Blog Ring of Power Presents: Janet Beasley

 It's Blog Ring of Power time again.  Today I would like to welcome Janet Beasley to the Realm... Hi Janet.  

Here's the list for each part of the interview

Part 1: With T.W.

Part 2: Yup, right here with us fantastical people.

Part 3: with Sandra

Part 4: with Dean

Part 5: with our fearless leader Terri. 

Lets hear a bit about this awesome fantasy author before we get into The Writing Life.

Hi, I’m Janet Beasley; Epic Fantasy Novelist and Scenic Nature Photographer. I am the author of the newly released epic fantasy series Hidden Earth Volume 1 Maycly – Parts 1, 2, and 3.

I was born and raised in Beavercreek, Ohio where I was a proud 1979 graduate of Beavercreek High School. I now reside in central Florida and love hanging out together with family and friends for food and fun.

     According to those who know me, I’m outgoing, fun, very creative and always try to look on the sunny side of life. Now granted, some of these folks haven’t had the opportunity to catch me on a bad day. You know, like in my writer’s den, when I’m birthing ideas and trying to write them down as fast as they come to me it gets a little hair-raising and the dog looks at me with that “look” where they tilt their head and just stare at you like you’re crazy at the moment…which you are…but you don’t let them know that!

     I’m an animal lover, with dogs being number one on my list. I love to travel. Discovering new places and meeting new people from other lands is always a thrill. I enjoy hangin’ with family - kayaking, hiking, photographing nature, and baking cupcakes.

Let's hear about your writing life

BRoP:  What is your writing process? Do you follow a regular routine? Do you use pen and paper or computer? Work at home or at the library/Starbucks, etc. 

Janet:  My writing process is a fine blend of unorganized organization. I don't set a schedule to write. By that I mean I don't say that I'm going to pound out 2 chapters between 1:00pm and 3:00pm. I do write when creativity hits - so I may be writing for hours and days upon end, then taking a break. I keep pad and pen with me everywhere I go, and beside the bed to jot down ideas should they jolt me awake in the middle of the night. This tactic has been of great help. I have turned one room in our house into my "Writer's Den." I print out the maps that go with the novel I'm writing once they're rough sketched, the characters, and so on, and keep them pinned on the wall in front of me. To my right is an aquarium with this crazy algae eater who I've gotten attached to, my dog's little bed in the window, and a corner with "scrap-booked" walls, and a ceiling filled with plants, stickers, some of my scenic nature photography, and some humorous signs such as: I Have Flying Monkeys And I'm Not Afraid To Use Them!

BRoP: How do you balance writing with other aspects of your life? 

Janet:  WOWZA! What a question, at least for me. Let me first explain my aspects of life. I have stacking chronic illnesses including CEBV, Fibromyalgia, Polymyalgia, among others. Being the majority are auto immune disorders, I'm tired and hurting almost all the time. CEBV leaves me with a low grade fever and brings on "brain fog" (as the pros call it) to the point I may not be able to find my way out of a store, let alone get home. My parents live next door and I share caregiver duties with my 80 year old dad to help my mom who suffers from dementia and is diabetic. There are runs to the emergency room about every three months. Heart monitors to watch and record, and other such stuff. Both parents have plenty of doctor visits I need to take them to. I try to get them out to lunch so they're not cooped up all day in the house, AND both are the very best parents in the whole wide world - so they are not a burden, but a blessing! It's great to be able to still laugh with them as each day's events unfold - always a surprise! My husband has a good job with long hours, so he's not around much to help out with that stuff, but when he is home we all spend fun time together. We've been through four hurricanes, lost two homes, been through financial ruins, watched two businesses crumble before our eyes due to the hurricanes and health issues, suffered loss of family and friends, and recently we just blew an engine in our "best" car. So balancing writing and life's aspects isn't really a doable thing here LOL! I've learned to live minute to minute - not day to day. I've also learned all these things are going to keep going on whether I'm happy, sad, or angry...so I've chosen to be happy as it makes it all so much more bearable. 

BRoP:  When do you write? 

Janet: Whenever creativity strikes no matter where I am, or what's going on with life.

BRoP: How much time per day do you spend on your writing? 

Janet: Sometimes minutes, other times hours.

BRoP: What has been the most surprising reaction to something you’ve written?  

Janet: My two favorite surprises were comments, those being "...it's one of those books that ends up a classic you'd read in school or Sunday school and pick apart" and "...like a cross between Harry Potter and The Wizard of Oz."

BRoP: What is the strongest criticism you’ve ever received as an author? 

Janet: I gotta laugh as all through my writing class they kept telling me to STOP GIVING STAGE DIRECTIONS! Hmmm, wonder why I was doing that!? The best compliment? The best compliment I receive time and again, it's that my creativity is amazing.

BRoP: Other than your family, what has been your greatest source of support? 

Janet: My best friend who has taken over the gourmet dog treat business - did I mention the treats are now the favored treats of pets on the world of Maycly? 

BRoP: How do you deal with rejection and/or negative reviews? 

Janet: Every rejection is one rejection closer to acceptance. Negative reviews? Take them with a grain of salt - I look and make certain there's not something I can use to better myself as a writer - but if there's nothing there and it's the only bad one out of a hundred, I blow it off and figure that person either doesn't like the genre, or just enjoys demeaning others. Not my problem. ;-)

Here are the links so that you can follow this great author.

Website: http://www.HiddenEarthSeries.com
Blog: http://www.JLBCreatives.blogspot.com
Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/AuthorJanetBeasley
Goodreads author page:  http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5772933.Janet_Beasley
Twitter: @AuthorJanetB
Amazon:  http://www.amazon.com/Janet-Beasley/e/B0067AK386/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_2
Smashwords: N/A
Other: http://www.facebook.com/Maycly  (a page for fans to chat and post about the cool things of Maycly)

What format are your books available in (print, e-book, audio book, etc.)? 

The collector's edition paperback is 744 pages. It contains all 3 parts, and includes over 70 b/w illustrations, maps, teaser recipes, family trees, and more. 

Ebooks: Each part is a separate ebook, sold separately through Amazon. Each ebook contains color illustrations, the map of Maycly, and corresponding back matter.