INTERVIEW OF JEN ESTES AUTHOR OF CURVEBALL

I want to welcom Jen Estes to Books R Us. Jen is the author of the cozy mystery Curveball and is touring the blogosphere with Partners in Crime Tours. Check out my review and giveaway of the book tomorrow. Thanks for stopping by.

 INTERVIEW:

Can you tell me who or what was the inspiration for the book?
 Curveball was inspired by the real-life exploitation of aspiring ballplayers in Latin America.

 Do you ever suffer from writer’s block?  If so, what do you do about it?
 I think everyone hits a wall once in awhile, no matter what your profession is or how much you love it.  I first step away from the plate for a few days to give my brain time to rest.  If that doesn’t do the trick, then I pull a 180 and force myself to write something, even if it's only 500 words a day.  When that starts to come easy, I move it up to 1,000 and after that, 1,500 (which is my daily goal).

Can you tell me your experiences in finding a publisher for the book?

My agent paired me with Camel Press for my first book and I haven't looked back.  It's been a great match and I have a terrific editor.  I've since signed for four more books in the same series.   

 How long did it take you to write the book and how long did it take to get the book released?

It took me about three months to get to a very rough draft of Curveball.  After that, it spent another month with my editor and it was released approximately six months after the editing was complete.

Who is your favorite character in the book and why?

Paige Aiken, the spoiled coed to whom Cat is indentured, was a hoot to write.  It was disturbingly easy to put myself in the designer heels of this shallow, bitchy princess… but I'm trying not to reflect on that. 

What are your current / future projects?

Right now I'm working on the third book in the Cat McDaniel Mystery series, where Cat will be returning to Buffalo as a beat reporter for the Soldiers.  Just as she thinks her lineup is perfect, life throws her an offspeed pitch: a screwball clad in a leather jacket and biker boots.  Her half brother/full leech shows up on her doorstep looking to shake up her world with his boozing and betting lifestyle.  It's scheduled for a release date of April 2013. 

Do you have any tips for a young writer just starting out?

Write often.  Ted Williams swung his bat every day, Michael Jordan didn’t stop shooting for the flu, and Tiger Woods has had a club in his hand since he was three.  I can't say that 10,000 hours is the magic number to excellence, but there's no arguing that greatness comes with an exorbitant amount of practice.  Writers gotta write. 

If your book was to be made into a movie, Who would you like the main character to be played by and why?

Oh, that would be a dream come true!  If I got to drop in my two cents for the lead, I'd go with the actress/writer/producer Felicia Day.  Not only does she look the part, she's a fantastic actress with an incredibly loyal fanbase. 

What do you like to do for fun when you’re not writing?  Where do you like to vacation?  Can you tell us briefly about this?

Obviously, I love baseball and my husband and I follow lots of sports.  We like to visit cities with sports arenas and since we're beach bums living in the Midwest, we usually head for the coasts.  When I'm home, my days are monopolized by my three cats - Wrigley, Ivy and Captain Moo.

Can you tell me where we can purchase your book?

Curveball is available on BN.com and in Kindle and paperback on Amazon.com.  You can check out more at www.jenestes.com and connect with me on Twitter @jenestesdotcom.  I love to talk to readers!