|
Spotlight on Jayne
Ann Krentz By Cheryl Bolen I f you missed the March chapter meeting, you missed a fantastic hour-long phone chat with mega author Jayne Ann Krentz, AKA Amanda Quick (and five other pseudonyms).Before the chat, members brainstormed questions, such as: What is her writing day like? How long does it take her to write a book? How many books does she write in a year? Our prez, Robin Popp, did an outstanding job of setting up and moderating the call. Having read most of her novels, Robin and Jo Anne Banker are avid fans of Krentz, and the two led the discussions with authority. Krentz calls herself a member of the "Class of '82." That was the year she got published-after six years of writing. Her fellow authors in those early days included Diana Palmer, Sandra Brown, Nora Roberts, Ann Maxwell, and Janet Dailey. Our own Karen Young (Stone) recalled reading one of Krentz's earliest books, a Dell Candlelight Ecstacy, and being shocked at the time over her blatant use of sex. This pioneering spirit helped lift Krentz from the mundane pack and propel her to stardom. In those early days, Krentz said, "You're not going to believe this, but it was harder to get published then than it is now." The reason for this difficulty was that all the romance books were written by British authors or British Commonwealth authors. There were no lines set in the United States, and the only American author to break into Harlequin was Dailey. Eventually Simon & Schuster came out with Silhouette, which was bought by Harlequin in 1984. While trying to break into publishing, Krentz worked as a librarian and got up at four in the morning to write for two hours before getting ready for work. She still believes an author (published or unpublished) should write every day, saying it actually makes writing easier. Krentz said she is usually at her computer by 10 a.m. and writes until noon. During the afternoons she does rewriting, editing and research. Having been a librarian, she still prefers "hard-copy" documents, such as diaries and old books. However, for data (such as what was the temperature in England in 1918?) she asks her husband to search the internet. The two, who have been married for more than 30 years, complement each other. Also during the afternoons, Krentz does her exercise, which includes yoga. She was about to elaborate on her exercise, then dropped the subject. My guess is that she has a personal trainer come to her home each afternoon, but didn't want to seem too uppity by speaking of it. Those who've met her attest to her trim figure. She's also a vegetarian. Each night, Krentz makes notes for her plot to jump start her morning writing. Currently, she does one Jayne Ann Krentz and one Amanda Quick book a year, typically spending four months to write a book. If there is any time left, she sandwiches in a third book. At the conclusion of a book, she and her husband will fly from their home in Seattle to Hawaii, their favorite vacation destination. Of all the islands, she prefers Oahu-for the Honolulu shopping and the city's blend of beach and city. In addition to recommending writing every day, Krentz has the following advice for aspiring authors:
And maybe, if you're lucky, one day you can write under seven different names at as many publishing houses. Just like Jayne Ann Krentz.
|