Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
My debut novel was published last year. Inspired by a true story, WAR SERENADE is a literary novel set during WWII. At its heart its a love story but I’m told its more and has been likened to “The Thorn Birds” in its epic sweep. It was twice optioned as a screenplay but frustrated that the movie or series wasn’t made, an oft published author-friend said “To hell with it. Write a book.” So I did.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My mom, who wore bangles that jangled, told me this true love story as afternoon storytelling fare. Their sound was as much part of the delicious tale as the story itself. I’ve had these characters in my head for 53 years! No kidding! Fifteen years ago I wrote a 60 page essay and pitched it to literary agents. Encouraged by Legacy Literary Agency to keep writing and tell the story, I studied screenwriting because I always saw it as a movie. I pitched the story at a Hollywood pitch fest. Producer said “Like this but I need more conflict.” I found fabulous freedom when I changed the names of the real people who’d lived these real lives. He became more of a bastard, she a little more promiscuous and I added an evil antagonist. Producer called immediately he received the more dramatic version and said “Now we have a movie.” I fainted just after I heard my own bangles jingle in excitement!
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I LOVE to write an a plane. If I could fly morning till night I’d have a book a month drafted.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
Oh so many…Ken Folette’s Pillars of the Earth, Eye of the Needle; Rhal Dahls Kiss Kiss and Switch Bitch, The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran, love Jilly Cooper, Moved by Hannah Kristen’s The Nightingale recently, a great fan of Moriarty. The sweeping sagas of Wilbur Smith. The Power of One.
What are you working on now?
ZEBRA – Also set in South AFrica this follows the life of a Zulu teenager who is in charge of a white kid during the 1950;ies and 60ies while his parents run a remove mountain hotel. They become fast friends and when the one saves the others life, they become blood brothers. Life forces them in different directions and they meet each other on the opposite side of a battlefield. One a terrorist the other a South African Defence force captain. One of them must die.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Word of mouth. I am a Realtor by profession and my RE/Max company threw a divine launch for my book. Clients arrived en masse, some of whom I ‘seen for 15 years arrived and bought the book. If I had sold all of those books I did that night on Amazon, I could tout I was on the best seller list.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write. Then rewrite. And rewrite. And have a general read by an editor. Then rewrite. Then send it out to 10 beta readers that are friends who will gently tell you the truth. Then rewrite. Send it to an editor you trust. Make those changes to his/her satisfaction. Then hold your breath and pray up a storm.
Then, don’t be discouraged. Always remember YOU WROTE A BOOK. Not many people can say that even if nobody reads it…you still wrote it.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Do something every single day to promote your book.
What are you reading now?
Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty
What’s next for you as a writer?
Learning how to garner my muse :o)
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?
The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran
A book of poetry written by assorted poets in the 19th and 20th centuries.
The Covenant by James A. Michener
The Thorn Birds
Author Websites and Profiles
Jill Wallace Website
Jill Wallace Amazon Profile
Jill Wallace Author Profile on Smashwords
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