Interview With Author Jayne Booth
Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I have enjoyed writing since I was a child, but it is only since retiring that I have dedicated time to actually publishing my writing. For years I taught vegan cooking/ healthy living classes as a certified Health Minister. I love seeing people make simple lifestyle choices that improve their health. My first book, SMASHING IDOLS: Transform Your Body Mind and Spirit with a Plant-Based Lifestyle (published in 2021 and available on Amazon) was born out of that passion. You can learn more about that topic and Smashing Idols on my blog: www.vegtutor.com.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book, in a completely different genre, is Peeling Potatoes: Katie’s Story. It is the first book in the Rocked in the Cradle of Coal series. Written for children grades 3 – 8, it is historical fiction set in an early 20th Century North American coal mine town. Katie’s Story interweaves cultural and historical information as seen through the eye of a child trying to come to terms with her place in a world where childhood is short, poverty is real, and never having enough is normal. Despite the obstacles, Katie learns to be brave and do everything she can to help her family survive. The lessons she learns are still relevant today. I hope you will fall in love with little Katie.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I don’t think my writing habits are very unusual. I need total silence to write, but once I get in the zone I can write for hours.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
I have four children, and I read to them every day when they were small. My favorite children’s writers then and now are Laura Ingalls Wilder and Beverly Cleary. I think that little Katie in Peeling Potatoes is a lot like Ramona Quimby.
What are you working on now?
I am working on Book 2 in the Rocked in the Cradle of Coal series. The main character in Book 2 will be Wasyl, Katie’s older brother.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I promote in any way I can. I love AllAuthor.com for the many promotion options they provide. I use several different promo sites, advertise on Amazon, Facebook, and my websites.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Keep writing. Write what you know and what you are passionate about. Make connections with other writers and learn from each other. Don’t quit.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Winners never quit, and quitters never win. The surest way to not reach your goal is to give up and quit.
What are you reading now?
I am reading an anthology, Feathers of Hope.
What’s next for you as a writer?
More books about children in and around the early 1900s American coal mines. That is my heritage, so I have a lot of stories.
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?
My Bible (that contains 66 books), “In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day” by Mark Batterson (teaches bravery), and I think that’s it. I would also like to have an endless supply of paper and pencils so I could continue writing many more books.
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