Interview: Writer Jessica Tamara

Jessica Tamara is a rising author whose debut novel Running Away From Love was self-published and released on July 18, 2015. She has had a passion for writing and also reading since she was a little girl. She has been featured as a rising urban fiction author at the Toronto Urban Fiction Book Expo. Her goal is to create female characters from all walks of life that evolve, but most importantly they inspire and live in their truths whether it is good or bad. She would describe her writing style as emotional and vivid, where she wants you feel and escape into the moment she has created. You laugh with the characters, get angry with them, cry with them, and root for them to overcome. If the reader can relate and connect on any level, then that makes the writing process that much more worthwhile. Jessica currently resides in Buffalo, NY where works in finance and writes in her spare time. She is currently working on creating her own publishing company, which she hopes to help authors like herself to share their work with the world. She is currently working on her 2nd novel slated to be released in September 2016 titled "Season's Change....Autumn Leaves".

Ms. Tamara and I recently spoke about writing, her first book and what's coming up:

MCL: When did you first start writing?

JT: I first started writing I would say when I was like 8 or 9 years old. I used to write stories that I carried in a plastic purple brief case. And it just developed and continued as I got older each year.

MCL: What inspires you to write?

JT: Everyday life inspires me to write. I am not the best at expressing how I feel, and it has always been easier for me to write my feelings. I get inspiration from things that I may have experienced directly, or someone close to me has experienced.

MCL: Describe what you write ... Your style?

JT: I mainly write fiction. I guess the genre would be considered chick lit, but don't necessarily like to box what I write into a specific genre. I like to think it fits into a genre of whatever the reader interprets it to be. My style of writing I call it emotional and descriptive. I feel like when my character is going through something emotional it is important for me to convey that as I write, and the reader can feel those same emotions. I try to write and paint a picture as the reader goes along.

MCL: How many books have you written?

JT: So far I have written only one book, which is my debut novel Running Away From Love. I have multiple outlines of books, but I haven't necessarily focused on finishing them. I have written a lot of short stories, maybe like 20 short stories.

MCL: Do you have a target audience? Who is it?

JT: I think my target audience would be women between the ages of 18-35. My writing is kind of centered on the woman's experience. However I do think any guy can pick it up and learn some things if he was looking to get some insight into how women think.

MCL: Name some of your favorite writers:

JT: Some of my favorite writers are my Mom even though she writes just for fun. Eric Jerome Dickey, Carl Weber, Sister Souljah, Mary B Morrison, Jane Austen, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, and Maya Angelou.

MCL: If you could have dinner with one writer ... from any time period ... who would it be?

JT: If I could have dinner with one writer it would definitely be Chimamanda. I think her writing is so inspiring and informative in regards to the plight of people in African countries. My goal when I write is to create female heroines of some sort, and I think she captures that flawlessly.

MCL: What would you want to talk about?

JT: I just would like to talk about what inspires her when she gets ready to write a novel, and what her writing process is like.

MCL: Talk about the process of getting your first book published?

JT: It was a pretty long process for me. I actually began writing my first book when I was 18 years old, and I kind of didn't take it serious. Writing was just something that I did. But I posted a small snippet on facebook one day, and I got a lot of positive feedback that I decided to take serious. So I finished and completed it in one year. I had no clue how to publish it, so I just did a ton of research on the internet, and I came across Amazon direct publishing. So I decided to just do it all myself and Amazon made it really easy to do that. It was a very long and demanding process especially when you are doing it by yourself. But I wouldn't trade that process I learned a lot. I made a ton of mistakes, and it didn't go as smoothly as I wanted it to be. But when it comes time for my next book I think I will be prepared.

MCL: How long does it take for you to do the first draft of a book?

JT: I don't really have a process of writing to be honest. It is something that I need to get better at, which is sitting down daily and writing. Some days I can sit down and write for hours, and other days I end up with nothing. For my first book once I got serious about publishing it I would say that it took me a year to get the right first draft. I could have been done much sooner but I am a perfectionist and that works against me sometimes. I kept changing and adding things when I would reread what I wrote previously.

MCL: What's the hardest part of the writing process for you?

JT: The hardest part for me is when I'm experiencing writer block. It frustrates me to no end, when I want to write but things just aren't clicking right. Also finding the right book cover I found to be really difficult. A lot of my characters are African American, and I found it kind of difficult to find premade covers that fit my book and characters.

MCL: How do your friends and family react to what you've written?

JT: I think everyone was more so surprised that I actually put together what I did. They all knew that I liked to write, but I guess they didn't know that I could write a full novel. They were all surprised and I got a lot of great feedback good and bad. I welcome all feedback as I look to grow in my craft. But for a majority everyone was trying to figure out if the main character was based off of myself, and if there was a specific guy from my past that I was referencing. But I enjoy the fact that everyone tries to guess if some things did or did not happen to me personally. Only people who truly know me will ever know what really happened in my life, and what is just my very active imagination is.

MCL: Now it's time to promote yourself. Where can people buy your books? Do you have any upcoming readings or book promotions?

JT: My books can be purchased on Amazon under my Author name Jessica Tamara. I also have some copies available at the public library in Downtown Buffalo. I am working on my 2nd book titled "Season's Change" which I hope to release in the Fall of 2016. It will be available on Amazon, Ibook, and also Barnes and Nobles.

For more information on Jessica Tamara:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Jessica-Tamara/e/B011INHDLG/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1463413994&sr=1-2-ent

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jessicatamaraauthor/

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