#AuthorInterview: Jaqueline Kyle, Author of ‘Ebenezer Scrooge: Ghost Hunter’ @YesSumClever

Hi Jaqueline. Thanks for sitting down to interview with me today. I have to be honest and tell you that (while doing my ‘about’ you research) I giggled heartily upon reading your Goodreads author bio. Hilariously funny and certainly quite memorable! I did idly wonder how radioactive you were/are… (Having stood on an active nuclear reactor and all). *smile*

So, let’s talk about you… According to your blog, and in addition to being a published author of at least one novel, you’re a ghost writer, content editor, layout artist, a literary consultant and you even teach writing classes.

Needless to say, that’s a lot of ‘hats’ to wear – how do you manage to encompass everything into your, no doubt, busy schedule? Do you ever sleep, or do you need to add something like: “I choose to not sleep because the sun would burn out if I did” to your tagline?

I do sleep! Promise! Seriously though, every Sunday I make a to-do list of tasks that need to get accomplished for the upcoming week and then I use time blocking to make sure it all gets done. My phone is permanently on silent, I have no notifications on my email or phone. I try to minimize distractions so that when I’m working, I’m focused 100% at the task at hand. I think that’s the secret to how I get so much done.

Certainly seems like it’s working.

Going back to your childhood, (you can recline on the couch now) do you feel your love of the literary world started in those younger years, or was it something that appeared, and then grew, when you reached adulthood?

It was something that I always loved and dreamed of doing. Unfortunately, I didn’t have the confidence to chase it in my younger years. People likened writing to acting, and so I went to college to learn how to fly planes professionally because that was more stable; respectable.

It wasn’t until years later that I realized that my calling was to write, to publish and to help others do the same. It makes me happy in a way that no other career has.

I can definitely understand the helping others/making you happy feeling.

Taking your book writing out of the equation, what do you hope that your services do for others in terms of help? Free up writing time? Help them become better writers? Show them how to believe in their writing dreams?

There is a moment that all first-time writers face. A moment of “this is crap,” or “it’s too hard,” or “I don’t know what to do next.” It’s that moment when your inner demons are winning and are about to sabotage your dreams. Writing and publishing is a deeply personal experience and it is very difficult to fight that internal doubt and press forward without support. I can’t slay your demons for you, but I can get your book moving through the next steps. That’s the value of what I do.

Why should someone seek you out versus someone else? What’s the edge (besides experience) that you bring to the table? Sincere care that they attain their goals/dreams? Or?

Results. It’s amazing, but I’ve had people who hire me and say “If.” IF you get it published. IF you finish writing it. IF, IF, IF. When you hire me, there is no more IF. You get a book at the end of the process. Period.

That’s a great result. I’m betting you have a lot of happy clients!

As I mentioned previously, you’re also a layout artist. Can you provide a brief explanation of that specific service and how it aids the author?

I design the interior of books, whether in print or digital. When I first started in the industry I paid a boatload of money to get my books laid out for publication. I wanted to keep writing and publishing, but couldn’t afford the service, so I learned InDesign to layout my book on how to be a bridesmaid. (F@#% the Knot! How to be a fantastic bridesmaid when you think ‘wedding’ is a four letter word)

I started helping friends out with their books and eventually became very good at it. It really speaks to the side of my brain that loves to be nitpicky and perfect.

What about success stories? Are you able to share any life changing moments that you were able to help bring to fruition for someone else?

Jen Grant is a client of mine from Minnesota. She wrote a very personal book that combined stories from her life with lessons she learned about loving and respecting herself. It’s called Dying to be Good Enough. Every step of the way was filled with panic, awe and Gah! I can’t believe I have an ISBN number, a cover, an ARC, and on and on.

She brought a rough manuscript to the table and together, we were able to drive it through to completion. Now she’s booking regular speaking gigs. I’m so proud of her.

Moving on to the novel side of things, you wrote a book titled: Ebenezer Scrooge: Ghost Hunter. (It’s a good book; I did manage to read it prior to our interview). Could you provide an ‘about’ summary?

Ebenezer Scrooge: Ghost Hunter is a retelling of the Dicken’s favorite, A Christmas Carol. In this version Jacob Marley and Scrooge were ghost hunters and Marley has died in the line of duty. Scrooge is bitter and lost, and is slowly killing himself through alcohol poisoning. When Marley appears as a ghost, Scrooge is pulled back into the ghost hunting game. He spends the remainder of the book wrestling with his personal demons and surviving the visits of three time-traveling ghosts. At it’s core, it is still a story of redemption, but with more violence.

What was it that prompted your novel (yes, pun intended) approach to this age-old tale? Were you happy with the finished product? Were you visited by any of the ghostly apparitions?

I was at a Dicken’s Fair and the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come made a women scream her brains out. It was hilarious and at the same time it really got the wheels turning. I didn’t write the book for another year and it was a year after that when I dusted it off and decided to publish. It’s been a process. I was so busy helping other people publish that I neglected to finish my own. Just yesterday the printed copy arrived at my house. I kept touching it, running my finger down the cover. I couldn’t be happier now.

What’s next for you? Any chance of a sequel to Ebenezer Scrooge: Ghost Hunter? You know, so we can all verify that he did, in fact, hold true to his new and kind lifestyle versus reverting back to, uh, Scrooge?

I think this one concludes fairly well, that you can see where the main characters are going to go after the final page without me filling in those blanks. I have so many other ideas to pursue and write that I don’t think I’ll step back into Scrooge’s world again. Whatever my next book is, you can count on it being quirky, with a different point of view and a tongue firmly in placed in the cheek.

Before we conclude this interview, I’m opening the floor to you. Any words of wisdom and/or funny tale you’d like to share?

Sure. For anyone reading this that has a book inside, do it. Run wildly after that dream, chase it down and force it into reality. Writing a book is to pour your soul into a project, to dedicate your time, your thoughts, your energy into creation. Be a creator.

Thanks for being here today, Jaqueline. I definitely had fun coming up with the questions – although I did struggle to not reel off more than one “most interesting” comments. *chuckle*

*****

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