1.)
What did you want to be when you grew up?
I actually did want to be a writer when I grew up! I went through a brief time when I
wanted to be an actress, but I could tell from watching Hollywood movies I’d
never make it. I’m not skinny
enough. I will always carry every
spare ounce in my thighs, and that just doesn’t work in Hollywood. So I gave up the idea.
2.)
Coffee, tea or hot chocolate?
What’s this “or” stuff?
Coffee AND hot chocolate makes mocha!! I do also drink a lot of tea. I’ve had to switch to decaf, so I’ve got a big shelf full of
teas. My favorite tea, though, is
Russian Caravan, which is fully caffeinated. And delicious with honey.
3.)
What genre do you typically read? Why?
This is probably a funny thing for a historic fiction writer to say, but
I love biographies! I almost never
read fiction for pleasure. I just
finished reading Amelia Bloomer’s biography. Before that I was reading Shelby Foote’s history of the
Civil War. Three volumes of about
a thousand pages each. And it’s
fantastic! I could go back to the
beginning and read it all again.
But I’ve got General Grant’s biography on the top of my stack, along
with a few others that are about people that are more pertinent to the time
period I’m writing about (the Industrial Revolution).
4.)
Share a favourite childhood memory.
My best friend in elementary school and junior high school and I were
huge Star Wars fans. When Empire
Strikes Back came out, we would go to see it over and over and over. That summer, we would finish our chores,
look at our watches. We had
memorized the schedule for when the movie was playing, and we knew precisely
how long it took for us to get on our bicycles and get to the movie
theatre. One time we were three
minutes late. And the movie
theatre held off starting the movie until we got there. It’s like they knew we were coming or
something…
5.)
Do you have any shameless addictions? ie. Tea, Books,
Shoes, Clothes?
Playing dressup. I guess we
call it cosplay these days? I’m a
dancer, so I have full wardrobes of historic costumes for the historic dancing,
belly dance costumes for the belly dancing, and Cancan costumes for my cancan
troupe. As if that doesn’t turn my
life into ENOUGH of a costume party, I’ve also started a club called the
Genteel Outing and Expedition Society (GOES). Once a month we dress up in Victorian clothing and go do something. Kite flying, ice skating, archery
lesson, mini golf, theatre or opera, museum exhibit, it varies. This month we’re thinking of going on
safari at a big game zoo called The Wilds. As if that isn’t enough dressup, I have also sewn a vast
collection of Elizabethan and Henrician garb for going to Renaissance
Festivals.
6.)
What do you think is the biggest challenge of writing
a new book?
Finding the time to write between all the dancing and sewing projects.
7.)
Do you aim for a set amount of words/pages a day?
While I was writing Wealth and Privilege, I promised myself one page a
day. Now I’m less structured than
that. I put more time in,
generally speaking, but some days I don’t write at all, and other times I will
arrange a retreat for myself and spend a few days or a week with nothing but my
laptop. In my daily home routine I
will write until I get dragged away by another commitment, or because it’s
three in the morning and I really ought to get to bed.
8.)
What are your thoughts on writing a book series?
Well, the sequel to Wealth and Privilege is going to be called Brains
and Beauty. I don’t think there’s
going to be a third book in that series.
But some of the other things I have in progress that may lend themselves
better to a more complete series.
One thing at a time, though.
Wealth and Privilege
by Jeanette Watts
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BLURB:
Money. Family. Love. Hate. Obsession. Duty.
Politics. Religion - or the lack thereof. Sex -- or, once again, the lack
thereof.
Thomas
Baldwin finds himself married to a woman he can’t stand, while head-over heels
in love with another woman he can’t have. Talk about bad planning. He feels
like a kite, buffeted by circumstances which blow him not only through personal
crises, but also through some of the most significant events in Pittsburgh during
the late 1800s, including the railroad riots of 1877, the creation of the
Homestead Steel Works, the assassination of President Garfield, and the
Johnstown Flood. Over time, and with the help of his muse, who dances
maddeningly just beyond his reach, he takes control of his life, wresting it
from the winds attempting to control him.
A
carefully-researched historical novel about life among the privileged class of
Pittsburgh during the Industrial Revolution.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
EXCERPT
The troops had achieved their
objective. The tracks at the
crossing were clear. They stood in
formation, at attention, their arms at their sides, guarding the tracks. Their faces were impassive, and not one
of them looked down.
The dead and dying lay scattered
about the rail yard. There were
men, women, even children lying face down in the dirt. A young man in the uniform of the 14th
National Guards, one of the Pittsburgh regiments, was crawling away from the
scene, his right arm and leg both covered in blood.
From his elevated viewpoint,
Thomas could see movements beyond the rail yard, as people half-dragged,
half-carried dead and wounded away from the crossing. He could see the shock on people’s faces – he could also
feel the anger. It was a burning,
deadly anger. These Philadelphians
shot down protesters in cold blood.
By God, this wasn’t over yet.
Thomas and Regina both sat down
on the hard metal deck of the water tower. They sat in silence, too appalled by the scene below to say
anything.
“They could have shot over
people’s heads, and probably had the same effect without killing anybody,”
Regina said eventually.
“Could be,” Thomas answered, only
half paying attention. He’d seen
movement on the streets below.
Yes, indeed: the protesters
were returning. He nudged Regina –
easy to do, since she’d been leaning against him - and pointed. She looked, and a grim, glad smile
reached her lips, if not her eyes.
AUTHOR Bio and
Links:
Jeanette Watts
has written television commercials, marketing newspapers, stage melodramas,
four screenplays, three novels, and a textbook on waltzing.
When she isn’t
writing, she teaches social ballroom dances, refinishes various parts of her
house, and sews historical costumes and dance costumes for her Cancan troupe.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GIVEAWAY INFORMATION and
RAFFLECOPTER CODE
Jeanette will be awarding
a Victorian cameo to a randomly drawn winner (International) via rafflecopter
during the tour, and a $20 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn host.
Please use this
rafflecopter code on your post:
Thanks for hosting!
ReplyDeleteGood morning, and thank you for having me!
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading the interview and learning more about you. That was funny about being late for the movie.
ReplyDeleteAha, so you've done it, too?
DeleteI really enjoyed your interview~thank you for sharing!
ReplyDeleteThanks! I learned things about myself that I didn't even know. Funny what you can learn from a few good questions.
DeleteI hope you get a chance to read the whole thing!
ReplyDelete