Joss Landry has
worked as a consultant for more than twenty years, writing copy for marketing
firms and assisting start-up companies to launch their business. She recently
made the switch from composing copy and promos, to writing fiction and prose.
She is developing her style through courses and the support of other writers
and is presently working on honing three other novels for publication.
Blessed with four
children and six grandchildren, she resides in Edmonton,
Alberta with her husband, a staunch
supporter, and enjoys spending time biking, rollerblading, playing tennis, and
swimming. She loves creating stories as she says they fulfill her need to think
outside the box.
Her latest book is
the urban fantasy/paranormal, I CAN FIND YOU (Emma Willis Series #2).
WEBSITE & SOCIAL LINKS:
WEBSITE | TWITTER | FACEBOOK
About the Book:
Emma just turned fifteen. Her powers have spiraled to include unusual
magic, and she gladly relies on Hank and Christina’s friendship to mark the
way. Thomas Carson’s feelings for Emma have changed, her aunt Franka tells
her—a young man her aunt describes as a young buck whose testosterone plays a
big role in his life.
New friends around
Emma surprise her. They appear to be like nothing she could have imagined, and
their goals stir more disturbance than their presence until she bumps into the
scourge of her existence: entities who wish to control what humans do and say.
She learns they are powerful, vindictive and will stop at nothing to obtain
what they want. Will Emma be able to protect the people she loves?
ORDER YOUR COPY:
Amazon
What’s inside the mind of an urban fantasy author?
A desire to escape the everyday doldrums and the harshness
of reality through special powers perhaps? I love to recreate the world the way
I would like it to be, friendship, acceptance, brotherhood toward everyone. I
like to think of invisible task forces working at keeping us safe from all the
evils portrayed in such a conventional fashion. Emma Willis is one of these
talented, gifted people. She is loyal, steadfast and out to make a difference
in the world
What is so great about being an author?
When my children were young, I played Nintendo with them,
and we watched Star Trek the next Generation together, amongst other movies,
and each time we would all sit squeezed side by side on the same couch, I found
their company so invigorating. I would say for them to hurry around me, “Quick,
get me into somebody else’s life.” They would laugh and realize this was my way
of wanting to share these precious moments with them. And we would discuss ad
nauseum all the issues crowding our minds. Even the third and fourth time
around watching the same program, we still found new areas of discussion.
Well, this is what’s so great about being an author. This
feeling of diving into somebody else’s life prevails. I remember my life, my
adventures, and I explore and create other such sweet adventures. Within the
pages of a book, magical intrigue can live on forever, we hope, pleasing
generations to come.
What is a regular writing day like for you?
Early morning,
rising hopefully with the sun—I do my best when sunny. Although I can still
write when it rains, only the writing will not be as upbeat. First thing I do
is shower, coffee and write. A deep passion of mine, at one time, writing has
now become a deep rooted habit, a way of life for me.
How do you handle negative reviews?
Any review is a good review, I suppose. When a reader takes
the time to give a review, if it’s negative, then you wonder why. Was it their
bad day or mine? Could I have changed anything to make them like my story
better? Some reviewers, who have gotten very good at writing and editing, In reality,
if a lot of people like it and one person does not, then it’s best I please the
majority of readers. You can’t always please everyone, I’m sorry to say.
How do you handle positive reviews?
They are easy to handle,
in fact, most welcomed. The reader may not be conscious of how much his
positive review lifts an author’s spirit to inspirational heights. Truth is
positive reviews are the pat on the back a lonely author needs when sticking
out his or her neck to perform the biggest show and tell of their lives. Coming
out at the seems while ensuring your musings hold strength is often laced with
fear and traumatizing effects. A positive review makes all that go away.
What is the usual response when you tell a new acquaintance
that you’re an author?
I find people respond quite well. They show interest in
wanting to know what genre, first, and then where they can get your book. I am
not usually shy of volunteering this information and I will use any means at my
disposal to discuss this, casually of course.
What do you do on those days you don’t feel like writing? Do
you force it or take a break?
This is an easy question. I rarely not feel like
writing in the morning. Very rare, but what I do to get physical exercise as
sitting behind my computer only ever flexes my brain muscle, is go swimming or
biking or make some time for the gym. I prefer playing tennis and roller
blading to going to the gym, but in the winter, you can’t do any of those
things.
Any writing quirks?
Wow, great question liable to eat up a lot of paper.
