Felicia Rogers

Welcome to Jesse V. Coffey!

Jesse V Coffey has been writing since she was a child, publishing her works only within the last ten years. She has served as Staff Writer and Senior Editor for Writers Post Journal and Venus Envy magazines. She has also served as the Acquisitions and Copy Editor for several publishers, such as LBF Books Inc, Eternal Press, and Moongypsy Press. She is a member of ASCAP and the Erotic Authors Association.

Ms. Coffey writes as Science fiction, fantasy, and horror as J. W. Coffey, historical fiction and romance as Jesse V. Coffey, and erotica as Meggie Chase, as well.

Ms. Coffey currently writes for the news site Examiner.com as Lexington Literary Examiner, Lexington Writing Examiner, and the National Indie Romance Novel Examiner . She is the host of a radio show, Edin Road Radio, which focuses on reading works by new authors.

Jesse V Coffey is the author of The Savior, The Brothers Campbell, Illusions & Reality, and A Wager of Blood as J. W. Coffey. Coming soon, Wilde Mountain Time as Jesse V. Coffey.

1) Jessie, when and why did you begin writing?

I actually started writing when I was in grade school. I read an awful lot as a child—but then I come from a family of readers, so I really didn't have a chance. She said with a grin. I wrote my first story for a fourth grade teacher, as part of a class competition. And I won, too. That's all I needed to get me started.

2) What inspired you to write your first book?

My very first book, The Savior, was inspired by my own crisis of faith and a lot of soul searching on my part. I wanted to write a book that was a bit more faithful to the pagan religions than the hocus pocus garbage you see on TV and the movies. I was exploring a lot at the time, so I gave my protagonist—Toby Riordan—the same thirst for knowledge. What I learned, he learned.

3) If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor?

I don't know if I can choose just one. Stephen King would be one because of his ability to write very real characters in surreal situations. He has that amazing balance between character and plot and his pacing is perfect. But then, John Jakes is another because he makes history so real. These aren't situations as much as they're real people in historical situations. Another one who has that balance of character and plot and pacing. And I'd have to say, Diana Gabaldon has taught me a lot of the art of storytelling and how to set place and time. And of course, my best friend Lorrieann Russell—for all of the above.

4) What book are you reading now?

I just finished a book by an indie author, David McAfee—he wrote the most interesting take on the Passion Play with vampires. His book is titled 33 A.D (Bachiyr Book 1) and it was a page turner. I couldn't put it down and I will be reading the next two in that series. Right now, I'm reading Believe by Shelly Hickman. I want to support fellow indie authors, so I read those books first and those of small indie publishers.

5) Are there any new authors that have grasped your interest?

David McAfee grabbed me right off the bat. I didn't expect 33 A.D. to be as good as it was. Blew my socks off. I really think that gent is going to go places. He deserves it; he's one hell of a story teller.

6) What are your current projects?

My current book is titled The Brothers Cameron: An Opportunity for Resentment, an Elizabethan romance/swashbuckler written about two brothers, Stephan and William Cameron. They both fall for the same woman, which could separate their close relationship. But when their father is murdered, they join together to bring that murderer to justice. If it doesn't kill them first….

7) Name one entity that you feel supported you outside of family members?

Outside of my family? That would be my best friend, Lorrieann Russell. She's been incredibly supportive—as well has designing all of my covers, reading behind me for story content, she's encouraged me and celebrated with me all the way from the first book to the latest one. She's also a writer, so that support is a two way street.

Do you see writing as a career?

Oh how I wish. And if things go well and people like my books, that's a possibility. It would certainly make ME happy. But I'll settle for readers who love the stories for now.

9) If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in your latest book?

Actually, I did. I make that note at the beginning of it, that Opportunity was actually the second book I had ever written. When I was going over the manuscript to make sure it was ready for publication, I realized how green I was. There was quite a bit of "tell" and not enough "show." Plus, I found out that the Scots hadn't emigrated that far south at that time, so I had to change their surname from Campbell to Cameron. So, I made those changes. Now, as far as the story is concerned? No, I wouldn't change a thing. Opportunity was very tightly scripted, so everything I planned to write, I wrote. Exactly as I wanted it.

