Before I go rushing off to interview author friends I suppose I ought to interview myself. Give the folks a little more information about me!
So here goes ... this is a little weird, no? Interviewing myself. Ha. Dork! Love it.
Name(s)?
Jennifer (prefer Jenny) Delaney. I have two on-line names I go by: Ditzy and Reffy.
Age?
26 ... but that can be varied really! I like to act young a lot of the time but can also be an adult when the situation calls for it. I suppose that’s how it is for most people really? I do still feel like I’m 18! Acting younger probably helps with my creativity too. If you grow old that part of your brain dies ... or something? *Silly grin*
Favourite feature about you?
My princess nose! It’s nothing like my siblings. Goes back to my great-great-aunt Minny or something? It kinda slants upwards an incy bit and is very straight with a square end. I used to hate it as a teen but I fell in love with it when I realized it is unique!
Favourite colour?
Autumnal colours! I love autumn. Greens, reds, oranges, browns. (The smell of autumn ... mmmmm!)
Favourite item of clothing, currently?
Usually it’s my black fedora but right now (and because it’s cold in the UK) it has to be my colourful scarf.
Favourite food?
I have a really big sweet tooth! I love muffins, cupcakes, candy, and sweeties! It would be hard to pin-point my favourite. (A good banana and pecan muffin, perhaps, or a strawberry and vanilla lollypop?)
Other favourite foods include a lot of Italian. I am a vegetarian though. Not vegan, so eggs, milk and honey are okay by me. Just leave off the giant steaks or chicken breasts. Saying that I do love a proper fish-n-chips! When I say “proper” I mean the type that comes in a newspaper from a tiny shop with people who have thick accents! Ha!
Favourite music?
[Oh, you just had to do this to me, didn’t you?]
This is a tough one! A little bit of everything. I love Broadway music. Something I can really sing along too. I really enjoy the oldies from the 70s and 80s – probably because of all the LP's my Dad had in the basement. I cannot stand pop or rap but something with a bouncy tune will always earn my heart.
When writing – what is your usual genre/topic/preferred style?
I usually lean towards Fantasy and Young Adult! I love the broadness of Fantasy. You can make anything there and I do! I have an amazing imagination that occasionally needs reigning in. Think my favourite Fantasy World still has to be Qwibeth which I use as a bit of a personal playground to create some really fun things – outside of the stresses of competitions or publication. Every author needs a playground!
I also love making Flash Fiction. It just feels so short and cheeky – especially when you’ve been working on a longer story. It’s a great way to keep the creativity “popping” and actually a really good challenge! Trying to fit something powerful and with a good impact in fewer than 200 words is difficult.
Lately I’ve been going out of my comfort zone of Fantasy with a few experimental pieces: like Alonzo, which is a little bit Erotica but mostly Gothic Horror. It’s a little scary, I do admit, but pushing your own personal boundaries is something everybody should do! It can create some really genius moments.
What are you really proud of so far in your writing career?
I’m really proud of the two novels I have on my desktop currently – although they are both unfinished so far. Never thought I’d ever be able to write that many words, to be honest! Also pretty proud at attempting to get published (been rejected 4x so far in the Flash market and handled it rather well). I would never normally try such a daring thing but this is my dream and I’ll be damned if I don’t give it a good shot!
Who is your biggest inspiration/muse?
I have a few, to be honest.
I love the characters and Worlds Terry Pratchett creates (in particular his young adult stuff: “Wee Free Men,” for example). That he can have so much going on and still keep “Vetenari” and other characters so true to their personality is amazing. Hats off to him! I don’t think there is one book I have not laughed at (and in the case of “Nation” cried). His creativity is unmatched and the depth to which he goes with it.
Terry Brooks is another I appreciate for his young adult stuff. The “Word and Void” series and “Landover” are amazing. I need to get around to reading “Shannara” again! I would recommend him to anybody. Most people bash “Landover” for its plot-holes (Read: Willow) but I read it as a teenager and fell in love with it. I wanted to create a World like his. I think he was the one who really gave me a feel for creating my Worlds.
My other inspirational sources are other amateur writers! Some of the stuff they produce can really out-shine some published authors! It’s so close to the live-pulse of the creative-community. There is so much unharnessed creativity, imagination, passion! It can be over-whelming some times. Keeping my fingers crossed that a few of them actually do manage to get published because, to be honest, they deserve it!
I’ve always got a book on my bedside table. Need to get around to picking up some of Gaiman’s stuff! I’ve had “American Gods” recommended to me after another author heard me writing about an Incubus.
What do you class yourself as?
I’d say “nerd” for sure. Bit of a tomboy really. I’m always scruffy and can do nothing with my hair! I have played “World of Warcraft” and I enjoyed it. I’ve also dabbled in “Dungeons & Dragons” and would do so again! A good night out would involve: sitting in a pub with a bunch of creative people, a pint of strawberry cider, maybe some fries, to just throw around plot-ideas and be sounding-boards for other people. (Maybe later to dissolve in to debates about “Dr Who” or “Star Trek.” Heh.)
Hope this fills you in a little more as to me. Now to get to work on a Snippet! I'm thinking something ... fun!
