April is National Poetry Month: An Interview with Poetess Jacquee T.

Those who followed me on Writers in Residence will recognize Jacquee T. as the master marketer who combines readings with charity work, bringing about fun events. She epitimizes romance in everything she does. I wanted to delve into her writer side, so I asked about her book of poetry.

Could you tell us what your book, Growing Up (the pain, the joy, the discoveries) is about?

I believe we’re all growing up, whatever age we are. We continue to be challenged, and to reflect on our experiences. However, I’d decided on the book title after I’d compiled the poems and organized them into chapters.

One day I’d decided that a collection of my poems would make an intimate gift for my closest friends and family. I selected poems, quotes and essays I’d written since I was very young to present, then divided them into categories.

Per the selections arranged, I divided them under chapters: “Grey-Blue Skies,” “Love,” “Fears,” “Moods and Changes.”

The first copies were three-hole punched and bound with three ribbons. It all seemed simple and wonderful, until I gave the first book away. When I handed it to a dear friend, I suddenly realized what I was giving. I was giving me, and I wanted that book back! That story, and how I overcame that initial shock of revealing so much of me, is told in the preface.

When I founded my company, Detour Productions, I decided on Growing Up as the first print publication. I designed it as a gift book. It’s 7"x7", cloth hardcover book with silk screen on the cover and spine. The book jacket has a lovely design. So, Growing Up makes an elegant display on the coffee table or nightstand. It’s designed to have handy for personal reads, and to share. It doesn’t have three ribbons tying it together like its predecessor, yet it does have a red ribbon bookmark.

When people open the book, they find poems, quotes and essays laid out nicely on each page. I call it “accessible poetry,” as the works are easy to read and engaging. I have learned since the first Growing Up print version to this, that both men and women respond emotionally.

It’s rewarding to receive their feedback. Bringing the poetry book to print was a journey. That is shared in the Growing Up Preface, and in the Afterword. Everything in between, is poems, quotes and essays in the order and in the chapters per the original three-ribbon bound book.

Do you play around with meter and style, or do you have a favorite form, or do you prefer freestyle writing?

I’ve been a writer since I learned to put pen to paper, and have allowed inspirations to come out as they were – prose, plays or poems. I became naturally receptive to how an idea hit. If it hit as a poem, I never forced meter or rhyme; yet sometimes the poems presented themselves that way.

“The little girl dressed in white felt quite trite. She fell asleep
at the wishing well and dreamed of hell. During her snooze
she tapped her black, patent leather shoes. Suddenly, her
mouth opened wide, and aloud, she cried, for she thought she
had died. When she awoke the words she spoke in her head
were how she’d dread to be dead. On the grass she laid,
clasped her hands and prayed. As the sun set for the day her
black patent leather shoes carried her away. No one would
she tell of her dreams by the wishing well. But the little girl
dressed in white was full of fright."

from Growing Up (the pain, the joy, the discoveries)
© 2008 by Detour Productions, LLC

Most poems came out in “free form,” yet demanded their own line breaks and spacing.

She dreamed about

him again; and when she

woke up she looked

over wondering if

he had seen her

in the same dream.


from Growing Up (the pain, the joy, the discoveries)
© 2008 by Detour Productions, LLC


You give readings, and I know you have the advantage of being an actress. Do you think it’s vital that authors read their poetry aloud in front of an audience?

Being an actress and being a poetess who reads her own poems are two separate things. That’s how I treated them at first. Then I realized they could be the same thing.

I could become my poem in voice, just as I had in writing, during book signings by reading select poems. Still, in the presentation, I held the open book – as a prop, or a crutch, or both.

Most the time, in my opinion, I read shyly. However, when I raised my gaze, I saw that the audience members were engaged. They’d wanted to hear my poems from me, and in that alone I sounded well to them.

Depending on the poetry reading venue, folks raised their hands with questions, about my poems, my book, and my inspiration. Or they approached me afterward to inquire All I needed to do was respond honestly. Their questions sparked my knowledge and passion. By nature of the exchange, I further engaged them.

So yes, I believe it’s good practice for writers to read select work aloud.

In summary:

We poets and poetesses begin by penning something we may or may not share.

Writing poetry is revealing. Putting it to print is another vulnerable step. Yet once we do, folks love the
opportunity to hear our works from our lips. Go ahead. Every step is a growing experience.

For more about Jacquee, visit her web site. She also has A Romantic's Perspective , where you can check out her poetry page .

An Ode to Writer Paranoia

It's finally up, it's finally out

After all this time, messing about

Too much input, too much fear
Inner critics grabbing my ear

Are the characters foolish? More silly than not?
Should I make Roxanne less bookish, more hot?

Is the cover okay? Are the colors too bright?
Should I put Vanessa in a life or death fight?

Maybe I'll take it off Smashwords and Kindle,
Add a talking dog--a bulldog, a brindle

Or kill off a favorite character or two
Give Deanna a problem--less cheerful, more blue

I'll drive myself nuts if I keep down this path
So I'll kill off my critic to avoid her wrath

It's not an earth-shattering event, after all
Like ending world hunger or the Berlin Wall's fall

Special Delivery is a story for pleasure
One that I hope that readers will treasure

Something to make them smile just a bit--
A result of my humor and stellar wit

The worry is over, I'm ready for glory
Until I get ready to post my next story.

