This month’s author interview is with paranormal mystery and supernatural magical realism writer, Jocelynn Babcock.
Jocelynn will tell you she created books with her grandma’s yarn as a child and grew up to marry an engineer. She lives in the Channeled Scablands, where the fine line between sanity and not is an outlet for idle hands.
Jocelynn is the author of the paranormal mystery novel, The Eyes of March, and the paranormal short story collection, Semantic: A Collection of Wyrd Sister Stories, which feature an assortment of psychics, ghosts, and witches among the characters.
Hi, Jocelynn. Thanks for joining me and my readers today. First up, can you tell us a little bit about the writing project you are currently working on?
I’m currently writing the second installment of my paranormal mystery series. Mantic Vol II: To Dance with Serpents has our main character, now with partial memory restoration (about two years back). She resolves to regain her entire memory after a shocking twist.
What has drawn you to write in the paranormal and supernatural genres?
I never considered what I wrote to be paranormal. I beta tested my debut novel as a murder mystery and found that mystery readers considered a psychic to be paranormal. I knew full well that psychic was not enough to publish to a paranormal audience, so I went back and threaded through magical realism in order to hit the target market of paranormal readers. This gave me more freedom in content and I think added a new element to my writing. I enjoy the finished product better than if it had remained just a psychic mystery.
That’s really interesting, and great that it’s worked out well for both you and your readers. So, when did you decide to become a writer?
I’ve always written, but lacked the confidence to be a writer. I went to college to be a grant writer, because that is writing that pays the bills. It was during that time I decided to give fiction a try. As I neared completing the novel, then I decided to become a writer. I finally realized I could finish a project, and the process would get easier.
Where do your ideas come from?
Conversations with people. My current trilogy was the idea of my husband. I have another idea from a conversation I had with my mom when I was a teen. Yet another was a thread I pulled out of my book because there was a lot going on already and the beta readers were confused by the connection. My niece, my forensic expert, has inspired a few stories also.
Which famous person, living or dead would you like to meet and why?
I would like to bring Susan B. Anthony to the future and show her: women voting, women on juries, women raising their children alone, women owning property, women going to college, women in the workplace, women wearing whatever they choose, etc. I’d like to point and say: “You did that.”
What inspires you to get out of bed each day?
A little voice from the next room that says “I’m all done ny-night Mommy!”
Thanks for your time today, Jocelynn, and all the best with your writing.
You can find out more about Jocelynn and her writing at jocelynnbabcock.wordpress.com or follow her Facebook or Twitter accounts.
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