BRoP Interview: Pauline Baird Jones

I'm fortunate today to be able to bring you another BRoP interview with a BroadUniverse member, Pauline Baird Jones. She's here to share her creative process with us.

Where do you get your story ideas?

I think my mom wonders that, too, though she'd add "where in the world…" The short answer, is that I have no clue. With some thought I can trace one story to a fragment of a dream, another to a profile of a person, some emerged out of a bit of conversation, there was some fan fiction gone awry, desperation, perspiration, movies/books that didn't satisfy…I guess you could say I get my ideas from living. 

Do you have a specific writing style? 

I have noticed that I have what I'd call a more conversational style than other authors. It's more relaxed, like a conversation with the characters. I think I have issues left over from early English classes and the formal writing required. So my characters are never formal in thought or speech (unless their character calls for it).

How do you deal with writer’s block? 

I hate getting writer's block and I'm never sure if I'm really blocked, just trying to write too soon, or attempting to force a scene or my characters where they don't want to go. Since I write randomly, seat of the pants, I have many false starts and it takes me time to get into the flow of a new book. And its very easy to go down a wrong plot path and have to backtrack, or not know my characters well enough to get them to do what needs to be done (or figure out what they think needs to be done). I love it when the Muse pops free of the block and the ideas come fast again. But it takes a lot of pacing and thinking for that to happen.


 Do you use critique partners or beta readers? Why or why not? 

 I use beta readers, not critique partners. I can't give my MIP to anyone too soon. There is a simmering period, then lots of rewriting and thinking. When I'm about halfway through, then I need eyes on it, but just to tell me it makes sense and isn't too awful. When I've got a complete rough draft, then I bring in the beta readers and ask them to be brutal. 

How much time do you spend on research? What type of research do you do? 

It depends on the book, of course. When you're writing science fiction, sometimes there isn't information available. So I have to make it up. (grin) I did do a lot of research for my steampunk novella and am currently doing a lot of research for my upcoming novel. It's interesting and fun, but unlike some, I never get lost in it. The only thing I get lost in is the story. So I'm happy when I can ease back on the research and ramp up the writing.

You can find the previous parts of Pauline's interview here and here (Theresa's and Emily's blogs respectively. Her interview continues tomorrow at Dean's blog and concludes on Wednesday at Terri's blog.

Pauline Baird Jones began her writing career penning romantic suspense (fictional murder doesn’t get you strip searched!) but she had a secret longing to ramp up the spills, chills and daring do. By chance she wrote a science fiction romance, realized she’d been mixing fiction into her science since high school (oops, sorry science teachers!), and thought, why not go where she hasn’t gone before? After that, it was easy to stir in some steampunk. The Key was the first in her Project Enterprise series, which will conclude with #6, Kicking Ashe.

Website: http://www.paulinebjones.com
Blog: http://paulinebairdjones.blogspot.com/
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorPaulineBairdJones
Goodreads author page: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/247227.Pauline_Baird_Jones
Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/paulinebjones
Amazon: https://authorcentral.amazon.com/gp/profile
Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/117517921948256287348/posts

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/perilouspauline/

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

Trade paperback, most digital formats. I have one book available in audio: THE KEY.