Hello Jana and welcome to FAR. We are really pleased to have you with us today. Readers really wish to learn more about Jana G. Oliver and her great books.

Jana, I have to tell you I love the setting of your website.

Congratulations to you for your book, Sojourn and all the great awards.

Thanks! I was stunned, to be put it mildly. I had a great year! To add icing to the cake, I just heard that you folks gave my latest book, Virtual Evil, 5 Angels and that Romantic Times has made Sojourn & Virtual Evil 4-1/2 Star Top Picks. You can bet we’re celebrating!

I love the covers on your books. Which book would you like to discuss with us today?

Aren’t the covers cool? I have the most incredible artists. I give Lynn Perkins an idea of what character needs to be showcased, along with any physical descriptions, etc. and she makes them come alive. Then Lynn hands her work over to Christina Yoder who designs the cover layout. They work together beautifully and the result are covers that just grab you.

Which book would I like to talk about?

That would be Virtual Evil, the second book in the Time Rovers Series. It just came out and it’s a corker, as they say. It continues Jacynda Lassiter’s story in 1888 and includes a lot of devious goings on in 2057. Jacynda is a Time Rover (time traveler) and she’s always getting in the middle of dicey situations. Virtual Evil is the middle book of a three-book arc and so it had to hold the reader’s interest or they’d never make it to #3. From what I’m hearing from the readers and reviewers, it does.

What genre pulls you in the most to write?

Mystery with a strong dose of paranormal. I can write “straight” mysteries (no jokes please) but I prefer those with a twist of supernatural just to make things interesting. I like to write stories that have many layers to them. It’s a bit more challenging, but that’s where I do my best work.

What genre do you enjoy the most to read?

Mysteries and Urban Fantasies. I love them. Mostly I like the deeply gritty ones that don’t venture too far into graphic violence. I like my horror to be more psychological, with an occasional flash of a blade, rather than the slash, hack and dice kind of story. I like authors such as Ian Rankin, Lee Child, and Kim Harrison. Jim Butcher gives me a serious case of envy every time I devour one of his Dresden novels. And I think I have a vivid imagination. Wow.

Where do you get all these ideas for your books?

They arrive in my brain somehow. Whether it’s the “mother ship” downloading ideas or the result of an only child dreaming up things to keep herself occupied, I have no idea. They’ve always been there.

While writing, how does the story develop for you? Do you go from start to finish or create scenes as they come to you?

Some go lineally from beginning to end, others hopscotch all over the place like a drunken frog. Sometimes I see the last scene first and go from there. I’ve written enough books to know the process may be different for each story and I’m good with that. In the past, I would seriously freak if a story didn’t go from scene to scene. I thought there had to be a set process. Now I know that whatever gets the story on the page is what works.

There are always certain “milestones” along the way. When I first start a story I’m sure it’s brilliant. Further in, I’m sure it sucks. After a lot of work, I reach the stage where I know it’s right. That’s the most satisfying part. I trust my gut. As long as I listen to that little voice in my head, I’ll do just fine.

What does your work area look like?

A disaster of nearly Biblical proportions. I am getting better at organizing simply because it’s harder to find my reference information if it’s in stacks on the floor. So I bought a filing cabinet and I’m doggedly filing all my little bits of info so I can find them again when the times comes. I have a LOT of reference materials so this has been a much needed step. I don’t have time to waste to dig out 1888 London Metropolitan Police regulations regarding the height of potential recruits (at least 5’9”, though they did make exceptions). Luckily my filing method makes sense so I can find things down the line. I will eventually have a one room dedicated to a library. I have over 80+ reference books, plus all the maps and such. I need somewhere to store them rather than in stacks (or under my bed with the dust bunnies.)

While this process is occurring, I am currently writing in my “satellite” office downstairs. There’s lot of sunshine, I’m close to the refrigerator (not always a good thing) and I can do laundry at the same time I’m subjecting one of my characters to a rough time in a back alley.

Have you ever completely finished one book then suddenly decided you wanted to change the ending?

Yup. Happens every now and then. The old saying that most books aren’t finished as much as abandoned is really close to the truth. Authors will continue to futz with the characters, the plot and the title until the last second. That’s why deadlines are a good thing.

An example: I went back and forth on the last three lines in Virtual Evil. I put them in, I took them out. Multiple times. Finally my heroine threw a fit and said, “Geez! Leave ’em in, will you?” So I did. They seemed so at odds with her behavior, but she knows best. I suspect those three lines are a harbinger of what’s to come in book #3 (Madman’s Dance.)

In your opinion, what are the three most essential ingredients of an excellent novel?

Compelling characters, a kick ass plot and an inventive mystery to solve.

How do you keep your ideas fresh and imaginative?

Loads of single malt scotch. Okay, I’m kidding. Too much alcohol would do just the opposite to one’s imagination. Just ask Stephen King. I keep things fresh by never telling my little gray cells that “they can’t go there.” I let them dream up anything they want. I won’t necessarily use it, but most of the time I will. I want to be known as the author who caught you off guard, didn’t go for the obvious plot but came up with something new. Like my heroine, I love a challenge.

Is any book you have written, your personal favorite?

It’s always my latest, though there is a special place in my heart for Sojourn, the first book in the Time Rovers Series. That book was a big gamble since it was such a different sort of story. Most authors do not blend four genres together and get anything worth reading. When it kept being named a finalist for so many awards, I was overwhelmed. I wish I knew precisely what I did that made that book so special, but I don’t. I just wrote it. I’m hoping that “magic” rubs off on all my works.

What is your best way to travel?

The best way would be stepping in a transporter, but since that’s not available I’d opt for Business Class. First Class is too posh, “steerage” is too… well… cramped. I can’t work in Coach Class. I remember flying back from a mystery conference in Seattle, cramped in a seat trying to do my edits on Virtual Evil, which were woefully overdue. It’s nearly a five hour flight. That’s a lot of uninterrupted work time. The person in front of me had reclined their seat so my laptop wouldn’t sit flat in front of me. So I had it propped at an odd angle and typed away as best I can (mostly sideways). I looked like an idiot. I swore that someday I’d make enough $$ that I can fly business, at least for the long haul trips. That’s a big goal if you’ve seen the cost of a business class ticket recently. I haven’t reached that yet, but it helps to have a carrot to you to drive you forward. NY Times, USA lists are fabulous goals. Business class is definitely do-able.

Do you have a favorite pair of shoes that you cannot do without?

Oh lord, I’m going to sound so dull-- a pair of Avia tennis shoes. I’m not a shoe hound. I can’t wear heels and I don’t like sore feet, so unless I’m having to dress up, I’m in my tennis shoes.

What is your favorite sound you love to hear? Your least favorite?

A purring cat. It tells me that all is right in the world. Least favorite? An alarm clock. I never use one unless I’m at a convention. It reminds me of the years I used to work a real job.

Would you like to share your website, or myspace or any other links so readers can see what you are up to?

Folks are always welcome at my website: www.JanaOliver.com I am in the process of creating the TimeRovers.com site which will have all the info on the Rovers, scuttlebutt about their lives, trips, etc. I’m hoping to have that live by the first of the year.

Jana, I cannot thank you enough for sharing time with us today, and I wish you success in your writing.

Thanks, Linda. This has been fun!

Interviewed by: Linda L.