Hello there! Jess Haines here. I’m the author of the urban fantasy H&W Investigations series HUNTED BY THE OTHERS, TAKEN BY THE OTHERS, and the recently released DECEIVED BY THE OTHERS. Jacki was kind enough to invite me over to come meet you guys today. Okay, so I had Chicago’s “You’re the Inspiration” stuck in my head all day today, so I figured I’d talk about some of my writing inspirations over the years.
I’m a huge fan of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer TV show. More than anything else, I think it shaped my expectations of what can be done with a paranormal rom-com-drama. It taught me that you can tackle serious issues in a completely unserious way. It taught me the value of long running jokes and even better one-liners. It taught me how important snappy dialogue and a realistic supporting cast can be.
It also taught me that evil can look damned good.
Yowza!
Ahem. So. Another inspiration for me was the Dresden Files series by Jim Butcher. He was not one of my first urban fantasy reads, but he was definitely one of the most inspirational. Harry has taken on some of the most incredible and difficult tasks imaginable while retaining his sense of humor, innate ability to snark, and his humanity. He is one of the most absurd and adorable fictitious heroes I have ever had the pleasure of reading, and again, has an amazing supporting cast to back him up—Bob the talking skull, Molly the mage-in-training, Mouse the loyal dog who might be just a smidge smarter than his master, Thomas the oh-so-sexy vampire—need I go on?
Though there were quite a few other books and movies that inspired me, I’ll wrap it up with a mention of roleplaying games. Anyone who has known me for more than five minutes generally has heard me spout some lame joke about EverQuest, World of Warcraft, Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, or Vampire: The Masquerade, to name a few. I got my head start writing by roleplaying on AOL (“*GASP!*” I hear you say. “The horror!”) and it was in no small part responsible for my obsession desire to write. The possibilities are endless when you’ve got a d20 on your side.
So that’s part of how I found my writing inspiration! How about you guys? Where do you find yours? What drives you to read, to write, to tell stories? You can learn more about my work in HUNTED BY THE OTHERS, or come visit me on the web:
www.JessHaines.com
Goodreads
Fan Forum
Thanks again having me and the gang over, Jacki!
3 comments:
I love these blogs! Next time I go to the book store, and add your books to my TBR pile. I do have a question though: How long have you been writing, and how long did it take to get published? Thank you so much for sharing with us!
Hi Stacie, thanks for reading my post!
I've been writing since I was a teenager, but I didn't seek an agent or publication until 2008. I was contracted with my agent in November '08, we started subbing in late January '09, and I had a three book deal by April. :)
<3,
-J
Sounds like you have been inspired by some of the greats. I love Buffy, Angel and the Dresden books.
Keep up the good work!
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