I am delighted to be speaking with author Liz DeJesus today. Thanks for chatting with us today Liz and welcome to FAR!

Thank you Tammy, I’m happy to be here and be a part of this interview.

To start, will you please tell us a little bit about your current projects?

Well right now I’m promoting my new novel Nina. I recently heard from my publisher (Blu Phi’er Publishing) that they have accepted my second manuscript; it’s a collection of short stories titled The Jackets. I’m also working on my first horror novel, it’s titled Under the Moonlight and it’s the story of a female werewolf named Isabelle and her encounter with a vampire named Elizabeth Bathory. Countess Bathory was someone who actually existed; she was a serial killer in Hungary so I’m taking some liberties with her. But I did do some research on her and she did some really horrible gruesome things. But it’s fun to take a walk on the wild side and be bad.

It’s safe to say that I’m keeping myself busy.

Your book Nina has been getting great reviews. Can you tell us a little about it?

Yes, Nina has been getting fantastic reviews. I know that Bella from Fallen Angel Reviews read Nina and gave me a wonderful review. I was so thrilled to read her thoughts about my book.

Nina is the moving story of a work of art that comes to life and of how she affects the lives of those around her. After several miscarriages, Rachel Ramirez, a brilliant but tragic artist, secludes herself and begins a series of paintings based on her lost child, naming each painting ‘Nina’. One of them (the title character) comes to life inside her canvas. She is able to see and hear the world around her.

Even though Nina has innate wisdom, there are still many things that she doesn't understand. When Rachel commits suicide, Nina is thrown into the confusing world, and her painting is passed around to others. But as Nina progresses from Rachel's mother to a buyer named Anna, she keeps learning, and eventually is able to leave her canvas and enter the world. She meets Elijah (mostly in dreams or inside her canvas), who acts as her guide, and tells her of her fate. She has one year to decide whether to join the rest of the world, beginning life anew, or to remain a painting forever.

How did you get the idea for Nina?

I bought a book about Van Gogh's paintings and read his biography. I was fascinated by him. Some people think he was schizophrenic. I agree. As I continued reading the story of his life, I started wondering... or better yet...daydreaming. What if he didn't have mental problems? What if his own paintings were talking to him? What if you could put your heart and soul into something you love so much that you can make it come to life? Make it real? What makes something real? What makes life worthwhile? What makes it worth living? Then I started wondering how I would react if a painting started talking to me. What if I could tell the story of what this painting was seeing? Being moved from place to place, from person to person. What if she wanted to be real? What if she had a year to live life and decide whether or not she wanted to live? Would she choose life? Or seclusion inside a canvas for all eternity? With Nina there's this whole Velveteen Rabbit thing going on. How can she become real? Some people that have read it also mention Pygmalion and existentialism. Which is flattering since I know close to nothing about philosophy. But Nina started out as a series of ‘What if’ questions.

What was the hardest aspect of writing Nina? How did you overcome it?

I had originally started writing Nina with the intention of it being a short story, roughly ten pages. But no matter what I did the character refused to stay silent (for those of you that are writers you know what I’m talking about). The story continued to grow.

I had no outline, the only thing that I had was an ending. I had to do everything possible in order to get Nina to that point. It didn’t always make sense but for some unknown reason it worked. But basically all I did for nine months was write this story. I wrote at work. I would then come home and put all my notes in the computer. Seriously, I would even write in my sleep sometimes.

From what do you derive the most inspiration for your writing?

Dreams. Questions. Songs. Shapes in clouds. Sighs. Things people say. Laughter. Facial expressions. Catching a person crying when they think no one is watching. Life.

Anything can trigger an idea for a story. I pay attention to my surroundings and I never EVER go anywhere without my notebook and a good pen.

What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?

I like notebooks and gel pens. Especially new pens, I don’t know why. For some reason I like to believe that each pen is filled with inspiration and new ideas.

Can you give us a peek at your upcoming release, The Jackets?

The Red Jacket

She was a spot of red that could be seen from miles away. Like a blood red cardinal flying above an ocean of grey. The sky, the sidewalks, the streets, even the cars. Laura stood out, as she walked slowly… steadily from her house to her job at the paper store. The cold wind blew across her face like cold knives slicing across her skin. She pulled her jacket tighter against her body. Her short brown hair became a tornado on top of her head.

People couldn't help but stare. Laura's face remained stagnant but out of the corner of her eyes she could see men pressing their faces against the windshield of their cars to get a better look at her. She was a walking statue in the middle of all that colorless muck. She hadn't really planned on wearing that jacket that day, or the days that followed. It was the first thing she grabbed from her closet. Then again, everything in her closet had color. Sapphire. Amethyst. Moss. Fire. Sunflower. Crimson. Colors she loved more than life itself. That was all she ever cared about…color. It was the only thing she ever wanted to talk about.

“Why are they staring?” Laura wondered as she shook her head in confusion, “It's just a red jacket.” She never stopped to wonder that maybe it was her they were staring at.
© Liz DeJesus

To read more excerpts go to my website or go to my blog and search for The Jackets.

When writing, do you adhere to a strict writing schedule or wait until the muse hits you?

I try to do a little bit of both. I try to write three pages everyday. Whether it’s on one book or various. I do the best I can to fill my quota for the day. Sometimes it works other times I just sit in front of the TV and wait for the muse to show up and give me something to work with.

If you could switch places with a heroine from any book, who would you chose and why?

Wow. That’s a really good question. I would probably want to be Meredith Gentry from Laurell K. Hamilton’s Kiss of Shadows. Her books are so much fun to read. That’s definitely my guilty pleasure..

Congratulations! You just won a year off from work to travel anywhere in the world and write the story of your dreams. Where do you go, what type of book do you write, and what’s the title?

Oooh. Excellent question. I would go to Barcelona, Spain. I’ve been there a couple of times and I just want to live there. The city is magical. I feel like anything could happen there. The architecture is breathtaking. I would continue to work on my horror novel Under the Moonlight.

Can you tell us a little about your other upcoming works?

Here’s a blurb for The Jackets.

With this new collection of short stories, author Liz DeJesus explores the connection between colors and emotions. From mythical gods and creatures, to typical everyday situations. Each tale unique in its own way, but all of them connected by various characters.

A writer trying to find her muse (literally). A young woman trying to flee an abusive relationship. And a cashier getting lost in the woods and finding more than she had ever bargained for. In The Jackets you will find an interesting blend of fiction and fantasy. There's no way of knowing what will happen next.

Artist Daniele Serra has already finished the cover for the book. You can check it out at my site and Sarah Jackson, (the fabulous artist that did the cover for Nina) is also working on a series of illustrations to go along with the book. It’s going to be a very interesting collection of stories.

Is there anything else you would like to share with us?

You can purchase a copy of Nina on amazon.com or http://www.bluphier.com. I have a website Check it out, since it’s kept ridiculously up to date. And if anyone has any questions about me, general questions about writing or any of my books please feel free to email me at lizdejesus23@yahoo.com

Thanks again for taking time to speak with me today Liz!

Thank you very much for having me. This was a lot of fun. These were awesome questions.

Interviewed by: Tammy