Author Interview: Pauline Baird  Jones
by Tamazon

Nov 01, 2007

Read more about Pauline Baird  Jones | View Pauline Baird  Jones's Site

Could you please start by telling us a little about yourself?

I was a reader before I became a writer. In fact, the only time I got in trouble in school was for reading behind my text books! I started writing because I read too fast for my budget. I currently have eight published novels and one short story in an anthology released by our chapter in Oct/07, called Do Wah Diddy Die Already. I've been fortunate to win two Romantic Times Reviewer's Choice Awards and also the Dorothy Parker award.

I was born in Wyoming, but we lived in New Orleans for 18 years, before moving to Texas a year before Katrina hit. My hubby and I have been married for 32 years, but unless I die first, I'll probably go to jail for murdering him--but because he's told everyone he wants an autopsy if he dies suddenly.

What do you do on a typical writing day?

I start my day with a Diet Dr. Pepper, then I check my email. Usually that takes a loooong time. Then if I still feel the urge to procrastinate, I play some Solitaire and cruise the internet for a bit. After a while, I realize I haven't gotten anything done and open my MIP. Sometimes the Muse arrives to assist me. Sometimes it doesn't. If I'm lucky, I slide into the zone and the words flow onto the page. If I'm not, then I have to pull them out of my tush.

In 5 years, where do you see yourself? In general and in you're writing career.

In five years, the hubby and I hope to be living in Wyoming again (we're both from Wyoming, but he's less excited about moving back than I am. He doesn't like the cold weather, while I miss having seasons in my life). In my writing career, I hope to still be writing. I hope that readers are still liking my books and that I'm still writing books that I like/want to write so much I can't not write them. I love the wild ride/slide of a new book. :-)

What do you do for inspiration?

I drink Diet Dr. Pepper, eat chocolate and watch romantic movies. Other kinds of movies and tv shows also inspire me. Sometimes books, but not always. They don't have to be in my genre (like I have one!), but they just need to be well written and well done. For some reason, a good romantic movie will fill up my creative well until I can't wait to sit down and write.

What kind of research do you do for your books? Do you enjoy the research process?

Sometimes I like research if its going well, but if I'm trying to find out something and I can't seem to hit the right search string or resource, I want to scream. A few times research has helped me take a book in a great, new direction, but mostly its just about fine tuning details that I need to get a scene right. That's probably why I took my last book into space--because I could make up so much stuff.

When did you first decide to submit your work? Please, tell us what or who encouraged you to take this big step.

I was pretty naive when I finished my first novel. I liked it so much, I was sure the world would, too, so I just launched into submitting here and there. I actually got good feedback from NY publishers on it, even though it was eventually published by an indie press. It is an act of courage to write, then another one to submit yourself and your work to possible rejection. Sometimes it helps to be naive, but mostly its good to learn about the industry--as long as you don't let all the bad news keep you from even trying. No publisher is going to publish you if you never try. They won't come looking for you. Really. What's your favorite genre?

I love books that are a bit mysterious, a lot suspenseful and loaded with action and adventure, then spiced with a dollop (or more!) of humor. I tend to commit random acts of writing, so my genres are all over the map, ranging from comedy suspense to sci-fi romance, but they are all bound together by one common element: peril. That's why my website is called The Perils of Pauline. What is the best and worst advice you have ever received?

The worst advice was to write to the market. Luckily for me, I couldn't. The best advice was to write what you love, write what you love to read. That's what I do, write books that burst out of my heart (and sometimes get pulled out of my tush!). Do you outline your books or just start writing?

I'm very much an into the mist, random acts of plotting writer. If I plot, then the story feels already told and my muse yawns and moves on. What was your first published work and when was it published?

Pig in a Park was my first published novel. I finished it not long after the first Gulf War and it was published in 1998. It was also the first book I ever finished. :-) What would be the best way for readers contact you? Do you have a website? Email address? MySpace site? Blog? Message Board? Group?

Readers can find me at:

www.perilouspauline.com http://www.myspace.com/perilouspauline

How can readers find out more about you and your books?

The best place to find out about me and my books is by visiting my website at www.perilouspauline.com. I have sections for readers and for writers, though there is no requirement to declare yourself to visit either. :-) My books can also be found in most online bookstores and at fictionwise.com.

Thank you for this opportunity!