Pump Up Chats with Sci-Fi Mystery Author B.A. Chepaitis

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barbara Barbara Chepaitis is the author of 8 published books, including The Fear Principle featuring Jaguar Addams, and the critically acclaimed Feeding Christine and These Dreams. Her first nonfiction book, Feathers of Hope, is about Berkshire Bird Paradise and the human connection with birds. She’s writing a sequel about Eagle Mitch, a bird she helped our US troops rescue from Afghanistan. Barbara is founder of the storytelling trio The Snickering Witches, and faculty coordinator for the fiction component of Western Colorado’s MFA program in creative writing.

Facebook site for Barbara – http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=615302442

Facebook site for Jaguar – http://www.facebook.com/pages/Jaguar-Addams-and-the-Fear-Series/135879429815445

Barbara’s website: http://www.wildreads.com

Thank you for this interview, Barbara. Do you remember writing stories as a child or did the writing bug come later? Do you remember your first published piece?

A: I have a very vivid memory of writing an illustrated story about aliens and ants when I was in first grade. I took time and care with it, but when it was done I was dissatisfied with the plot, so I threw it out. By second grade, I wrote the class Christmas play, which was about the animals being able to talk on Christmas Eve, a tradition that comes from my Lithuanian heritage. I guess you could call that my first ‘produced’ piece of writing.

What do you consider as the most frustrating side of becoming a published author and what has been the most rewarding?

A: I think the most frustrating side of being published is when you realize the work doesn’t end there. In fact, it’s just beginning, and after publication you have to learn a great deal about the business end of the process. That’s a very different space than the blissful warmth of writing itself. The most rewarding side of being published occurs when you hear from a reader whose life has been enriched by your writing, or when you run into someone on the beach or in a train who is actually sitting there reading something you wrote. Those are very cool moments, and why we’re in it to begin with.

Are you married or single and how do you combine the writing life with home life? Do you have support?

A: I’m married to another writer, and though he has a day job, he also has a very clear understanding of what it takes to pursue a writing career. He’s been an absolutely irreplaceable ally and partner to me. I’ve also been fortunate that I’ve either gotten enough pay for my books to support myself, or was able to find work as a university teacher to cover my needs. In fact, I recommend college teaching to writers as an ideal complement to the writing life. It’s intense work, but has good breaks for writing, and usually has a community of people who are also supportive of writing.

The Fear Principle Front Can you tell us about your latest book and why you wrote it?

A: In The Fear Principle Alex Dzarny and Jaguar Addams rehab the worst criminals by telepathically making them face their fears. Their current case is hitwoman Clare Rilasco, emotionless, beautiful, and part of a death machine plot that threatens Alex’s life. Jaguar can’t tell who the bad guys are anymore, as she’s dragged into her own terrifying past by Clare’s telepathic tricks. While the search for the man behind the mirror continues, Jaguar and Clare are enmeshed in a relationship of seduction and trickery that makes Jaguar face her own deepest fears.

Can you share an excerpt?

A: “You’re way out of line, Dr. Addams,” Alex said coldly. “You better keep track of yourself.”

“Oh, I can track myself. Don’t you worry,” Jaguar replied. She put her hands on his desk and her face level with his. “I can track a cat under a new moon, or the smallest scent of death in open air. I can track last week’s eagle in a cloudy sky. And I can track you, Supervisor. Even you. So keep Nick away from me, or I’ll take care of him myself. My way.”

She shifted her arm, letting him see the tip of her glass knife, gleaming red at her wrist. She gave it a second, two seconds. Then she turned on her heel and left.

Where’s your favorite place to write at home?

A: I have the perfect office – well, perfect for me, at any rate. My husband and I are both writers and when we built our house he designed an office that was downstairs in a dark corner. I suppose you’d call it a man cave. I designed an upstaris office with a lofted ceiling and a bank of huge south-facing windows that look out over the land and the mountains beyond. When I’m up here working, I rest my eyes by looking out onto the sky and land, and I feel like a goddess. I think that’s an appropriate way for a writer to feel!

What is one thing about your book that makes it different from other books on the market?

A: Readers tell me they really appreciate two things in this series. First, Jaguar has complex and very real friendships, which are important to her. Second, the books include a love of language, a literary style that makes them tasty to read even beyond the fast-moving plots. I’m always gratified to hear that, since I wrote them with both elements in mind.

Tables are turned…what is one thing you’d like to say to your audience who might buy your book one day?

A: This book is a page-turner, great for reading on the beach, in the bath, or in bed. But if you read it in bed, beware! It might keep you up beyond your normal hours.

Thank you for this interview, Barbara. Good luck on your virtual book tour!

A: It’s been a pleasure!

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Question of the Day

How do you make sales happen for you?

A lot of hard work! I sponsor a lot of on line parties, festivals and contests. Book sales don’t magically happen, believe me. An author has to work hard to earn her readers. And then she has to work hard to keep them by giving them something they’ll enjoy reading. I try hard to make my books worth a reader’s time.

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