily and once I did, we’d move again. I started writing at age ten or eleven, to make up some friends that could move with me. I’ve always written stories, mostly in my head so they would be portable and always at hand. When I fell in my garden and was off work for a month in July of 2002, I decided to write some of them down. When I shared them with some co-workers, they pushed me to publish.
[Anne] Tell us about your latest book.
[Jena] My latest release is Her Perfect Man. Anna Scott can see wisps of thing to come and knows where she will be in her future. The visions are not always clear but she uses them to plan her future. Set in the early 1900s, when life is lived by separation of class, Anna plans to raise her station by marrying the perfect man, if she can find out just who he is. Just because she can see the future doesn’t mean she can see what is right before her eyes.
[Anne] What inspired you to write this story?
[Jena] I have to laugh. I was actually angry with my ex-husband and wrote what became the ending for this story. I won’t give it away here, but many who I shared that small piece with wanted to know what led up to the ending. I found a way to “justify” what Anna did, and made her realize who the perfect man in her life really was.
[Anne] How did you go about researching your book?
[Jena] Life experiences mostly. I’ve spent some time on the internet trying to find out more about Southampton and Brighton in England, where the story takes place. My local library had nothing on the subject. I have a good friend that I’ve known since 3rd grade that I’ve based Colin on. He’s always been there when I needed him, like Colin is for Anna.
[Anne] Do you have anything new in the works?
[Jena] I always have stories in the works. I have about a dozen storylines in my computer and my head but need to make time to get them finished. I’ve recently opened a used book store and it takes up more of my time than I thought it would. I will probably finish The Making of a Shadow, a possible series if it does well, about a secret society of people with special talents who take care of crime when the law can’t. Next will probably be Media Lies concerning a married couple of actors. He loves her more than anything but she fell in love with the character he plays. He tries to give her what she wants. Next would be Day Labor or Better Not Tell Her. There are others but these are the ones that I have the most definite ideas about.
[Anne] What is your writing process like? Are you a plotter or a pantster?
[Jena] I write backward. I know where I want a story to end and I plot what needs to happen to get us there. Once I’ve outlined the story backward then I follow the characters to see where they take me, making adjustments along the way but making sure they end up where I wanted them to go. I suppose you would call me both.
[Anne] If you could be anyone of your characters, which one would you chose to be and why?
[Jena] I’ve already been Anna Scott Trent, but I didn’t like it much! Lol I’d probably best like to be Alexis Synclair. She’s married to Ty Synclair, the bassist in ShadowsForge. I love music and when I was young, I wanted to be a groupie, so I could always be with the band. Alexis went through an abusive relationship before she met Ty, but has had a great life since marrying him and traveling with the band.
[Anne] Say your publisher has offered to fly you anywhere in the world to do research on an upcoming book, where would you most likely want to go?
[Jena] It would probably be somewhere in England. A lot of my stories tend to end up there one way or the other. It’s in my blood and I’d love to see England first hand some day.
[Anne] You’ve just been informed that your latest release was a NY Times bestseller and Hollywood wants to turn it into a movie. What actors would you choose to play your main characters?
[Jena] Yikes! I don’t watch movies very much so I don’t know who is popular now. I’d have to turn to some of my friends to recommend who is hot these days. Media Lies came to me with Ben Barnes in mind. Perhaps he’d make a wonderful Colin as well. I don’t have a clue who would be Anna or Chase. Though he’s not British, Taylor Lautner would make a very nice Justin.
[Anne] What type of books do you like to read when you’re not writing?
[Jena] I write book reviews as well for an online site and read a wide selection of books for acquisition for a publishing house. Personally, I enjoy inspirational and sweet romance. I detest horror or anything with human mutilation. I like cozy mysteries and loved the McCassey Brothers series by Lauren N. Sharman at WCP.
[Anne] Name three things you can’t live without (excluding spouses and family because that’s a given).
[Jena] My King James Bible, my dog, and my laptop! In that order.
[Anne] What advice would you give to any aspiring writers out there?
[Jena] You will never know it all. Keep learning and honing your craft. Read books written by others and listen to the critics. Learn from what others say about your work. Others may see something you don’t. Don’t take it to heart and stop writing but figure out why they said what they said and learn from it. Learn from rejections letters when they give you a reason for the rejection. And keep writing!
[Anne] Where can we find you on the web?
http://jenagalifany.bravehost.com and http://www.facebook.com/jena.galifany
[Anne] Where can we purchase your books?
Her Perfect Man - http://redrosepublishing.com/books/product_info.php?products_id=819
The ShadowsForge Series - http://whiskeycreekpress.com/authors/Jena_Galifany.shtml
[Anne] Is there anything else you’d like to add?
[Jena] I want to thank all of those who have purchased my books. Without you, I’d be nothing. You give me the confidence I need to keep writing somewhere other than in my head.
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