Let's welcome Jean Baxter today, author of Salvageable!
Hello! My name is Jean Baxter and I have
recently published my debut novel, Salvageable. I worked thirty years as a
registered nurse and raised two kids as a single parent—and they turned out! I
have 4 grandkids, two cats and I like to read, write, knit, bike, walk and
travel.
Jean, what got you into writing?
I have liked writing since middle school when
my friends and I passed the same story back and forth, adding to it. Then I
published a story in a "confession" magazine and actually got paid.
That was cool! My novel was a long time coming, but it's here now and what a
ride.
Congrats on getting your first novel published. It takes a lot of hard work and dedication. Will you share a short excerpt from your novel:
He skirted around his dad,
and took the steps two at a time to his room. He slammed the door, diving onto
his belly on the bed, cramming his face into the pillow. His fist pounded the
mattress next to his head. When he finally took a breath, the hurt, anger and
fear came gushing out in the form of a muffled, low, wounded growl. How was
anything ever going to be normal again?
Jean, which do you prefer: print books or ebooks?
Print, but I'm coming around to ebooks. Since
mine came out first as an ebook, I broke down and got the Kindle app.
Have you been given any helpful advice?
Over the years I heard time and again that I
had a gift with words. When I joined my writer's group, they reinforced that
and really mentored me through the steps to getting published. Best advice,
don't give up.
Tell us a little bit about your main
characters:
I just love my main character, Michael
Jarrid. He's eighteen, a good kid who makes some bad decisions. He's strong
willed and a hard worker, but a little naïve about relationships and finds
himself submerged in one where he is way over his head. Lacey is in the midst
of a divorce. She is devastated by her failed marriage, left to raise her son
alone. Michael makes her smile, something she thought she'd never be able to
do, again. She ends up breaking his heart. Annie is her own person, confident,
beautiful and used to getting her way. They meet when Mike accidentally runs
her off a ski trail and she let's him know she isn't at all happy about it.
Still wounded from his last relationship, Mike is no way looking for a love
interest, especially not this firecracker. But…
Sounds intriguing. Is Salvageable a stand-alone novel or part of a
series?
There is a sequel to Salvageable…it's in the
hands of the publisher and I'm waiting to see if I get offered a contract.
Jean can you tell us what brought about the idea for your book?
Years ago a friend of ours confided an
episode from his past where his parents believed his girlfriend over their own
son. It broke his heart. I never forgot it and thought how awful to have the
people you love the most betray your trust. And, a novel was born.
What was your writing process like?
I first wrote this book a long time
ago. I kept getting it out and reading it, thinking, gee, this really is a good
story. Then I would put it away again. As I got close to retiring, I needed
something to focus on. I was so worried after all those years as a nurse, I
would no longer have a reason to get up, so the book became my purpose. I had
to totally revise it, as it was written before computers and cell phones. I
joined my first writer's group and received the boost I needed to send it out.
Finding a good group of people to help give you advice and support is so critical in this field. Since you wrote in this genre, do you think
you will ever write in other genres?
I really love young adult. It's such an
interesting time, everything is a crisis of major proportions. So much learning
happens as the teens start to spread their wings. My sequel is more of a new
adult book, but the next two stand-alones I am working on are YA.
That's great. That's what I love about writing, you aren't tied down to one thing. You can jump around from genre to genre and switch up your audience. It keeps things interesting. What advice would you give someone who is
considering publishing? Should they consider traditional or self-publishing?
Look at both. Since I only have one book and
it's with a traditional publisher, I can't speak much about self-publishing. I
have found things I wish I could do differently with my book and my hands are
tied. I will consider self-publishing in the future.
Any last words?
If you love writing, then do it. Keep on
trying. Don't let a rejection or thirty-five rejections deter you. One last
thought, the writing is the easy part!
Thanks again for being with us today Jean. Find out more about Salvageable at the links below. Happy Reading!!
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