Bestselling Author Jane Green Visits Muze's Musings

Today we're going to learn some more about Jane Green and her book Second Chances. A little info about Jane Green. Jane Green lives in Connecticut with her four children. She is the author of eight bestselling novels: SWAPPING LIVES, THE OTHER WOMAN, STRAIGHT TALKING, JEMIMA J, MR. MAYBE, BOOKENDS, BABYVILLE, AND TO HAVE AND TO HOLD. Her books are published in over thirty different languages, and Jemima J has recently been bought by Lifetime for a made-for-television movie.

Nikki - It seems that you started writing a different genre lately. Has this caused any difficulties for you as a writer or for your readers? Do you have any tips for other writers who want to write in various genres?

Jane - I agree that my writing and my subject matter is quite different in recent years - more serious perhaps, more adult, and certainly more emotive, but I still seem to have been placed firmly in the chick lit category, and I'm not sure that will ever change. I think there are two problems. The first is that chick lit is a derisive term, and conjures images of fluffy books about twenty something single women looking for Mr Right, which immediately puts off a vast scope of readers. I would argue that chick lit has evolved to become commercial women's fiction that is an accurate representation of real women's lives today, with an emotional honesty that all women can relate to.

I may have started writing about twenty something single women, but twelve years on I'm a divorced mother of four, and I'm writing about life as I see it, and the lives that the people I know are living.I'm writing for women like me nowadays, and I get a tremendous amount of emails from women in their thirties and forties who have picked up one of the later books and are astounded, they didn't realise I was writing for them.

But of course every time I go on to amazon I see reviews from girls saying things like 'Jane Green should stick with the chick lit', and that my writing has become boring, and when I look at other books they've reviewed and loved, they are traditional twenty something chick lit, which is absolutely not what I'm doing anymore, so it's very hard to please all of the people all of the time.

Nikki - I saw on your website that you have 4 young children. What unique problems does that pose for your writing? Any suggestions to help other mothers who are working to juggle children, home and writing?

Jane - Life is just terribly overwhelming at times, but the children are all in school or pre-school in the mornings, so that's when I do my writing, and these days I write at the local library where there are no distractions.

Nikki - How did you feel when you first hit the New York Times Bestseller's List?

Jane - The first time was a few years ago and I was THRILLED. I've been a number one bestseller in the London Times, and there's nothing quite like opening the paper on a Sunday and seeing your name at the top of the list.

Nikki - On your website, I noticed mention of a "book club phone chat". Would you mind telling us more about how this works?

Jane - The winners seemed very happy with their prize. I'm always happy to ring in to a book club when they've read the book and chat with them about the book, answer any questions they may have. I love having a sense of how my book touches people, and I think it's always appreciated when an author can answer the questions directly. Readers can email me through my website - http://www.janegreen.com/

Nikki - There are many ways to communicate with readers. What is your favorite way to interact with your readers?

Jane - I adore going on book tour to actually meet my readers face to face - writing is so solitary it's incredibly validating to get out there in the world and talk to people who love your work.

Nikki -What's the best thing for you about communicating with readers?

Jane - Seeing how many people you have reached out to with your books, and often hearing about changes people have made as a result of reading them.

Nikki - Your website mentions your event to benefit the Bethel Recovery Center. (This is a wonderful charity in Bridgeport, CT, that provides homes for women recovering from alcohol or drug addiction.) Have you found ways to do other things to help the community? Can you offer ideas on how other authors can do things to help their communities?

Jane - I would say jump in and support whatever cause means something to you. It's always very easy to write a check, but my preference when getting involved in a charity is always to do more - to take a more active role in support.

Nikki - Do you have a favorite way to start creating a new story? Is it the spark of an idea for the setting, a character or a theme?

Jane - It always starts with a theme, and then I develop the character. I have a continual struggle about where to set the books - England or America, and seem to jump back and forth in recent years.

Nikki - Are you the type of writer who plans her books or do you write from the "seat of your pants"?

Jane - I plan a third of a book at a time - never more because often the story has changed enormously by the time I get there.

Nikki - Tell us about your best reader review. What made it special to you?

Jane - There isn't one that stands out, but all of them mean so much - twelve years on I haven't got over the thrill of reading a good review, or a wonderful email sent to me by a reader.