1.
What is your name and where do you call home?
My
name is Jamie Lee Scott and I’m a California transplant living in Iowa.
2. What is the name of your most recent book and if you had to
sum it up in 20 or less words, what would you say?
Let Us Prey is about Mimi
Capurro, owner of Gotcha Detective Agency, and her involvement in the murder of
a NY Times bestselling author assistant’s murder.
4. Do you have plans for a new book? Is this book part of a
series?
Let Us Prey, out now, and Death of a Sales Rep, coming in
February. They are the first two books in my Gotcha Detective Agency mystery
series, Textual Relations should be
out in April 2012. I have a new series, The Dog Bakery mysteries, starting with
Give a Dog a Bone coming out in June.
This series will include dog treat recipes.
5. What or who inspired you to start writing? And how long have
you been writing?
The
biggest inspirations in my writing have been professors from college. My
Critical Writing professor, Dr. Burke, encouraged me to continue writing and
used several of my articles for the class model papers. Then at San Jose State
University, where I studied Human Performance, my professor submitted my case
study of an injured Stanford University football player to Physician and
Sports Medicine. This was when I first realized people were paid to write.
So I guess, including my years as a journalists for business magazines, I’ve
been writing for about 23 years.
6. Do you gift books to readers for book reviews?
Yes,
absolutely!
7. How did you come up with the cover? Who designed the cover of
your book?
Since
I’ve always done the graphics for the businesses I own with my husband, I
decided I’d do my own for at least my first novel. The cover idea was a
collaboration with me and my writing critique partner, NY Times bestseller
Jennie Bentley. I wanted something to give an idea of the personality and
identity of the victim in the novel.
8. Which is your favourite cover of all the books you have
written?
Well,
I’ve only had 2 with covers so far, and I’m not sure we have the final cover
for Death of a Sales Rep yet, so I’ll
have to go with Let Us Prey for the
moment.
9. Is there anything you would change about your book covers?
No.
But of course, after seeing the cover all the time, I think I’d like to change
it. I do the same with my websites. I see them all the time, and they start to
make me question things. But mostly I’m good with the covers.
10. Is there anything you would change about your book? And why?
No,
I don’t think so. I’ve been over and over them so many times by the time they
make it to print that I feel I’ve got the story where I want it.
11. Do you have a book trailer? And what are your thoughts on
book trailers?
I
love book trailers. Even more, I love making them. I’ve made them for several
other author friends, just for fun. They are time consuming, but the end
product is fun to watch. Not sure they are good material as a marketing tool,
but I do one for each of my books. One caveat to authors, don’t make them too
long, as most people get bored after a minute.
12. Do you prefer e-books, paperbacks, hardcovers or audiobooks?
I
used to have a house full of paperbacks/hardcovers, but now I’ve given most of
them away and started reading eBooks. I do love my hardcovers for 1st edition
autographs, but other than this (as a collector) if prefer eBooks and
audiobooks. (this way my husband doesn’t see how many books I’ve purchased.
shhhh)
13. Are you a self-published / Indie author?
I’m
published traditionally in non-fiction with a book I wrote called Hiking Iowa, which is now out of print,
and indie published in fiction, which will never go out of print.
14. Have you ever read a book more than once? And if so what was
it?
I
always have intentions to read a book a second or third time, but I usually
don’t get around to it. Two authors I always read more than once, Elmore
Leonard (the king of pithy dialogue), and Jane Smiley.
15. Have you ever bought a specific edition of a book because of
it’s cover? (For example a UK, US or Canadian version)
Yes!
Sad to say, but I do judge a book by its cover. I won’t purchase solely based
on the cover, but it will get me to look at the description.
16. Have you ever read a book just based on it’s cover?
Yes,
I’m sure I have, but I can’t remember a specific incident.
17. Has the quality of the cover of a book ever put you off of
reading it?
I’ve
scanned over many books, not giving a second look, because the cover didn’t
appeal to me. I’m including traditionally published and indie published. But if
I read an excerpt and liked the writing, I wouldn’t let the cover stop me.
18. What book are you reading at the moment? And in what format?
I’m
currently reading 2 books, The Little Book of Sitcom by my friend John Vorhaus,
because I’m writing a sitcom pilot, and also entering the TV writing
fellowships for Nickelodeon, ABC, and NBC. I’m also reading How to Get Everything
You Want -- Faster Than You Ever Thought Possible by Brian Tracy, because I
need to be better about setting goals. I'm reading both of them in e-book
format
19. Do you have any advice for other writers? And what’s the
best advice that you have been given when it comes to writing?
Write
everyday! Getting in the habit of sitting your behind in the chair and typing
is the hardest part of this business. Notice I wrote business, because that’s what writing is. You don’t get to pick and
choose when to get out of bed and go to work every day (most of us anyway),
writing is the same way. Treat it as a business, a business you absolutely
love, and you’ll have won half the battle. And if you are planning to
self-publish, spend the time and the money to have your writing professionally
edited. Poor editing will kill your career.
20. Where can your readers follow you?
Blog: www.jamieleescott.com
Twitter: www.twitter.com/jamie_ld
I wasn't sure which post to comment on, but thanks so much for having me here today. What a great kick off to my blog tour!
ReplyDeleteThe best thing about the interview is to know that there's 2 more books with Mimi coming! Yay! Can't wait...
ReplyDeleteI'm enjoying the premise of Let Us Prey. Here's to great success with the Gotcha Detective Agency series.
ReplyDeleteAnd I like the sound of How To Get Everything You Want, Jamie! You seem like the kind of determined person who can put that advice to good use.
Wow! Do you write more than one thing--ie a book and a screenplay at a time? And what drew you to the mystery genre?
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by Jane and Linda.
ReplyDeleteJane, I'm determined not to waste a moment of my short time in this world. hahaha
Linda, I usually have 3 projects going at a time. Right now I'm writing Book 2 of the Gotcha series, editing a feature screenplay, and outlining a TV sitcom. Make that 3.5 because I'm also co-writing a teen drama for TV with a wonderful writer named Zac Sanford.
As for mystery, I own a restaurant with my husband, and over the years I've plotted the deaths of a couple of nasty people (just for fun), and I channel that energy into fiction. That and I've always read mysteries and romantic suspense.
Hi Jamie, it was interesting to read about you, after being on your eReader Daily News. Thank you.
ReplyDelete