Thank you, Tasha, for allowing me to visit your blog today and for conducting this interview.
Tasha: How did you come up with the plot for Ravena & The Resurrected?
Tami: Beyond drinking lots of coffee (so I'd be incredibly alert) I just began writing one scene at a time. Any time an idea popped into my head I'd write it down. After a while, I had collected all sorts of scenes for the book. Once I created the plot outline I realized, not all the scenes fit (but most did) so I started weaving the good ones together. A rigorous editing process helped make the book look a lot more polished.
Tasha: Describe the book in five words.Tami: "Charming Vampires Make Reading Delightful."
Tasha: Which of the characters are you most like?
Tami: Fascinating question! While I don't really see my complete self in any particular character, I do see some of my life situations in the book. By the time you get to chapter 39, where the vampires are all holed up in one small room together, you really get to experience what it was like for me growing up in a home with seven children because the vampires squabble and tease one another just like my brothers and sisters did.
Tasha: Who do you think would enjoy reading Ravena & The Resurrected?
Tami: Any woman who has ever struggled to gain social acceptance will love this book. Most people who worked hard to fit in with their peers during high school will also relate. Those of us who have grown older often feel like we must conform to fit in at work or in some other social circle. So I feel this book will please a good number of readers.
In R&R, Ravena isn't really willing to compromise who she is or how she thinks. While she is self assured, she feels very misunderstood and tries to tell herself that it doesn't matter if nobody really likes her, but secretly she does want to be accepted.
This book may also appeal to some men with all the adventures and physical trials that Ravena goes through. A word of caution, R&R does contain one (not-too-detailed) sexual encounter and it features violence that's appropriate for a werewolf and vampire novel. So it's definitely not meant for young readers.
Tasha: What or who influences your writing?
Tami: I dedicated the book to my dad, Darrell C. Jackson, because he was my first and biggest writing influence. When I was very young I wrote many stories just to entertain him and he gave my writing his undivided attention. That's back when parental observation was very difficult to acquire with such a large family. My dad's deceased, now, but I hope he's able to see my work from the spirit realm.Tasha: What are you writing now?
Tami: I finished writing Ravena & The Resurrected in November so I've just started writing book two in The Resurrected Series. I'm very excited about it already. The book begins with a human family that was abandoned by one of the male werewolves, in R&R. Meanwhile, I'm quite sure that Ravena will be making a strong appearance in book two as well.
Tasha: Do you have a particular place where you like to write?
Tami: My desk and computer are inside what I call the "keeping room." I live with my husband, Doug, and we both have separate offices. Mine is very organized but every wall is completely covered with things that I collect. I love beading and making jewelry so one corner of my keeping room has all the tools and supplies I need for my craft projects. My hat collection hangs near the ceiling on two walls and I'm surrounded by book cases that are full of vampire and dark fantasy books.
If I ever feel lonely working from home, I take my laptop to a nearby Starbucks or to the public library. I like writing while out in public with background activity creating a gentle hum around me.
Tasha: Do you ever suffer from Writer's Block. how do you get past it?
Tami: I figure if I've got "writer's block" then that's my "sign" to take a break from writing and do something else productive until inspiration returns. That's one of the reasons why I love gardening. It's wonderful to get outside, stretch my legs and put my hands in the soil. Inspiration often comes to me while I have my hiking boots on too. After you've read Ravena & The Resurrected, you'll pick up on details about the vegetation that grows here in Western Washington. I love observing exactly where life grows in Seattle. It is such a lush city with so many plants growing between sidewalk cracks and on top of sky scrapers. In the book, I talk about the moss that grows on Ravena's car when she doesn't wash it often enough. My love of the outdoors is also why I have a scene with the vampires and werewolves all hanging out in the middle of the forested reserve on Mercer Island.
Tasha: What are you reading now?Tami: "Frostbite
" by Richelle Mead. I loved her book "Vampire Academy" and soon as I finished that (about a week ago) I went out and bought the sequel.
Last question: Who's your favorite author?
Tami: I have many favorites but J. K. Rowling's work (the entire Harry Potter
Series) is something I've read a few times and I have collected every Harry Potter movie that has come out on DVD. That's after I've seen each film soon as it opened in 3-D at Seattle's Imax Theater. (I have been known to dress up as Luna Lovegood, radish earrings, long 
blond wig, and all.)Thank you so much, Tasha, for this wonderful opportunity to talk about my book, Ravena & The Resurrected. Anybody who wants to follow me to other blogs during the author tour may visit: http://suntigermojo.com/book-tour-author-tami-jackson-blogs.html. To contact me directly through social media, simply search "Vamchoir" on-line or visit my publisher's website: http://SunTigerMOJO.com.