Compassion is kicking in; I will be brief and concise. Here’s a quirk: we had
to move all our kit and caboodle across the country for me to be able to write
better. Some three thousand and eight hundred miles away. I always had
difficulty writing where I lived. I began writing in Miami,
Florida near the ocean. When we came back
to Montreal, years later, the
inspiration stopped. Not so much inspiration as dialogue and story going on in
my head—SILENCE. In some areas, the reception is poor, while in other places
the reception is clear, and unbelievably precise, like a transistor radio and
how it gives out when you get too far from the source. I remember driving up
from Miami with my husband, and I
could sense all the places I might be able to write. Richmond
Virginia and more so toward Virginia
Beach. As we approached New York
City, I knew I could totally write in New
York City. Only I would need to learn to type faster
than a hundred words a minute to keep up.
I visited my son and his wife out West and was amazed how
clear the reception of my transistors appeared to be. I don’t quite understand
why there is no ocean anywhere near Edmonton Alberta.
However, the instructions of what to write and how to do so are as clear as a
bell. Amazing. I will leave you with this one quirk. Others exist, believe me.
What would you do if people around you didn’t take your
writing seriously or see it as a hobby?
Some people around me do think of my writing as a hobby. No
one would ever say this to my face, although sometimes reading people’s
thoughts will sting you. I’m sure some people even think of me writing as a
means to keep from being bored. Well, that’s all right by me. I don’t presume
to control people’s thoughts, only the ones I write as my characters. Actually,
in case some of you might think writing relieves boredom, I’m not a person who
gets bored. I cook, sew, do sports, and love to just sit and meditate while
contemplating the beautiful day outside. Also, I’m a people watcher and over
the many years, I’ve turned gazing at humanoid forms into my own brand of art.
I can do this without no one ever being the wiser. Best places to do this:
Bethesda Fountain in New York City,
and the Champs Élysées in Paris, France.
Also, I’m lucky. For a mew more years I have young grandchildren I can play
hopscotch with, or slide and swing with at the park, and I love to kick things
when I’m walking down the street, so my grandson and I often kick the ball
around.
Some authors seem to have a love-hate relationship to writing.
Can you relate?
Yes I can understand how this might occur. Spouses are not
always perfect, this might cause a love-hate relationship with some people.
Children sometimes misbehave which can bring on tendencies for strong
antagonistic emotions. However, although I understand this as being close to
how some people feel, I don’t ever hate writing. Even when my husband and I
argue about our different points of view, I never feel anything other than good
about my emotions toward him. I never cared what my children did wrong, I
always loved them whatever they said or did.
I guess this translates to my writing. Why would I hate
writing? When I’m stuck in some places, which used to happen a lot where we
lived, this would become a challenge to surmount. I love challenges, and if I
wish, I can win. So I’m debating whether to put this down on paper, but to sum
up, I never hate writing.
Do you think success as an author must be linked to money?
An excellent question with a lot of philosophical
ramifications. I don’t measure success of an author with money. I’ve
encountered too many stories I read and did not like make a ton of money. I’ve
read others that will stay dear to me all my life that never became super
popular or viral as we say these days. However, I would like my stories to make
a ton of money. Are there any authors today who would not? Piles of money would
mean everyone would be reading my stories, which is why I published them. Also,
this would allow me to write more and market less, edit less, work on my blog
less as I would hire out professionals to do all this.
For now, taking charge of all these venues is part of the
package and what I consider fun. Mostly, this is a great learning curve for me.
I’m not just a writer anymore. I’m a blogger, I review other people’s books,
learned Scrivener, and I can typeset books in InDesign, and I can make an ebook
and a mobi Kindle file. I love to learn new trades, and there is no one alive
who appreciates technology more than I do. Love, love technology. I just think
we’ve slowed down over the last five years. We need more discoveries by now,
more springboards to greater heights.
What has writing taught you?
Patience, courage to spill my guts, and acceptance of the
inevitable. Writing has taught me to fight for the right word, to open up and
display my inner-self, to do so with honesty and clarity. Writing has allowed
me to stretch while keeping my integral soul intact and at ease.
Leave us with some words of wisdom.
What you think about, you bring about. And with these words,
I give you one of my favorite people’s quotes, Albert Einstein: “There are only
two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is
as though everything is a miracle.”
Choose wisely as what you believe you will make happen. Best
way to achieve miracles is to smile, smile when your heart aches, smile through
the tears, smile three hundred sixty-five days a year.
