More from Jodi Thomas
Published: January 28, 2005
Hurdles
I'm not a strong grammarian nor a good speller. But I've found that I can get others to help me. Such problems shouldn't discourage anyone from being a writer.
Influences
My parents were both avid readers. My father read Westerns by Louis L'Amour, and my mother read Barbara Cartland's romances. So, I was genetically predestined to write Western historical romances.
Feelings
By the time I've finished a book and it goes to press, I hate it. I've worked on it so long, I'm sick of it. But when I see the published copy, I'm always quite excited by it, think it's interesting and entertaining, and am thrilled at how it turned out.
Editors
All my historical novels have been published by the same publisher, but I've had several different editors within that house. Editors are very important; the writer has to learn what they require, and editors need to understand what the writer expects. I greatly appreciate their guidance. It's like a partnership--we share the same goals.
Writing historical vs. mainstream fiction
Historicals are easier in that each character is primarily good or bad, whereas in mainstream fiction, the protagonist must have some flaws, and the antagonist has good qualities. That writing has to be more subtle.
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