So here goes ... this is a little weird, no? Interviewing myself. Ha. Dork! Love it.
Name(s)?
Jennifer (prefer Jenny) Delaney. I have two on-line names I go by: Ditzy and Reffy.
Age?
26 ... but that can be varied really! I like to act young a lot of the time but can also be an adult when the situation calls for it. I suppose that’s how it is for most people really? I do still feel like I’m 18! Acting younger probably helps with my creativity too. If you grow old that part of your brain dies ... or something? *Silly grin*
Favourite feature about you?
My princess nose! It’s nothing like my siblings. Goes back to my great-great-aunt Minny or something? It kinda slants upwards an incy bit and is very straight with a square end. I used to hate it as a teen but I fell in love with it when I realized it is unique!
Favourite colour?
Autumnal colours! I love autumn. Greens, reds, oranges, browns. (The smell of autumn ... mmmmm!)
Favourite item of clothing, currently?
Usually it’s my black fedora but right now (and because it’s cold in the UK) it has to be my colourful scarf.
Favourite food?
I have a really big sweet tooth! I love muffins, cupcakes, candy, and sweeties! It would be hard to pin-point my favourite. (A good banana and pecan muffin, perhaps, or a strawberry and vanilla lollypop?)
Other favourite foods include a lot of Italian. I am a vegetarian though. Not vegan, so eggs, milk and honey are okay by me. Just leave off the giant steaks or chicken breasts. Saying that I do love a proper fish-n-chips! When I say “proper” I mean the type that comes in a newspaper from a tiny shop with people who have thick accents! Ha!
Favourite music?
[Oh, you just had to do this to me, didn’t you?]
This is a tough one! A little bit of everything. I love Broadway music. Something I can really sing along too. I really enjoy the oldies from the 70s and 80s – probably because of all the LP's my Dad had in the basement. I cannot stand pop or rap but something with a bouncy tune will always earn my heart.
When writing – what is your usual genre/topic/preferred style?
I usually lean towards Fantasy and Young Adult! I love the broadness of Fantasy. You can make anything there and I do! I have an amazing imagination that occasionally needs reigning in. Think my favourite Fantasy World still has to be Qwibeth which I use as a bit of a personal playground to create some really fun things – outside of the stresses of competitions or publication. Every author needs a playground!
I also love making Flash Fiction. It just feels so short and cheeky – especially when you’ve been working on a longer story. It’s a great way to keep the creativity “popping” and actually a really good challenge! Trying to fit something powerful and with a good impact in fewer than 200 words is difficult.
Lately I’ve been going out of my comfort zone of Fantasy with a few experimental pieces: like Alonzo, which is a little bit Erotica but mostly Gothic Horror. It’s a little scary, I do admit, but pushing your own personal boundaries is something everybody should do! It can create some really genius moments.
What are you really proud of so far in your writing career?
I’m really proud of the two novels I have on my desktop currently – although they are both unfinished so far. Never thought I’d ever be able to write that many words, to be honest! Also pretty proud at attempting to get published (been rejected 4x so far in the Flash market and handled it rather well). I would never normally try such a daring thing but this is my dream and I’ll be damned if I don’t give it a good shot!
Who is your biggest inspiration/muse?
I have a few, to be honest.
I love the characters and Worlds Terry Pratchett creates (in particular his young adult stuff: “Wee Free Men,” for example). That he can have so much going on and still keep “Vetenari” and other characters so true to their personality is amazing. Hats off to him! I don’t think there is one book I have not laughed at (and in the case of “Nation” cried). His creativity is unmatched and the depth to which he goes with it.
Terry Brooks is another I appreciate for his young adult stuff. The “Word and Void” series and “Landover” are amazing. I need to get around to reading “Shannara” again! I would recommend him to anybody. Most people bash “Landover” for its plot-holes (Read: Willow) but I read it as a teenager and fell in love with it. I wanted to create a World like his. I think he was the one who really gave me a feel for creating my Worlds.
My other inspirational sources are other amateur writers! Some of the stuff they produce can really out-shine some published authors! It’s so close to the live-pulse of the creative-community. There is so much unharnessed creativity, imagination, passion! It can be over-whelming some times. Keeping my fingers crossed that a few of them actually do manage to get published because, to be honest, they deserve it!
I’ve always got a book on my bedside table. Need to get around to picking up some of Gaiman’s stuff! I’ve had “American Gods” recommended to me after another author heard me writing about an Incubus.
What do you class yourself as?
I’d say “nerd” for sure. Bit of a tomboy really. I’m always scruffy and can do nothing with my hair! I have played “World of Warcraft” and I enjoyed it. I’ve also dabbled in “Dungeons & Dragons” and would do so again! A good night out would involve: sitting in a pub with a bunch of creative people, a pint of strawberry cider, maybe some fries, to just throw around plot-ideas and be sounding-boards for other people. (Maybe later to dissolve in to debates about “Dr Who” or “Star Trek.” Heh.)
Hope this fills you in a little more as to me. Now to get to work on a Snippet! I'm thinking something ... fun!
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