Interviews

October 2021 - Interview JJ Ames

Happy October everyone! I hope everyone is well during this challenging time of navigating the pandemic.

It's Sufiena (Sophie) here hosting for this month's Interview session. And I have with me is the author of Life, which is featured in our Book of The Month for October 2021. Please welcome JJ_Ames (JJ).

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Sophie: Hello, JJ. It's wonderful to have you here. Describe your feelings when you are being selected to be featured in the Adultfiction Book of The Month. Were you expecting this kind of opportunity?

JJ : This feature for Adultfiction Book of the Month came out of the blue, for me. I do not expect things like this happening though they are great when they do. The feeling of my work being appreciated gives me renewed enthusiasm for writing.

Sophie: Before we delve deeper into your works and your engagements in Wattpad, I learned that some elements of your stories are inspired from your life, experiences and observations. Perhaps you can tell us about yourself, what do you do for a living out-side Wattpad, and your journey into writing.

JJ: It is true, my style of writing is based on personal experiences and the world around me, and I have worked many positions in life. But the one position that gave me insights into people was being a retail salesperson in the city. More specifically working the poorest part of the city after working in the most affluent area of the city. I never let a chance go by to interact with people from all walks of life.

The journey on Wattpad began decades in the making, filling book after book of my ideas. Though I joined Wattpad after my mother passed away and everything, I wrote previously was just practice. I started fresh.

Sophie: I see, so that explains your depth of knowledge on various types of countries, from emerging countries to the developed ones.

And speaking of your late mother, bless her soul. I'm intrigued by the fact that you included her in one of your works. How does she inspire you to write? Are there any other people/events in your life contributed to any characters or plots in your stories?

JJ: My mother was the storyteller for me. But her stories were her experiences, not of fairytales or distant places but of her growing up in a much more innocent world. The one story from my mother I used in Big Elbow with the baby chicks was one of her earliest memories.

The character Dana in the upcoming novel, Darkest Path, is based on my ex-girlfriend. In my novel Life, I write about the town I live in and the neighbours around me.

Sophie: When you say, your mother's earliest memories, meaning it was when she was young?

JJ: Yes, my mother often talked about growing up with her grandmother on the farm. The baby chick story would be when she was only 3 or 4 years old.

Sophie: It's wonderful how experiences, memories could shape up the plot to your writing. Other than experience, you did research too. I recall our earlier conversation prior this interview; you mentioned doing thorough research on the topic of interest in your writing process so that the plots are true reflective of the actual events. Can you elaborate further on your writing process, like from the inception of an idea to completion of a draft that's ready for posting?