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Janine Caldwell was born in Concord, CA and raised in the small
San Francisco Bay Area town of Clayton. Four days after her
high school graduation, Janine attended California Polytechnic State
University, San Luis Obispo and graduated with a degree in English.
Janine now lives in Anthem, AZ with her husband and two sons. As a lifelong literature fanatic, she knew it was only a matter of time before she would become obsessed with writing her own work. With relatives like the Brothers Grimm and Anita Loos (Gentlemen Prefer Blondes), she figured fantasy writing had to be in her DNA.
Janine now lives in Anthem, AZ with her husband and two sons. As a lifelong literature fanatic, she knew it was only a matter of time before she would become obsessed with writing her own work. With relatives like the Brothers Grimm and Anita Loos (Gentlemen Prefer Blondes), she figured fantasy writing had to be in her DNA.
Books published by Janine include Visited, a YA coming-of-age fantasy, Rematch and Double Fault—the first two books of The Vortex Series. The final book in this YA fantasy romance, Deuce, will be released fall 2013.
I gape up at him, the fear beginning to course through my veins. “Who
are you?”
“A friend.” He answers in an even enough
tone, but at the same time, his face begins to glow the color of amber,
making him look warm and unusually vibrant. I’ve never known any being
able to radiate such a glow. Any being from Earth, that is.
“A friend?” I manage to whisper back before
swallowing a gulp. “Are-are you human?” I’m half kidding, but
after years of watching realistic science fiction movies and reading
a library of fantasy novels, I think I mean the question more than I
want to admit. However, he doesn’t answer me. He averts his eyes,
blinking rapidly like he’s unsure of the situation.
Again, I’m at a loss of what to think. I thought
I asked a pretty straightforward question and he can’t even answer
that. By his omission, I have to assume he’s trying to tell me he
isn’t human!
Is this really happening? And, more importantly,
if he’s not human, then what is he?
My brain pores through a dozen images at once,
my chest heaving from the excitement. I flash to movies, T.V. shows,
graphic novels, and to my own imagination as I consider what life form
James could be. While I try to convince myself I’m jumping to conclusions,
that of course this is all a misunderstanding or perhaps an elaborate
hoax, something else itches in the back of my mind. That something whispers: Haven’t you always considered the existence
of other worlds? Discussed the possibility a hundred times with Tommy?
The answer to both questions
is an emphatic yes. I decide right then, despite
all reason, I know what James is.
“I think I know what you
are,” I remark feebly.
He turns to me with a spark
of expectation in his eyes, still glowing, still warm.
“You came to Earth with
that star last night, didn’t you?”
Blood rushes to his cheeks,
giving him an even brighter supernatural glow, and then I know I have
my answer.
“That’s it, isn’t it?”
I sit upright, gripping the sheet into my fists. “You’re from another
planet. That’s how you have the power to heal.”
He pales for a second, but
amazingly, he doesn’t deny it. He flickers his lashes upward like
he’s searching the ceiling for his reply. After a moment, he shakes
his head of soft curls that brush his neck before redirecting his intense
expression back on me. He licks his lips and smiles pensively, but I
feel the same need as before to shy away; whether it’s from shock
or from a loss of focus I don’t know, but holding his gaze is next
to impossible.
My mind is all aflutter trying
to come to grips with what I’m being confronted to believe.
“Incredible. I was right
all along,” I murmur, commenting to myself. “Aliens do exist.”
1. When did you first realize you
wanted to be a writer?
As soon as I was freed from my career job (Intellectual Property Paralegal)
and was home starting a family, the burning desire to create was overwhelming.
I guess you might consider me to be a late bloomer because I was about
30 when this urgent need came over me. I’ve always been an avid, life-long
reader with a BA in English, but I never thought I could do something
I love for a job until I started writing creatively. Since then, I haven't
looked back. I know writing fiction is what I want to do with the rest
of my life.
2. How long does it take you to write a book?
My first book (Rematch) took the longest. It took
4 years of hard work and many, many (many!) drafts before it became
what it is today. The second book (Double Fault), the followup to Rematch,
materialized much quicker. It was so much easier with the 2nd book since,
not only did I know my characters and the plot line of the story on
a deeper level, I also figured out my writing style. Visited, my latest
release, also took about a year to write.
3. What do you think makes a great story?
For me, there has to be a deep connection with the
main characters. I want to feel what they're experiencing until I get
so involved, I start to become mixed up about whether the story is happening
to them or to me.
4. What is your work schedule like when you're writing?
I mostly do all my writing in the hours between 9:00am
and 4:00pm. If I'm in an exciting point in the story, sometimes I'll
come back to it again at night, but I'm usually too spacey by then.
Weekends, too, I might work a few hours, but my family usually keeps
me too busy.
5. How do you balance family and writing?
Honestly, it's difficult not to get frustrated at
the demands of my family life when all I want to do is work, but during
those times I have to remind myself that this career choice isn't a
sprint, it's a marathon. My project isn't going anywhere, Twitter won't
disappear if I miss tweeting a few days, and Facebook will take me right
back as if I never left. At times, I get so wrapped up in writing my
story or promoting my books, it's easy to forget what's important in
life. Thank God I do have a husband and kids because I would probably
become a complete hermit, never wanting to leave my quiet house.
