Jessica James Interview

Q: Let me start with asking you to tell us a little bit about yourself.
A. Hello everyone! I am an author who writes historical fiction and suspense/thrillers—all with a military theme. My readers include both men and women so I try to keep enough action in them for the men—along with the hint of a love story to keep everyone turning the pages.

Q: When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?

I have been a writer since I was in my 20s, but never thought of myself AS a writer until after my first book Shades of Gray was published in my 40s. My first career was as a veterinary technician at a state-of-the-art horse hospital in Virginia, but I found that job a little too depressing for a horse lover, so I went back to school and earned a degree in journalism. That move kicked off a second career where writing became the central part of my life.

Q: Could you give us the highlights of your professional writing career including how you got your first writing break?
A. I’m one of those writers who came into the profession through the backdoor of journalism. Eighteen years of meeting tight deadlines and learning the art of summarizing lots of information—often in a very short amount of time—was a good foundation. But writing for a newspaper and writing fiction are two very different things that use different parts of the brain. I struggled during the transition to fiction, but just like anything else, practice helps train the brain, making it easier over time.

As for highlights of my career, my first novel, Shades of Gray, was a 425-page Civil War love story that reviewers often compared to Gone with the Wind. It has garnered more than a thousand 5-star reviews and is still one of my most popular novels.

I can’t point to anything that really gave me a writing “break,” but I am really proud of some of the awards I’ve won, including a Gold Medal from the Military Writers Society of America for my romantic suspense novel Meant To Be, and winning the John Esten Cooke Award for Southern Fiction three times.

Q: Would you tell us about your current book release Deadline?
A: Deadline is the first book in my Phantom Force Tactical series, and was my first real suspense/thriller novel. As you can probably guess from the title, I started writing it while I was a newspaper reporter. Its premise is a newspaper reporter and a homicide detective who don’t see eye to eye, but are forced to work together to solve a case. They end up on the run with nowhere to turn, and, together, devise a plan to expose the killer. The ultimate outcome is something neither one of them envisioned—and, hopefully, neither will the reader! I was really excited to get a review from a retired Navy SEAL who called it “an engaging read,” and “hard to put down.”

Q: Where did you get your inspiration for Deadline?
A: Deadline was inspired by my work as a reporter, and the daily challenges that entails. Having the opportunity to see what happens behind the curtain at crime scenes, and knowing the ins and outs of the newspaper world were the main inspirations.

Q: What is the main thing you hope readers remember from this story?
A: I hope readers find Deadline an enjoyable rollercoaster ride of emotions, and that they are surprised by the twists and turns. Readers have commented that they like how the characters have flaws and seem to be real people, so I hope Blake and Caitlyn are remembered long after the last page is turned.

Q: What inspires you to write?
A. I’d have to say that I am most inspired by the extraordinary values and the dedication of our brave men and women in uniform. Whether I’m writing about the Revolutionary War or the modern-day War on Terror, I try to highlight their sacrifice and service.

Q: Would you share with us what you are working on now?
A. Yes! I’m very excited about my current work in progress. It’s tentatively called Presidential Advantage, and it’s about a very shy, introverted country girl who falls in love with an attorney—who ends up becoming President of the United States. This very unlikely First Lady stumbles a few times in the beginning, but thanks to the help of a Secret Service agent, she finds her footing and becomes a force to be reckoned with. Laced within the plot is political intrigue and a conspiracy so big that even the First Lady does not see it coming.

Q: When you’re not writing what do you like to do?
A. Reading is one of my guilty pleasures, along with horseback riding, target shooting and travel. I also enjoy working part-time job as a stagehand at a local performing arts theater. I started that job more than 15 years ago as a way to get me out of my chair and around other people. (Writing is a very solitary and sedentary career). I have gotten to see thousands of live shows from behind the scenes, and met lots of celebrities, from country music artists like Luke Bryan to comedians like the Smothers Brothers and Vicki Lawrence.