Interview with J. Schlenker

Author of Sally

Where are you from originally and where do you reside now?

Always Carter County, KY, the same place Sally was from. When I’m out walking in the woods, I know I am walking some of the same paths she walked as a girl in the 1800’s.

What made you decide to write and publish your first book?

My first book was Jessica Lost Her Wobble. I had been blogging for several years and researching someone I met when I was eight, Sally Ann Barnes, who was 103 years old at the time, a woman born into slavery. I knew I wanted to write about Sally, but I was merely thinking about blogging about her life, not writing a book, but I heard about National Novel Writing Month and attempted to write a non-fiction version of Sally’s life. Even though I achieved the 50,000 words required for NaNoWriMo, the story wasn’t going where I wanted it to go. A few years later I participated in NaNoWriMo again. I based Jessica Lost Her Wobble on a past-life regression and began writing. My goal was to have a completed manuscript draft by the close of NaNoWriMo, which I did. My husband, who was the one who first encouraged me to write, also works in the grant department of a university. He discovered a contest, The William Faulkner-William Wisdom Writing Contest, and suggested heavily I enter Jessica Lost Her Wobble. Even though it was totally unedited, I did. It was a 2014 finalist. From there I hired an editor and self-published it a year later in 2015.

How would you describe your books to first time readers?

In my books I try to promote a message of positivity. There are pieces of me in every book I write. I would define all of my books being on the spiritual, even a bit on the metaphysical side. One reader described A Peculiar School as Paulo Coelho meets Animal Farm. This thrilled me as he is one of most favorite authors and Animal Farm is one of most favorite books.

Who do you feel is most likely to connect with the topics you write about?

Basically people on my same wavelength or those residing in my own parallel universe. Honestly, I just write and hope my books reach the right people and leave them with something to enrich their lives.

What unexpected or surprising thing did you learn during the process of writing and publishing?

It was a whole new world for sure. I think maybe the biggest thing was even though English was my second favorite class in school (art was my first and what my degree is in), upon retirement, when I began writing, I discovered how rusty I was, how little I really knew, and how much I had forgotten. I’m constantly taking online writing classes.

If you could, what advice would you give to your past self before embarking on this journey?

Start earlier!

How many people would you ideally like to reach with your books?

Zillions. That is a favorite word of Owen Orangutan, one of the characters in A Peculiar School.

What has been the biggest challenge and frustration during the process to date?

Marketing. I’m an introvert at heart. I thought writing would be like that of Jodi Foster’s character in Nim’s Island. She wrote stories, never leaving her house. Still everyone read them. That’s a fairy tale.

What’s your biggest strengths when it comes to book a) writing, b) publishing and c) marketing?

I like creating the whole product: the story, formatting it into a beautiful book, and using my art degree to design what I think is a good cover. A lot of the technical things still elude me. My biggest strength is the process of creation.

What’s your biggest weakness when it comes to book a) writing, b) publishing and c) marketing?

Marketing definitely. The actual publishing process is always a chore but rather straightforward compared to marketing.

When do you think you will write your next book?

I am currently in the process of writing three books, two fantasy (sequels to A Peculiar School) and a historical fiction based on a school and my family in the early 1900’s.

Are you self published or did you use a hybrid publisher, or a traditional publisher?

Self-published I did think in the beginning about trying the traditional route, but being old already (I did meet someone born into slavery, after all), I didn’t want to wait possibly three years for a possible deal that may or may not come.