Writer Wednesday - Jamie Magee

Today we have Jamie Magee, author of the Insight series that includes Insight, Embody and Image, as well as a new series coming 2012.

About Jamie:

Jamie Magee has always believed that each of us have a defining gift that sets us apart from the rest of the world, she has always envied those who have known from their first breath what their gift was. Not knowing hers, she began a career in the fast paced world of business. Raising a young family, and competing to rise higher in that field would drive some to the point of insanity, but she always found a moment of escape in a passing daydream. Her imagination would take her to places she’d never been, introduce her to people she’s never known. Insight, her debuting novel, is a result of that powerful imagination. Today, she is grateful that not knowing what defined her, led her on a path of discovery that would always be a part of her. 

About Insight (from Goodreads):

Some say that dreams are the doorway to the soul. Willow Haywood is no stranger to that doorway. Each night she shares a blissful, silent dream with a stunning blue-eyed boy. With each new moon she is haunted by a painful nightmare shared with a different boy, who’s always hidden by the shadows.

In her waking hours she must battle her sixth sense. The one that allows her to feel others emotions as if they were her own. This insight is exhausting and frustrating causing her to draw inward, only trusting her family and few close friends. Oddly, this sense also attracts ghostly images that seem to appear out of nowhere. With a touch, they take her to wherever they may be, allowing her to change their emotion. This alone would cause most to go insane, but Willow filters her aggression by painting, capturing the emotion she changed.

One August night a nightmare came days after the new moon. In this dream the shadowed boy marked her wrist with star, leaving her father no choice but to share a family secret that would tie all of the odd attributes of Willow’s life together. Now, she has no choice but to outrun the fate that is closing in around her.

In an attempt to lure her, the shadowed figure captures her closest friends. In order to save them, she must weave through broken myths, half truths, and the undeniable power of the Zodiac. With each step she takes Willow comes to realize that she has lived before, her path is one that she chose, and this trial is simply the beginning.

On to the interview!

Tell us about you in 10 words.

Classic Scorpio, obsessed with my daydreams, lover of alternative music!

So you had a birthday not too long ago. Happy Belated Birthday! If you tweeted about your latest release, what would it say (140 characters or less)?

They thought he was dead - defeated. They were wrong. The question now is who will be the ultimate sacrifice in the trail of Venus.~ Image

Oooh, sounds interesting. Nothing like someone you thought was dead to come along unexpectedly. And a sacrifice? Yikes! If you could spend the day with any of your characters, who would it be and what would you do?

I’m going to choose a new character that my readers will meet when my next series comes out in the spring of 2012 – ‘See’. The character is Draven Michaels, an addictively gorgeous nineteen year old that not only has divine talent within the realm of music, but a talent that allows him to see everything within a soul, both living and dead. We would sit in his studio that is on the top floor of his home, a modern day castle. I would stare into is tantalizing emerald green eyes that are laced in black and listen to his hypnotic voice as he explains to me the pains his soul has witnessed. When words become useless, he will pick up his guitar and let the emotion that is tormenting his soul echo around us through the strings of a haunting guitar.

I have a feeling you're going to have an awesome playlist for this one. I hope you'll share. :) So, what’s your favorite part of being a writer?

Daydreaming. I love to slip away into a world that has yet to be discovered, to watch a story unfold before my very eyes. To listen to the whispers of my characters as they come to life.

Oh, yes. I totally relate. And, what’s the hardest part of being a writer?

Sharing my work, for me at least. I still find myself battling butterflies when someone mentions my debut, Insight.  I know no matter what anyone says about my novels, it will not change the way I feel about my story or my characters, but it still feels like you’re in high school waiting to know if you made the final cut for a team – waiting to see if others see a talent in you.

I get this, too. I don't think it ever goes away, but it makes us better writers. What do you wish you would have known before you became a writer?

Everything I do and do not know today. I know that is broad, but I doubt that I could have ever been fully prepared for this career.  Every day I not only meet amazing new people, but learn a new aspect to this art.

Yep, we must constantly be learning. Especially when we're indie, since there's all the publishing side to learn, too. What made you decide to go indie?

Honestly, I had no idea I had made that decision. You see, I had a different career, a different set of dreams I was chasing when I began to write. Writing was my escape from that fast-paced, stressful career choice. When Insight was completed, I found myself printing my MS out and placing it in three-ring notebook binders to pass it around to friends and friends of friends. When I sought out ways to present Insight in book or ebook form, I wasn’t considering  myself published, I was just trying to find an easier way to share the story with anyone who asked.

I’m sure I was the last one that discovered I had those beautiful people writers call readers. Once I saw that people I didn’t know, people that were not even in my country were reading the story I wrote in my free time on my couch, I took every step I could to understand the literary world.  Once I began to grasp it, I understood I was an indie, that I made a choice without knowing it. I have no regrets. I know that the path I stumbled on has not only a purpose but it will lead me to where I’m meant to be.

I did the three-ring binder thing, too. I still have those early copies, packed away somewhere. What do you like most about being indie?

I adore the personal connection I have with my readers. I love having my hands touch and approve every aspect of my book.  My novels are a part of me. If I ever sought the help of an agent I would have to be sure that they loved my story as much as I did – I would have to be sure that I could trust them with my life.

A lot of people say "control," but it's not always meant in a control-freak kind of way. Like you say, sometimes it's just about touching it, feeling a part of those aspects non-indies never get to be involved in, like cover design. I like how you put it. If a writer came to you asking advice about going indie, what’s the most important thing you would tell them?

Writing may look like a solitary field from the outside, but that idea could not be further from the truth. You need friends. Not just any friends. You need friends that share the same passion you do. You need to watch other indies, the ones that bring respect and honor to the title. Watch how they reach out to their readers, seek their advice, and thank them for the slightest insight. When you follow those simple steps, it doesn’t matter if your book sells or not, you’re already successful because you have brought people into your life that will constantly inspire you to push harder.

Other writers are truly inspiring, aren't they? Sometimes, it's just reading a status update that so-and-so is working on such-and-such book that motivates us to open our own file and get to work. Okay, let's talk about your reading life now. What’s the last book you read and what’s next?

I polished off the Hunger Games series in two days - still having nightmares. I think I may wait a while for my next read and fall into my own work for awhile…

One of my favorite series ever. Can't wait for the movie!!! Eek! Oops, sorry. Got distracted for a minute while I watched the trailer again. *wipes eyes* Where were we? Oh, yeah. What book or author can you read over and over again?

The Notebook – I love that story.

Ebooks or Dead Tree Books? Why?

Ebooks – I can carry way more books with me and my phone is never far away, so my kindle app is always there when I have a free moment.

Where can we connect with you?

Oh how I love the social networks! You can find me at any of these places I love to meet new people.

Here is my Facebook fan page http://www.facebook.com/Insight.Jamie.Magee

Twitter http://twitter.com/#!/insight117

Goodreads http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4200019.Jamie_Magee

My website http://www.insightjamiemagee.com/

Thank you so much Kristie for having me hear today!