AUTHOR INTERVIEW - EMMA JACKSON

What is your name, where were you born and where do you live now? My name is Emma Jackson, I was born in London and I now live on the south coast of England in a lovely little town called Seaford.

What is the name of your latest book, and if you had to summarise it in less than 20 words what would you say? My latest book is actually my first book and it's called Made Up. If I had to summarise it I would say it's: A story about a young woman rebuilding her confidence and learning to love again after a bad relationship.

Do you have plans for a new book? Is this book part of a series? I do have plans for two follow-on books to Made Up and I'm also working on a couple of YA ideas I've had recently. 

How long have you been writing?, and who or what inspired you to write? I always loved writing stories and I think that love grew from my dad reading to me as a child. He would put so much effort into the different characters and setting the atmosphere so I would get completely sucked in. I began writing 'with purpose' about five years ago. 

Do you gift books to readers to do reviews? I'm only just starting out as an independent author and my main reason for doing so is to have people read my work so I'm more than happy to gift books to readers who are interested in doing reviews.

How do you come up with the Title and Cover Designs for your book/books?Who designed the Cover of your books? I came up with the title 'Made Up' as it covers lots of different themes within the novel, from makeup to fairytales to slang for being happy. When I had the initial idea for the cover I knew I wanted something pretty, that would give a feel of India, so I cobbled some images together and asked the lovely people at Goodreads for some feedback, then my very talented and very kind boyfriend used his IT skills to make it look professional.

Have you ever based characters on people you know or based events on things that have happened to you? None of my characters or events are directly based on people I know or things that have happened to me (although I did have a muse for Owen in Made Up). I think any writer's work is about them because it's their imagination and experiences that form the ideas for the story and the way it is expressed. I certainly have felt some of the things that my main character Katia has felt, as well as some of the other characters too.

Which format of book do you prefer, ebook,hardback, or paperback? I like both paperbacks and ebooks. I never thought I would grow to love ebooks as much as I have but I have come to appreciate the ability to get a new book at the click of a button, not to mention the space I'm saving in storage. I've never been a fan of hardbacks, I always found them uncomfortable to read and too expensive.

Do you think books transfer to movies well? Which is you favourite/worst  book to movie transfer? This is an interesting question as in Made Up, the film my characters are working on is actually an adaptation of a novel and they do talk about the artistic license that can be used when transferring books to the screen. I'm quite forgiving when it comes to movies based on books because I can see how things sometimes do need to be changed in order to capture the essence of a story and it's characters, whilst making it fit within a two-three hour time frame. A bad adaptation can be disappointing but it will never spoil my enjoyment of the novel. I'm eagerly awaiting The Hunger Games film that is due out next year because I loved the series. I think they have put together a great young cast and Suzanne Collins herself is very involved in the process, which can only be a good thing. 

What are you currently reading? Are you enjoying it? What format is it? I'm currently reading The Book Thief in paperback format and I am loving it so far. The narrative voice is very engaging and I can tell I'm going to need a box of tissues to hand before the end.

What do you think about book trailers? I think I can see why they are becoming popular, it's an excellent form of marketing for younger generations which are so in tune with online media but as a reader I'm not drawn to them. 

What piece of advice would you give to a new writer? I'm so new myself it seems odd to give advice but I would probably just say: keep going. It's a skill that needs a lot of practice and it can take a while to find your own voice. So much effort goes into writing a novel and the huge success of writers like JK Rowling and Stephenie Meyer is definitely the exception rather than the rule so I think the main thing is to make sure you are doing it because you enjoy it. 

Where can readers follow you? My website is currently under construction - until it's up and running, readers can follow me at Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/emsj  or at Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Made-Up/210803882306857




Thank you for taking the time out of your writing schedule to do this interview.