6. Where do you get your information
or ideas for your books?
So far, I think the ideas have all been planted in
my brain by God. That's the only way I can explain it. It's like
little messages from a song or a news story on the radio or TV will
reinforce the beginnings of a theme in my head. When I sat down to write
Rematch, I was aware of the elements I liked in YA fiction, so I knew
I had to create a story with a supernatural side to it, that there had
to be a love story in there, and that the plot had to be unique. I live
about an hour's drive from Sedona, Arizona. As my series is called The
Vortex Series, it was my visits to Sedona and its vortexes that ultimately
inspired the fantasy element in the series. There is something truly
magical about that place. It feels out of this world, fragile. I knew
I had to create a story that led my characters to this incredible place.
7. What was one of the most surprising things you
learned in creating your books?
That I just don't get sick of doing it. I can work
on a book for hours at a time, but it will feel like only a short time
has passed.
8. How many books have you written? I have three published
novels. Which is your favorite?
I guess a writer will always feel something special
about their first baby, so I have to go with Rematch. Although, I'm
starting to have some readers tell me their favorite of the two in the
series is Double Fault. Encouraging sign they'll want to read the final
book in the series (Deuce) when it's released.
9. Are your characters based on anyone you know?
There are elements of friends of mine, famous musicians
(Brandon Boyd and Dave Grohl for example), students I've known over
the years in my time as a youth group leader, and a little of myself
in all the characters. In the end, though, each character becomes their
own person by the time I'm done writing the story.
10. Do you have a favorite place you love to write?
I'm the most productive in my office at home, butt
in chair, and complete quiet in the house.
11. How hard is it to get published?
To be traditionally published, it's incredibly difficult
these days. Unless you're a celebrity or a proven best selling author,
you most likely won't get a sniff by any agent as a new writer on the
scene. You have to absolutely floor an agent in two paragraphs of your
query letter for them to consider reading the first 50 pages of your
work. Agents tell us they receive hundreds of query letters in a month.
It's a freakin’ miracle if they happen to choose your query letter
as one they will followup on. The good news is that self-publishing
is not quite as painful. Oh, to do it well it's not exactly easy--finding
a solid, reputable editor, hiring the right cover artist for your story,
and then affording all these expenses on your own, can be nerve wracking
and stressful to say the least. However, in the end, your labor of love
is out there for the world to receive instead of being shoved into a
drawer of failed dreams.
12. What do your family and friends think about your
books?
They have all been wonderful supporters of my writing
career and have been surprised by how much they now like YA fiction.
My kids, especially, were so proud when I got invited to speak at their
school and can now find copies of my books in their school library.
Most of my friends and family have known that this was a lifelong dream
of mine and are thrilled to see it begin to take shape into a tangible
thing.
13. What do you like to do when you are not writing?
I do like to exercise--Vinyasa yoga, tennis, running
with major tunes blaring in my ears, or hiking mountain trails are a
few of my favorite activities. When I get my exercise done, though,
I love to read (surprise, surprise). I love YA books just as much as
any blogger and Goodreads user out there. And if I have any time left
on my hands, which is rare, I love, love to play drums. I would say
I play at an intermediate level, but I fantasize I'm keeping up with
Jose Pasillas of Incubus and Taylor Hawkins of the Foo Fighters. My
husband tells me to "dream on."
14. Do you have any suggestions to help aspiring writers
better themselves and their craft? If so, what are they?
My best advice is to continue reading as much as possible,
and not just the genre they write in, but in all genres. Don't let too
long a stretch of time unfold without doing some sort of writing while
you're plotting your masterpiece in your head.
15. As a child, what did you want to do when you grew
up?
I have to admit, I just don't remember. Is that terrible?
Besides being a track star, I really had no idea what I wanted to do
with my life. Glad to have finally figured it out. Remember, late bloomer
here.
16. What are your favorite books and which authors
inspire you?
Oh, so many to list! J.K. Rowling is a goddess.
Her genius still gets to me. What she and Stephenie Meyer accomplished
is absolutely stunning. Both their series will forever remain in my
top favorites. Other YA books I love are The Hunger Games series (of course!), Divergent series, Matched series, Uglies series, Under the Never Sky series, The Selection series, and The Giver series. Classically speaking I have to go with J.D. Salinger's The Catcher
In The Rye, Charlette Bronte's Jane Eyre, Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility, Charles Dickens's The Tale of Two Cities, and Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged.
17. For an aspiring writer what do you feel are certain do's and don’ts
for getting their material published?
Do find a professional editor to polish your novel before publishing.
Do work with other writers on your draft all along, so that the story
is well into perfection before handing it over to an editor who will
most likely charge by the hour. Don't feel you have to spend thousands
of dollars on a cover artist when there are wonderful artists out there
charging much less. Don't give up on yourself.
18. What are you working on now?
Right now, I'm 150 pages deep into Deuce, the 3rd
and final book of The Vortex Series.
Awesome! Thanks so much for posting and sharing with your followers!
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