Interview with Jaliza A Burwell
Published 2015-10-02.
What motivated you to become an indie author?
I'm currently attending Emerson College for Writing and Publishing. The classes have taught me so much just this past year. I never saw myself self-publishing but then I learned the process and thought it fit me better than the traditional route. I'm not out to make millions. I just hope to share the stories I'm going to write anyways instead of them sitting inside my laptop, taking up space. If I can make at least one person happy with my books, then I'm happy.
When did you first start writing?
Probably the moment I learned to write my ABCs. I've always loved writing and never stopped the moment I could.
What is your writing process?
It usually starts with me writing out some random scene without thought to characters or plot line. It's just something that was in my head and I needed to write it down so I can function again. After a while, I begin to write the beginning and the end to go with that scene after I've had a couple of days to think about what I want to do with that scene. Then I fill in the rest. Sometimes, I write out a plot line, sometimes I don't. It just depends on the story and if I'm just going with the flow or not. I get everything written down without thinking what I'm writing. After I finish writing the entire manuscript, I push it off to the side for a week or so and then begin the hard work of editing it to create the real story that I wanted and what my characters will let me do.
When you're not writing, how do you spend your time?
Mainly work and school, but if I'm not doing either of those then I'm reading, talking to my family, hanging out with friends or watching some anime. Also dreaming.
What is the greatest joy of writing for you?
Seeing the story form and take shape, not just as I write the first draft but as I edit and add different elements to it. I smile as I see paragraphs beginning to flow together and take shape, in creating a scene. I love it! My favorite process is the editing. The writing is fun too and hard, but the real excitement is the editing and molding the story into what you want.
What's the story behind your latest book?
About 2am, trying to go to bed and then all of a sudden a scene hit me and wouldn't let me sleep until I got it down on paper. A year or so later, in one of my writing classes in undergrad, I was able to develop that scene into the beginning of my book and eventually, I was able to finally finish it.
What are you working on next?
The next book in the Reyna Havana series. The first book of another series. And a standalone. The first two are in their editing stages, the last one I'm still writing.
What do your fans mean to you?
It means I'm doing something right if I have fans. They support me and I'm eternally thankful. They keep me going, keep me writing because I don't want to let them down. I'm a people pleaser. I want to make them happy.
What inspires you to get out of bed each day?
Not much, just daily responsibilities. If I could, I would sleep forever because I dream a lot and most of my stories come to be because of my dreams.
How do you discover the ebooks you read?
Mainly Goodreads and Twitter. I follow a lot of other readers and writers who recommend or post their stories and that's how I find the next ebook to read. I also just do a lot of browsing on the B&N, Kobo, and Amazon websites to see what's out there.
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