Hi!
I am Carolyn Howard Johnson, your trusty New Book Review blogger and author of
the multi award-winning
HowTo Do It
Frugally Series of books for writers. This blog has heretofore been
exclusive for reviews but I thought I’d do a special series of interviews after
I chatted with Jeanie Loiacono, President of
Loiacono Literary
Agency – Where ‘can’t’ is not in our vocabulary! I thought sharing the interviews would help
the many subscribers and visitors to this New Book Review blog, including
authors, reviewers, and, of course, readers who just might find a new favorite
author among the featured books and authors.
So,
today welcome Jodie Cain
Smith.
As a teen in Mobile, Alabama, Jodie Cain Smith listened as
her grandmother told her the gripping story of an adolescence spent in 1930’s
rural Alabama, the rumors surrounding her parents, and the murder trial that
would alter her life. The tale took root
in Jodie’s memory until at last it became
The
Woods at Barlow Bend (
Published by Deer Hawk Publications).
While attending the University of South Alabama, where Jodie
earned a BFA in Theatre Arts, she met her husband Jay. They began their life on the Army road in
2001 and have not stopped moving since.
As an Army Wife, she has lived in six different states spanning from the
extreme heat of Texas to the blizzards of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, where she
earned a MAE in School Counseling at Northern Michigan University, to most
recently landing in South Carolina.
Jodie Cain Smith’s feature articles and columns have appeared
in Chicken Soup for the Military Spouse’s
Soul, The Petigru Review, The
Savannah Morning News, and the Fort
Hood Sentinel.
What is your genre? Is it fiction
or nonfiction? My
novel, The Woods at Barlow Bend, is fiction and classified
under mystery, coming of age, and historical fiction. It is closely based on a
true story set in the Great Depression. My second novel, Jubilee Bells, to be released by January 2017, is
commercial fiction.
What made you want to be a writer?
My life as a
storyteller began in 8th Grade. I loved the free form of storytelling
as an oral art. I began seeking out storytelling and speech competitions and
then studied acting in high school and college. As an adult, I found writing to
be the creative outlet I needed as an Army Wife, facing new challenges,
loneliness, and fear. Writing my own stories became my best coping skill.
Finally in 2011, after a decade of starting over in each new town we moved to,
and starting and stopping too many careers to count, I decided to give fiction
writing my full attention. Being a writer allows me more control over this
transient, military life, and returning to my storyteller roots feels like the
most comfortable, old, ratty sweatshirt I own. It’s not pretty, but it’s
mine.
Of all the authors out there, who
inspired you most? Joshilyn Jackson inspires me
constantly. She thanked her writing group in Atlanta in the acknowledgements of
A
Grown-up Kind of Pretty,
which told me even an A-list author needs a trusted inner circle to hone her
craft.
What is your writing style? Do you
outline? Linearly? By scene? Why? I always start
with writing an opening, that first moment in which I hear the narrator’s or
protagonist’s voice. Then I stop and create a loose outline. I map out scenes
and consider Uta Hagen’s Nine Questions (created for actors) for my protagonist
and supporting characters in order to get to know them so I can allow their
goals to drive the story. Then, I typically travel down rabbit holes and along
long tangents before finally figuring out what I want the story to be. Then, I
start over. It is a long, maddening process.
Do you write every day? How much?
How long? This one
I stole from Steven King. I try to write at least three new pages a day Monday
through Friday. I rarely write on weekends, unless I am on deadline. Lately, my
nine-month-old dictates how much writing I do, so I try to be flexible in order
not to drive us both crazy.
Do you think reading is as
important to writing for an author? Why? Yes. I wish I had
time to read more because the more I learn about the craft of writing, the more
investigative reader I become. I love discovering other writers’ tactics,
devices, and styles. And I don’t think I will ever fully understand this craft,
so I have to keep learning.
What are some of the things you
would like to share with budding authors? Seek out industry
experts. Don’t let your ego kill your story. If you think a passage is the
wittiest words ever strung together in a sentence, it probably needs to be cut.
And after all that, trust your instincts. Your story is your story.
Do you have any marketing and
promotional advice, referrals, tips you would like to share? Unless you’re a
Kardashian, solo signing events are not worth your time. I have found that as a
new author, my best sales come from group events such as New Author Night at
chain bookstores or library local author events. I know. Telling someone that
you will have higher sales at a chain store rather than an indie is blasphemy,
but as a new author I have learned that I need to seek out venues with a
guaranteed stream of traffic. Once I get them at the table, my pitch usually
does the job, but I struggle getting traffic through the
door.
Do you think conferences are
beneficial? If so, what have you learned? Which ones do you frequent?
Yes, I do. I have
gained valuable information and have met many writers whom I now include in my
inner circle of writing buddies. At the Columbia Book Festival in 2012, I met an
editor from Kirkus. He offered specific advice on getting published, not the
generalities so prevalent in the blogosphere. I followed his advice to the
letter and eight months later, I had a contract in my hands! At the 2013 South
Carolina Writers’ Workshop Conference, I soaked up every tasty morsel of the
“Editor’s Pet Peeves” session, and, in 2014, I came home with the tools to
revamp my website. Conferences, in my opinion are always worth the time and
money, if for no other reason than to be around like-minded individuals in a
professional and entertaining environment. Two days to leave my solitary writing
cave and nerd-out with 200 other writers over the craft of writing? Sign me up,
please!
To
learn more about Jodie Cain Smith and her thoughts on ruling, renovating, and
escaping her corner of the world visit her blog The Queendom at
http://thequeendom.org After what I hope will be our last
long-distance move in January, I will update you with future event
details.
MORE
ABOUT THE SPONSORING AGENT
Jeanie Loiacono, President, Loiacono Literary
Agency
A facilitator of dreams, Jeanie Loiacono represents over eighty authors. Her
forte is mystery, romance, thrillers, historical/military/southern fiction, and
all quality fiction/nonfiction. Her passion is to see her authors
succeed.
“There is nothing more rewarding than to hold one of my author’s books and
know I helped bring it to fruition. I am so blessed and privileged to be able to
work with some of the most talented writers in the world.”
Jeanie.L@llallc.net www.loiaconoliteraryagency.com
IF
YOU WOULD LIKE TO SEE MORE INTERVIEWS--TO FIND GREAT READING OR TO NETWORK WITH
AUTHORS--PLEASE SUBSCRIBE TO THIS BLOG. YOU ARE A WELCOME ADDITION TO THIS
FAMILY WHO LOVES BOOKS! YOU'LL FIND A WINDOW TO DO THIS AT THE TOP OF THIS BLOG
PAGE.
-----
The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning
HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at
Sharing with Writers and
The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor.