An Unnecessary Roadblock to Writer Fame and Glory

It never fails to amaze me how difficult writers sometimes make it to contact them. I suppose they could be wary of stalkers--or the same high school classmates they try to ignore on Facebook.

There are plenty of GOOD reasons to make contact info available: agents who've fallen in love with your blog and want to offer you a "Julie and Julia" style book deal, fans who want to praise your latest short story (and who doesn't welcome praise?). There's also me, the blogger, who wants to invite you to guest post.

I made an offer a few weeks ago. The first ten writers to comment on my post would be guest bloggers on A Writer's Jumble. People responded. Interesting people who I would love to talk to, promote, and otherwise fawn over. Here's the problem. I can't reach half of them!

Some had links to profiles that didn't include any kind of contact information. Some had links to blogs that didn't have--any kind of contact information. One had an email that required me to fill in a form before my message would go through. A slight pain, but I understand. I filled out the form and guess what? The program denied me access! I feel so slighted. I'd comfort myself with chocolate but it's a Lenton Friday and I'm Catholic.

I slap my email or website (which includes contact information) on everything I send or post. Call me an extrovert, but isn't that a basic step for writers who want to market themselves? It's a gentle "Here I am. Talk to me."

I would love it if those who commented on my post would send me an email. I thought everyone had interesting things to say based on the blogs and web sites I visited. For instance:

C., you sound like a fascinating woman. Playwright? Poet? Performer? Good golly! How do you do it all? How do you decide what to focus on? Such talent!

C., you lucky devil. You have a book coming out with Oak Tree Press. I LOVE Oak Tree Press! And you're part of a new line of Western Suspense. How cool is that?

G., You are involved in so many things! You write two blogs!! How do you do it? And are you ever embarrassed to write erotic fiction? I know I couldn't do it.

ETC!

These are some of the fascinating questions you'll have answered if these people contact me!

(To be fair, I found one phone number, but I'm too shy to call someone I've never met unless I'm ordering a pizza.)


Seriously, I would love to find out more about all of you! I'll wait to hear from you, hoping that I do.

The Hazards of Elementary School Presentations

Remembering back to my own childhood, I would say the most awful presentations I sat through were those that bored my tiny tights off.

With this in mind, when I was asked to do an elementary school presentation as part of World Book Day, I aimed to amuse. I put together an interactive play using my book, "Logical Larry", as a reference. I strung together the various parts of a story and had the children come up and act out the hero, villain, helpmate and such. It played out like "The Twelve Days of Christmas", adding each new role after we discussed it.

While the kids got a few chuckles from their dialogue, which consisted of "Ta-daaa!" (the hero) and "Aargh!" (the villain), I underestimated how long it would take to get kids comfortable goofing off with a stranger. We were over halfway through the presentation before they loosened up. They seemed most excited when I had them sit down and write their own stories. Note to self: Not so much interaction next year.

Fast forward to this year. I thought I had it made. In "The Author's Apprentice", I would have them write their own story along with me. As I went over the importance of obstacles, goals, etc., the kids could fill in their own main character, goals and such and read back what they had written at the end of the evening. I even made up nifty forms for them to use, writing out the entire story except for blank lines that they could fill in. Easy peasy, right?

1. Interruptions

This was an after school event involving parents. You can't make parents line up and march into a classroom. I began ten minutes late with only three sets of child/parent. Ten minutes later, an entire group filed in, and I had to backtrack to get the newcomers caught up. This happened twice more, and the last time, the event photographer came with them. A few minutes more and both parents and children started slipping out, which was a bit of a distraction, but at least I didn't have to restart the presentation.

2. Kids Will Be Kids

I don't have my own children, so I have "sucker" written across my forehead. At least, that's what it felt like. The teacher had supplied a box of sharpened pencils. One boy came up and explained that his was broken and he needed to sharpen it. I almost said yes, but then I saw the frenzied light in his eyes and realized that sharpening pencils represented hours of fun to a young boy. I gave him a replacement and accepted his disdain.

Another child insisted that he had to go look for his mother. She didn't know he was in this class, and she was with his brother somewhere. When he reached the near-tears level, I let him go. The school is locked up, so I didn't worry about him escaping, but I will check out what the school policy is next year.

3. Level of Difficulty

Because the group included children from various classes, I had to aim for the middle grade, and I geared my presentation towards the fourth graders. However, I overestimated their writing skills, and none of the children finished before the end of my class.

Conclusion? I needed more interaction.

Next year, I'm going to go for writing games, maybe with prizes to get their attention right away. And I'll mix in a short writing assignment, such as coming up with a great first sentence. If that fails, I'm going to hire a magician to take my place!

All the Variety I Could Hope For!

