Tell us your name and then a bit about yourself.
My name is Jackie Lawson. I write under the pen name J Lawson. I’m originally from the Quad Cities; more specifically, Davenport, Iowa. I moved to the Peoria area 15 years ago. I have a master’s degree in English Literature from Western Illinois University. I’ve loved reading and writing ever since I can remember and I published my first book in 2019 with another following each year after.
When you are writing a book, which is harder? The first book in the series or the others after it?
I’d have to say the others after. There isn’t really a whole lot different about writing each book, except I hate having to recap the previous books at the beginning of the following books. I’ve read a lot of them where they go into far too much detail about the first book and I’ve read some where they don’t go into enough detail. I feel like finding that sweet spot is the hardest part.
When writing a series how do you keep things fresh, for both your readers and also yourself?
Finding a balance between the book being plot driven and character driven is a great way to keep things fresh. If you stay character driven, after a few books you’ve exhausted a lot of their story and they either have to keep having exponential growth (which, I’m sorry, feels unrelatable, unrealistic, and exhausting) or the focus has to shift. When you switch the focus between the characters and the story itself, that gives you more time to develop both and keep things fresh.
Writing can be an emotionally draining and stressful pursuit. Any tips for aspiring writers?
I know a lot of writers have multiple projects going at once. I can’t do that myself because I get mixed up and things begin to run together. I have, however, found that if I’m getting burnt out on a project or I’m getting stuck, journaling helps me with that. I can focus on something completely unrelated, or I can hash out the issues I’m having in a journal and sometimes I will “talk” myself into a solution through the journaling process. Don’t be afraid to step away when you need to to re-center.
On a typical day, how much time do you spend writing?
As much as my mental capacity allows. I’ve found that it’s important not to force my writing. Writing has been a catharsis for me for so many years that if I force it when I’m not feeling it, I can become resentful of it. I never want that to happen. So there are days where I’ll write for 6 hours, and then I won’t write again for several days. During the several days off, I’ll often jot down notes or ideas or things I think about, and then there comes a day where things just click and I can write out everything I’m thinking or have thought of on the days off. It’s my personal process.
Do you have a favorite character that you have written? If so, who? And what makes them so special.
Ooooo, this is a brutal question. It’s like having to choose a favorite child. In my Amulets Trilogy, I think Mama Landry will always be a favorite. There’s so much to her, yet she’s quite a secondary character. I’ve always kind of found myself drawn to secondary characters who you want to know more about. She’s definitely that. So much so in fact that I plan on doing a prequel to the trilogy that will focus specifically on her and her story. For my new paranormal fantasy series, Peculiar Lessons, I think it’s Professor Cessair, simply because, again, he’s not the main focus, but he’s a driving factor in the story. And he’s so out of touch that it’s fun to bring comedic relief to a series that can become somewhat heavy.
What is your definition of success?
Reaching a goal. Period. End of story. If you simply wanted to get out of bed today and you did, success. If you wanted to clean and all you got to was wiping down the counters, success. If you wanted to write five pages and you did, success. I find a lot of people get bogged down in the details or try to assign a “level” or “degree” of success and that’s not a thing. If you did what you aimed to do, you succeeded. People can write amazing things but then focus so much on whether they think it’s “good enough” that they never get to enjoy the success of accomplishing the goal. Just having done it is incredible!
Do you have anything you want to share that didn’t fit on one of these questions?
I think it’s important for writers to write what THEY want to read. So many times a writer gets focused on writing what they think OTHER people want to read, and it will never come across as genuine as writing to one’s own heart.
What are your social links?
Facebook: AuthorJ.Lawson
Instagram: authorjlawson
Website: www.authorjlawson.com
What are your buy links? (Provide links to your Amazon/iBook’s/Koko/etc Author Home Page if you have quite a few. Also include audible links if applicable.)
https://www.amazon.com/author/j.lawson
Want tickets to Writers on the River #2024?
They are available starting November 6th at Writersontheriver.com
$75 VIP Plus – 11-12 Lunch with the Authors , 12-1 VIP hour, 1-4 General Admission time. You get a filled VIP bag and admission to the after party is included. *Limited Quantity expected to sell out first day*
$50 VIP -12-1 VIP hour, 1-4 General Admission time. You get a filled VIP bag and admission to the after party is included. *Expected to sell out first day*
$25 Early Access – 12-1 VIP house, 1-4 General Admission time. You also get a filled VIP bag but NO admission to the after party. *Expected to sell out opening day*
$10 General Admission – 1-4 General Admission time. You can purchase a bag but it is not filled with VIP swag. There is no admission to the after party included.
$35 After party – 7-11 After Party with food and cash bar. Dj with a photobooth is also included in the fun.