Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I have been writing for approx. the past 25 years, beginning with short stories and articles in magazines and then moving onto full length novels, on which I’m now concentrating. I have completed and published 4 contemporay romantic novels, all of which are available on Amazon as ebooks and in paperback.
In 2006 I was also commissioned to ghost write the autobiography of black American singer songwriter, Tommy Hunt, once a member of The Flamingos Doo Wop group. It’s entitled ONLY HUMAN, and was published in 2009 by Bank House books, and is available on Amazon in paperback.
my novels are entitled THE SECRET, A FACE TO DIE FOR, JOANNA and LOOKING AT YOU, all of which I describe as contemporary, romantic novels, but with a bit of an edge. This is because I frequently touch on very serious emotive subjects within my storylines.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Looking at You. A romantic women’s novel, which I felt inspired to write from my background experience in the designer optical trade. It’s about a woman in her forties who is a sales rep for a designer spectacle frame company and tells how she and her marriage is affected when she discovers she is being stalked. It also has an emotional subplot set in Greece. My daughter lived there for 17 years and consequently I got to know the country very well.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Not exactly unusual habits, but I really can only write in my writing room upstairs in our house and I do like perfect silence and peace around me when I write. To the extend of sometimes having to wear earplugs if I do get disturbed in any way. I also never completely plot any novel… I prefer to get my characters and background setting in my mind first and begin the book with a bit of a crisis happening and then I wait to see how my characters develop and where they and the storyline take me. I also prefer to write about imperfect people. I like my main characters to be plausible with flaws with failings, like we all have. This, I feel, makes the storyline much more believable.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
An author I particularly enjoy reading is romantic novelist, Rosie Thomas, to whom my own novels have often been likened, and so she is the author ho has probably influenced me most. Also I love the wonderful human element in novels written by Maeve Haran and Anita Burgh, and I admire the wonderful humour in Trisha Ashley and Christina Jones’s books. I’ve learnt a lot from these authors from knowing them and hearing them speak at conferences etc. As a contrast I also enjoy thrillers by authors Jake Needham, Linwood Barclay and Lee Child.
What are you working on now?
I’m just starting to work on a sequel to my last novel, LOOKING AT YOU, which will probably be set this time quite predominantly in Greece,
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I promote my books on the internet, especially the Facebook groups and other writing and readers websites. “AwesomeGang” included. I also communicate as much as I can with my readers on line. Free or reduced price promos with my Kindle books on Amazon every few months are worthwhile too. I find these help to get new readers who then will often look for for my other books and buy them. This often brings me in some welcome reviews as well. Another bonus… the thousands of books downloaded from these promos internationally help to raise my author profile with Amazon.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Quite simply, if you feel you have a book in you… don’t procrastinate about it. Just sit down and start to write. Perhaps start with a short story which in fact ould end up becoming a full length novel. Don’t give up too easily. Try to attend writers summer schools and conferences, where you will get inspired by meeting other writers and often quite famous authors and worthwhile literary agents who could give you good advice. I find other authors are usually pretty generous in this way. Also read as much as you can and learn from the experts. Styles of writing do change in fiction over the years and you need to keep up with the different approach to writing to make sure yor own style is not too “old hat” I also strongly advise joining a good writing circle for encouragement and support.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
The two best bits of advice I was given once and have never forgotten are…
1) Always research facts well for your books, particularly medical things, places and business/career backgrounds. But never ever let your research show too obviously in your work. Less is more, particularly when it come to descriptions. and this is where the advice of “showing rather than telling”, comes in. Actions and speech, to demonstrate emotion and drama etc. are far more effective than just telling. It reels the reader in more and gives more pace to your storyline.
2) Try not to use character names starting with the same initial for too many people in any one of your books, especially if they are in action together or connected closely in any way. It only risks confusing the reader. After all, you do have the whole alphabet to chose their names from. I recently started read a mainstream published novel by quite a well known author who had no less than six male characters with christian names all beginning with M! Hence the story became quite difficult to read and I gave it up in the end.
What are you reading now?
Sugar for Sugar… a psychological thriller by Seb Kirby.
What’s next for you as a writer?
I would so love to get one of my books made into a TV movie or a TV drama series and that’s what I’m intending to work on achieving over the next few years.
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
TANAMERA by Noel Barber (my all time fav. book)
LADY OF HAY by Barbara Erskine (faultlessly written and the only time slip novel I’ve ever enjoyed so much).
ICE DIARIES by Lexi Revellion (so believably apocalyptic!)
Author Websites and Profiles
Jan Warburton Website
Jan Warburton Amazon Profile
Jan Warburton’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account