Debut You is an interview feature on Our Stories Matter blog. Debut authors, who have released or have upcoming releases in 2021, are given five questions to answer about themselves and their book. Currently, the questions are the same for all authors. We hope you enjoy getting to know Jessica Lewis and can offer your support.
Describe yourself in five words, then expound on one of them.
Dogged, sensitive, sleepy, chaotic, and soft.
Sensitive: I am a very sensitive person. I never developed the proverbial thick skin! So I always try to be gentle with myself. If I need extra time to fret over edits, I make sure to budget that in. I also only check my publishing email once a day, so I don’t get overwhelmed and say no to things that might stress me out. You must take care of yourself; no one else will!
Explain your writing procedure, such as how you come up with ideas, carve out time to write (or, if you can write anywhere at any time during the day), deal with writer’s block, or anything particular or peculiar.
I’m a major plotter. I make sure I have the character arcs, world, and all the plot points figured out before I ever start writing. Sometimes my plotting documents are 7,000 words! As far as carving out time to write, I mostly write when I can. Weekends, lunch breaks, on the commute to and from work—whenever I can. I’m usually too tired to write when I get home from work, so the outline I write before starting a project really helps keep me on task!
Balance is the key to successful living. How do you balance the act of writing with other priorities, such as your job, family or fun activities, and self-care?
Not well sometimes, lol! I try to write whenever I can, which is sometimes at work…if my boss doesn’t catch me! But I also try to take a lot of breaks and triage. I do what must be done before doing the fun stuff (which is often writing!).
Understanding your audience is essential. What do you know for sure about the audience you are writing for?
I write for Teen Jessica. I always try to think about what she needed and didn’t have at the time. I hope current teens can find solace and comfort in the themes and stories I would have loved ten years ago.
Tell us about your book.
Bad Witch Burning is about Katrell, a girl who discovers she can raise the dead and decides to do so for money. But the dead don’t like being alive, and Katrell has to decide what’s worth more: a way out of poverty or possibly her life. It’ll be out on August 24, 2021!!
Jessica Lewis is a Black author and receptionist from Alabama. She has a degree in English literature and animal science. She lives with her way-funnier-than-her grandmother, who answers all her wild questions about ghosts and zombies and werewolves. When she isn’t writing or working, she enjoys watching cooking shows or HGTV-type home shows.
Bad Witch Burning (Delacorte Press, August 24, 2021, YA, 368 Pages) Available for Pre-order
Connect with Jessica Lewis
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