Jinny Buffett is lonely…
She’s never had the comfort of a white picket fence with a loving family. Her subsidized apartment in Hollywood Florida echoes with the void of her dead Daddy, and the nights drag long into twilight while her Mama works the block outside the Margaritaville resort.
It’s idealistic Ms. Fleming, who’s brave enough to come knocking first. She wants to see Jinny rise up and use her ace scores to escape the wheel of poverty, convincing Jinny to start a school book club, where she finds the friends and boyfriend she never knew she needed.
But when her Mama spirals out of control and threatens her entire existence, it’s Jinny’s Everglade ancestors who arrive in a mist of magic, bringing the swamp and hope with them.
Author Interview with S.E. Reed, Author of “My Heart Is Hurting”
Q: Bookmark your page or dog ear it?
A: Dog ear. I move my books around the house with me too much, bookmarks tend to fall out.
Q: Re-read books or read a book once and move on?
A: Looooove the re-reads! I’ll go back just to read memorable scenes in my favorite books.
Q: Do you prefer reading books from debut authors or more seasoned authors?
A: I buy a mixture of both. The problem with debut authors… I fall in love with them and have to wait FOREVER for their next book to come out.
Q: Adult or YA?
A: Mostly YA… but I do love the Outlander series!
Q: Do you prefer single POV or dual POV novels?
A: Honestly, I couldn’t tell you the last time I read a dual POV. BUT… I write a lot of dual POV. Soooo, there’s that!
Q: Do you want each book to stand on its own, or are you trying to build a body of work with connections between each book?
A: I write in various genres. My Heart is Hurting is contemporary YA set in South Florida. My 2nd novel releasing with Wild Ink Publishing is also a contemporary YA set in South Florida. The two stories aren’t connected, but they have some of the same vibes. I write a lot of short stories in the same area with similar themes. BUT– shift gears to my sci-fi/fantasy… I have a trilogy coming out that is a dystopian retelling of Beauty and the Beast. Which means, not in Florida. So, I have range. 🙂
Q: How did publishing your first book change your process of writing?
A: I totally pantsed My Heart is Hurting. Since then, I’ve started drafting outlines and keeping more detailed chapter notes as I go along. Having worked with an editor, I’m more well equipped now to know what to look for and how to track my own progress.
Q: How many hours a day do you write?
A: I spend about 2 hours each weekday and 4-5 hours a day on the weekends. More if I can squeeze it in. Writing is addicting.
Q: How long on average does it take you to write a book?
A: On average about 6-8 weeks. It’s the revising, editing, querying, revise & resubmits that take all the time. I prefer just to write. The other stuff is my frenemy. 😉
Q: What advice would you give to a writer working on their first book?
A: Stick to the standards within the genre you are writing. They are there for a reason.
Q: How do you select the names of your characters?
A: It’s weird to think about naming people. But, they just pop into my head. I honestly don’t have to think about it much, the character forms and the name is just part of them. I named my kids that way, like, I just knew their names early in my pregnancies. Maybe they are the ones who told me– I try to listen to my peeps.
Q: How many unpublished and half-finished books do you have?
A: Oh god, do you really want to know? Let me count… brb…
Okay, so I have 2 contemporary YA’s signed for upcoming publication. I have 3 sci-fi YA signed for upcoming publication. 1 NF signed for publication.
That leaves 5 completed YA fantasy manuscripts without homes. And I have 4 in-progress YA manuscripts of various genres. Oh, 1 completed unsigned sci-fi novella. AND about 50 short stories.
(Did I mention I’m addicted to writing?)
p.s. sorry to any books of mine I’ve forgotten… I still got love for you bro.
Q: Have you ever named a child or a pet after a character you love?
A: No, but I named the lead characters in my YA Fantasy series after my children.
Q: How old were you when you fell in love with reading?
A: In elementary school I used to hide in my closet and read for hours. Soooo… that was probably the start of it. I’m not ashamed to say, I’ve stood in line at midnight to buy a book the second it was released.
Q: Is there a genre you have never read?
A: I’m not a blood/guts/horror movie fan, so I don’t intentionally read graphic horror novels. I like thrillers and creepy/spooky, just not icky bloody freak show stuff.
Q: What type of book do you prefer? Ebook, Paperback, Hardback, Audiobook
A: I like paperback or hardback. I write so much on a computer, I don’t care to read leisurely on a screen. And I’ve never listened to an audiobook! I know, I’m horrible.
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