Author Brittany Jo James Shares Their Story

About the Author
Brittany Jo James was born and raised in the small town of Idabel, Oklahoma. She is happily married to her high school sweetheart, Conlee, who is now a soldier in the United States Air Force. They share two rowdy sons, Jagger and Jett. Her life revolves around living for God, caring for her family and writing, writing, writing. The James family is currently residing near Anchorage, Alaska until the USAF decides otherwise.

What inspires you to write romance books?
I’ve been in love with romance novels since I was way too young to be reading them! When writing became my passion, I knew that nothing else would be more desirable to write than love stories.

Tell us about how you write:
The plot always hits me differently. Sometimes, I have the whole book planned in my mind before I ever even start writing an outline. So, the outline is super simple! Other times, I only have one main idea and I have to really think and come up with ideas to complete it. I’m a scheduled person, so I typically always try to outline in the beginning. Also, I take a notebook (no, those aren’t extinct yet!) and scribble down all the thoughts coming to my mind about the story. Who are the main characters? What are they like? Where are they at? When is this taking place? Then I begin!

Do you listen (or talk to) to your characters?
I honestly don’t. I’ve heard so many wonderful authors speak of their characters creating the story for themselves. Perhaps I’m too controlling, I’m not sure, but I still create my story and just plan where my characters are going to go.

What advice would you give other writers?
I would tell others to just keep writing the stories that touch your heart or will touch someone else’s. Sometimes I write selfishly, just because it helps me with my own stress level but I always write mainly for my readers. People fall in love with the characters, their lives, their stories. Write for yourself, because you love it, and write for the readers who need your story to help them in their own lives.

How did you decide how to publish your books?
I tried for five years to find a literary agent and follow the traditional publishing route. Unfortunately, it never quite worked out. I finally decided to self-publish and I’ve truly enjoyed it so far. I’m not sure if the self-publishing route is what I love so much, or if it’s just allowing others to read and enjoy my work. I know that God is leading me to the right people and He’s designing the perfect path for my career as an author, so if He decides that it’s time for me to find an agent and try the traditional route, then that will happen when it’s supposed to.

What do you think about the future of book publishing?
I’ve seen a huge increase of self-published authors, including me. The giant trend in self-publishing has been a blessing, but I don’t know if the increase of self publishing is hurting traditional publishing, or if it’s just helping everyone involved. Traditional publishing is hard because it’s nearly impossible to find a literary agent who will take a chance on a “new” author and you can barely go the traditional publishing route without an agent. Also, with self-publishing you get to keep so much more control, which is super nice. I hope self-publishing keeps growing strong because it has worked miracles in my life.

What genres do you write?
Historical Romance, Clean Romance, Christian Fiction, Love Inspired, Young Adult, New Adult

What formats are your books in?
Both eBook and Print

Website(s)
Author Home Page Link
Link To Author Page On Amazon

Your Social Media Links
http://www.goodreads.com/brittanyjojames
http://www.facebook.com/brittanyjojamesauthor
http://www.twitter.com/brittanyjojames