Interview with Fiona Jayde

One of the most talented writers I have the pleasure to know, Fiona Jayde, has a new book release out today! On the chat loop we share with the also fabulously-talented Beth Kery, we have a release day ritual in which we interview one another. I wanted to post the interview here as well, since Fiona's answers provide a great peek into what makes her books so unique.

If you haven't picked up SEXSOMNIAC already, what are you waiting for? It released this morning at Changeling Press.

LS: Once again, congratulations on your new release, Fi! The book looks wonderful, and I'm head-over-heels in love with that cover. :-) Very hot stuff!


FJ: Thanks Lacey! I too can't stop staring at the cover -- Renee outdid herself!!

LS: You said this was a new genre for you... Where did you get the impulse to write this book? And how did the idea develop for you?


FJ: Originally the idea came from Chrissie, my editor at Changeling. We were chatting over IM and she sent me a link to an article she'd found -- about sexsomnia - its an actual condition. .... The idea took hold as a curse -- what if someone was cursed to "do it" when they sleep, but can't really remember it afterwards?

I had it set as a contemporary, but for the life of me I couldn't figure why someone would curse someone with that and why the readers would care... So about half way into a very boring story, I had a flash of inspiration :)

LS: You also said you had a hard time getting a grasp on your plot and had to re-write quite a bit. Why do you think this particular story gave you so much trouble?

FJ: I've thought about this for a while actually. The problem was -- I had an idea of a premise -- but not how it would actually apply in conflict. Conflict is a big thing for me -- if there's no tension, I'm bored, and if I'm bored, I won't write...

So I figured that before I sit to write, I really need to establish my conflicts to know where the story will go.

LS: I see that Changeling has the book listed as "TechnoMagick: Sexsomniac". What can you tell us about future installments in the TechnoMagick series?


FJ: More exploration of Magick and how humans have this love hate relationship with what they do not understand.

LS: Most authors struggle with self-doubt on a regular basis. How do you handle feelings of insecurity when they pop up?


FJ: Well, you'd know that if you saw my first drafts LOL. I don't entertain self doubt until after edits -- I just focus on getting pages done. 200 words or 2000 words -- and most of it is complete crap :) But its in - and I can fix it later. Then I send it to people to look at and worry.. But at least its done:)

LS: What do you do when you're stuck for inspiration?


FJ: I throw out questions at TripleExposees to spark my imagination!!

LS: What's the one thing you'd like to achieve in your writing career, so that when you achieve it you can put up your feet and say, "I made it!" ?


FJ: Honestly? If Nora Roberts says in an interview "Well, I'll ready anything by Fiona Jayde"

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I don't know about Nora, but I can guarantee I'll read anything by Fiona Jayde. And you should, too.

I'm letting Sven kick my butt!

As I was telling a couple of friends earlier today, I've been severely unmotivated lately. Last year really messed with my routine. Between my company being taken over by another, having to quit that job, having to find another, then learning we'd be moving to Austin and subsequently selling our house and going through stacks of immigration paperwork -- and then finally moving -- things were nutty, to say the least. My productivity plummeted. My self-esteem plummeted (though none of the things that happened were particularly bad for me as a person -- quite the opposite, in fact). The bottom line is that I've been struggling to get back to my happily productive self ever since March of last year. I guess that makes it almost a full year now.

As it happens, we're now settled in, I've finally gotten over feeling homesick... and I find myself out of excuses. The problem is, even with all those excuses gone, I'm still just as unmotivated as ever.

So I'm doing something about it. I'm going to let Sven kick my butt.

I'm sure some of you have heard of "Seventy Days of Sweat with Sven". For those of you who haven't, here's a brief rundown from the official blog:


"70 Days of Sweat is designed to challenge (naturally), support, and encourage those of us crazy enough to write a book in 70 days. At the end, we’re looking for a word count between 60-100K. We’ve built an extra week into this round, so technically you have 77 days to sweat meaning . . . Round 3 will run from March 1 to May 16.

The rules are simple. You agree to write 4 - 6 pages a day (depending on the length of your book) every day between the dates listed above. If you need to take off a day, you make up the pages another. If you don’t like to write 7 days a week, too bad. This challenge lasts for only 10 weeks, and if you have to get up early on the weekends to get the pages done, you do it. (Hey, we all do it! You can, too!)"

*deep breath* I'm ready. What's even better, I have the perfect project. I'll be working on a brand spankin' new, erotic contemporary novel titled BREAKING EVERY RULE. I'm aiming for 90k, though knowing me, it'll likely run closer to 100k.

So why am I telling you this? Because, as Sven says, "Going public with your commitment is about owning it." I guess that means I now officially own it.

What writing means to me

I once read a statistic stating that 90% of North Americans want to write a book someday. I was one of those people, too. I remember one evening, about eight years ago or so, turning to my husband and saying, "You know, I wish I was more creative. Then I could write a novel." (This coming from a woman with a BA in English Literature, who worked as a technical writer. I had no doubt I could write essays, marketing articles and technical manuals. But a whole novel? Nah uh!)

He looked at me, smart man that he is, and said, "Do you really want to write a novel? I mean really want to write one?"

"Of course!" I replied.

"Then do it. That excuse about not being creative enough is just that. An excuse."

I grumbled for a while. I mean, how dare my loving husband tell me I was making excuses? I knew what I could and couldn't do, right? I sure as heck knew it better than he did! And then when I was done arguing, I admitted he might have a point. I started small, one "What If" thought at a time. One day I jotted down a title that resonated with me on the back of a napkin. Another day I came up with a bit of dialogue and wrote that down. Before I knew it, I had a character in mind. And then a premise. So I started writing and I haven't stopped since.

That was 28 books ago. Five of those have been full-length novels. Ironically enough, my first full-length novel won an EPPIE Award for Best Paranormal Romance with Erotic Elements.

What I love most about writing is knowing, without a doubt, that I am creative. That I can do anything I set my mind to. That there are no roadblocks when it comes to what I can accomplish, except for those I create myself.

To me, writing means always having a creative outlet in which to lose myself. It also means having something that's all mine. Something personal and wonderful, born of my own imagination and created, one word at a time, with lots of love. What could be better?

Lacey Savage
http://www.laceysavage.com