What can you tell us about your new release, Finding Jackson?
When I started writing ‘Finding Jackson’ I had no idea where I was going with it. All I had in mind is that I thought it would be fun to write about a young girl experiencing love at first sight. I also thought it would be kinda cool if the object of her affection wasn’t at all a guy most would describe as ‘classically handsome’. So, from that, ‘Finding Jackson’ was born! Although the story starts out with the blossoming relationship between Jackson and Leah, there’s also a backstory and that backstory is Jackson’s past, a past that he doesn’t want Leah knowing anything about. The story is told from three different perspectives – Jackson, Leah and Jackson’s mother, Anna. Anna’s story is told in flashbacks and begins when she first meets Jackson’s dad, ‘Ace’. The book spans several decades and involves all around major character growth – some good and some not so good. I don’t want to give too much away, but I will say this…’Finding Jackson’ has it all – romance, heartbreak, betrayal and lastly…love, a real lasting, all consuming perfect love.
What or who inspired you to become an author?
Anyone who writes a book – particularly a novel – is inevitably asked what their inspiration was. Of the many questions I have been asked as a fairly new writer, the most common are concerned with how the story came to me, how I created the characters and how I chose my setting. Like most writers, I was inspired in large part by the books I love – you know, the ones you can’t wait to get home and read? The ones that make you ignore a ringing phone or stay up hours past your bedtime, even if it means you’ll be tired for work the next day? For me those books include the Twilight and Fifty Shades series, and much of their allure lay in the unique qualities of their male leads – Edward Cullen and Christian Grey. So, in the nutshell, I guess I was inspired to become an author by my love of reading!
What’s on your top 5 list for the best books you’ve ever read?
1. Thoughtless, S.C. Stephens
2. Beautiful Disaster, Jamie McGuire
3. Fifty Shades of Grey, E.L. James
4. Twilight, Stephenie Meyer
5. How to Kill a Rock Star, Tiffanie DeBartolo
What’s your favorite thing about writing?
I like the solitude of writing. I also consider myself to be an avid, conscientious reader which I think is important because it allows you to learn from the experts in terms of storyline, character development and realistic dialogue. The more you read, the more you learn and it teaches you what you can get away with as an author and what you can’t. I learned just as much from books I didn’t like as those I did.
I’ve so far stuck with writing within the new adult genre although I haven’t ruled out writing in another genre at some point in the future – mystery, perhaps? New adult is what I mainly read, though, and you know what they say – write what you love to read!
What is a typical day like for you?
My typical day is similar to most – kids, work, making dinner, etc. – I’m not that complicated so, in turn, I keep my writing process pretty simple. I usually start out writing on my laptop in the evening and most nights I keep going until I run out of ideas. On some nights when the ideas are flowing, I could literally write for hours, but then there are those nights when I seem to develop a bad case of writer’s block and on those nights, I just turn in early. I always keep a pen and pad on my nightstand in case an idea comes to me out of the blue during the night – believe it or not, this happens quite often. Of course, there have been many a morning when I had quite a hard time deciphering what I’d written the night before!
What scene in Finding Jackson was your favorite to write?
There were a lot of scenes I loved writing in ‘Finding Jackson’ but I guess if I had to pinpoint one in particular it was the one where Jackson finds out the truth behind why his father became so bitter towards his mother and him and his siblings. It was a very moving scene.
Do you have a motto, quote or philosophy you live by?
My favorite quote is from Irish-born author Iris Murdoch and reads, “One of the secrets of a happy life is continuous small treats.” It’s so true! It’s the little things that make life so special!
Anne Holster is the author of the new book Finding Jackson.
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