10) Can you share a little of your current work with us?

I'm currently getting my back catalogue ready to be published by Edin Road Press as ebooks, but I've got a brand new book that will be out within the next six months—a romantic thriller titled Wilde Mountain Time. I also have an erotic thriller that will be out next year, titled The Morrigan. And I'm putting the finishing touches on the outlines for The Brothers Cameron: A Crooked Rainbow Trail and The Brothers Cameron: A Wild Heart. So my boys are going to have a few more adventures. And THEN, I'll get started on my John Denver inspired mystery series, titled The Denver Ladies—two ladies who meet in a guitar class and end up solving murders. They're both John Denver fans, hence the guitar class, and I hope to be able to use the titles of JD's songs as book titles. Those promise to be a lot of fun.

11) What was the hardest part of writing your book?

The whole editing process is tough for me. Knowing what to cut and what to embellish, when to change, what to rewrite. You get so attached to that little darling that making the right sacrifices for the good of the story is tough. It requires you to disassociate yourself and make some hard decisions. Which is why you're better off having someone else do it. But even then, it was hard to take that 3rd party advice. I did, though. The story was better for it.

12) What was your favorite part of the book(s)?

I love Joseph Turnbull, Baron of Norwich. He's so over the top rotten without a shred of anything redeemable about the character that I really did have fun writing him.

13) What sparked the idea for your novel?

I love all things Tudor/Elizabethan and any excuse to write of that period is high on my list. I have two friends who are brothers who asked me if I'd ever write them as characters in a book. And I thought, what would they be like if I plopped them in the middle of England at that time. I made them brothers in fiction as well and started tossing things in the hat, so to speak.

14) What is your writing routine?

I give myself at least two – three hours a day to work on something. Usually, dinner comes first and then I sit down at the desk and begin. I keep the TV off and the cable/internet unplugged for that time frame. Weekends, I sit down and I have all weekend to write. So, Saturdays and Sundays see me working a full eight hour day. But during the week, after the day job, there is the night job.

15) Which comes first? The character's story or the idea for the novel?

They actually arrive at the same time. The character's experiences move the plot and the plot shapes the characters.

16) Do you have any advice for other writers?

Hone your craft; learn everything you can about good story telling and then use what you've learned. But mostly, keep writing. Write when you can about what strikes your fancy, and just keep writing. The more you write, the more you learn. The more you learn, the better your stories will be. If you were a chef, you'd be learning everything possible about recipes and cooking techniques. Writing is no different.

17) Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers?

Thank you. Thank you for reading, thank you for supporting me. Thank you for the feedback and the time you give my work. Here's to a long and glorious friendship.

Thank you Jessie so much for stopping by.  It has been a pleasure to have you. 

You can find Jessie here:

Her website: http://www.authorjwcoffey.com/

Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/jessevcoffey

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/jessevcoffey

Now for all you readers, Jessie has been kind enough to offer a giveaway!  She is giving away FIVE ebooks copies of her book-- The Brothers Cameron, An Opportunity for Resentment!!!

Blurb:

Stephan Cameron is impetuous and lusty; William Cameron is measured and romantic. Only one thing can divide them--an attraction to the Lady Jessica Chynoweth, a flirty redhead. Only one thing can bring them together again--bringing the murderer of their father to justice. If it doesn't kill them first, they will!

(Disclaimer:  This book contents Adult content and Themes)

To enter to win just leave a comment below.  Winners will be announced Thursday, Sept. 15th.  Also feel free to look around my website or join me on my facebook fanpage--facebook.com/feliciarogersauthor.  And as always thanks for stopping by and remember to enjoy the mystery....

(I apologize for any spacing issues or ADDED smiley faces in this post.  It seems no matter how many times I edit for this issue they still won't go away!  Thanks for your patience.)