Last week, I was in a quandary. As representatives of my blog, how in depth should I screen my guest bloggers? Do they have to agree with my point of view on controversial subjects? Am I furthering the forces of evil if I have on an extremist of any political party? If I'm sceptical of global warming, should I avoid "green" authors? Keeping in mind that I would never allow a member of the Westboro Baptist Church near my site, how do I hang on to my character without living in a hermetically sealed bubble????

I sent out a guest blogging invitation to the first 10 writers to respond to my post. The only subject limits were "No porn. No Politics."  The rest was up to fate.

Three people who dropped by to say hi didn't make the cut, but only because they are authors who have standing invitations--the fabulously talented author of several series, Marilyn Meredeth; the uber-queen of short stories, Kate Thornton; and the mistress of marketing and all things romantic, Jacquee.

What I wound up with was a wonderful variety of writers who cover genres from science fiction to real estate mysteries to erotic fiction with believable heroines. Cool!

I'm looking forward discovering new writers, and I hope you'll stick with me for their posts, which I'll announce once they are scheduled.

An Invitation to Guest Blog

Anyone who has read me under A Writer's Residence or even on this blog knows that I have a streak of the cheerleader in me. I love to promote other writers and books that I love.

A blog is a reflection of the person who writes it. Readers assume that if my blogs are humorous then I must be a funny gal. Or if I vent one day, people who catch that post will assume I'm cranky. So when it comes to picking a guest to blog, shouldn't that person's writing and opinions etc. be a reflection of me?

I'm not so sure. So I'm going to try an experiment.

The first 10 authors to comment on this page will receive a guest spot on my blog.

Are there limitations? Yes. No porn. No politics. No grossing me out. I reserve the right to refuse if it seems that we aren't a good fit.

Why 10? There are other blogs and author interviews I want to fit into the schedule. (I am so looking forward to interviewing J. Michael Orenduff on his new book!) This way I can sprinkle new authors into the mix.

We'll see if anyone responds.

A Blogger's Dilemna or What am I Trying to Say?

I haven't been blogging regularly because, well, I'm paralyzed with fear that my blog will go astray.

All the experts say your blog has to have a theme, and that makes sense. I go to Buns in My Oven because I want great recipes. I go to Newbie's Guide To Publishing because I want great advice about publishing, or self-publishing, as that seems to be the hot topic right now.

But isn't defining your blog a bit like asking Who am I? To my father, I'm Jacqueline (except when he's irritated, and then I'm Jacqueline Marie.) To most of my family, I'm Jack. Except for my husband. He calls me Jackie and all sorts of nicknames that are none of your business. And to Buster the Wonderdog, I'm Woof.

See? I have so many identities, and that's just my name!

Blogging is by it's nature sharing. So what do I want to share with you?

I love to cook. Actually, I love food. Even as I write, I'm baking brownies for the Women's Guild meeting tonight. When I run into something fantastic, I want to share, but I don't want to write a food blog. I'm not good enough. I defer to Buns in My Oven's Karly. (Karly, you are a goddess!)

I'm Catholic. Really, I'm one of those "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" kind of old-school Catholics, but one of my sleuths is a Catholic priest. He's also and Iraqi war vet and former police chaplain. After losing his temper all over a nasty criminal, he's relocated to teach Religious Ed at an all-girl high school. Talk about penance. I mean it. I was a teenage girl. We're brutal.

I'm writing a Pet Psychic mystery, and I love all things dogs (though I certainly would never discriminate against other pets.) I've had training nightmares with my 80 pound mutt, and sharing what works for me could be helpful to others. Or fun. I had an article in Fido Friendly Magazine last April about using a pet psychic to train your pet that was based on my experiences.

My Wilder Women mysteries focus on family. I have a hu-u-u-u-ge extended family with lots of oddities, like the uncle with nine lives and the grandfather who carried a nifty combo walking stick/blade that he got from Hell's Angles. But isn't telling their secrets just rude?

My character Evan Miller is a crime reporter. I could talk about crime, but then I'd have to bury my depressed head under my pillow and go to sleep.

As a writer, I have lots of things I can say about the writing process. I can run interviews with other writers. I can review books. But there are so many other sites out there doing the same thing. Is there anything special about mine?

I like positive things. You can attribute that to my inner rebel. There are so many articles and people intent on dragging us down. Just look at the magazine covers at the checkout stand. Tragedy! Separated! Destroyed! Just a few of the cover story titles this week. Well, it's not going to happen. Not on my watch. (Did you have a flash of All the Good Men and an urge to salute? Me too.)

I don't live in the past, but I appreciate the different mindset. For example, while Hitler decimated entire populations, Charlie Chaplain came out with The Great Dictator. The same year as His Girl Friday and Philadelphia Story. No wallowing. No whining.

Rallying. Providing Humor. Adversity bringing out one's best. How unbelievably admirable. How can I even approach that subject, except to say I wish I belonged to a different generation? Although, that does bring on all sorts of dilemmas with my parents and my husband.

Finally, does anyone care about what I have to say? It's so Me, Me, Me. And I do think people share way too much these days. I'm going to have to think about this.

If you have an opinion, I'd love to hear it. Do you only visit blogs when they have a specific purpose? Do you drop by various blogs because you like the title of a particular post?