Tell us about you and your books.
Do you plot or let the story unfold as you write?
A mixture of both. The first scene in the book and the last
appear in my head like short movies, usually while I’m in the shower. They
reappear at odd times until I put them on paper. For the series Creekside Dreams,
I drew a town map that I add to with each book. The ghost story writes itself
all at once as a short story. Then I research Arizona and US history for the time
and fit important events in the ghost story, weaving them into the lives of the
ghosts. The contemporary romance moves in stops and starts, I outline what I
have written as I go after the fact then add new ideas.
Are your characters based on real people?
What my characters feel and the events that affect their
lives are based on someone’s truth, mine, a family member, a friend, an
acquaintance, a stranger who sat next to me in a hotel lobby and talked about
something they experienced. A scrapbook
my mother created with pictures of several generations of her family inspired
many of the ghosts. Their personalities are a mixture of my mother and her
descriptions of earlier generations.
Have you ever cried while writing a book?
There are scenes in each of my books that touch my heart
every time I read them. Tears fell the first time I put the words on paper and
the fiftieth time I revised and edited the manuscript. Sometimes the tears are
sentimental, sometimes painful and sometimes happy.
How did you come up with the title?
The expression a man’s home is his castle always annoyed me,
after all didn’t the castle also belong to his wife and children since it was
their home too? What about his parents, they probably had the castle first? The
expression comes from English law (1505) “the house of one is to him his
castle” which is an admonition from Kings Court to use whatever force was
necessary when defending home. Because the main character is female and lives
in the hotel she operates, I decided she deserved one better, a palace. As a
single female owning her own business in 1917 Victoria not only defended her hotel,
she had enough business sense to keep it viable during two wars and a stock
market crash. She definitely earned her palace and sweet dreams.
Are you fun to go on vacation with?
Vacations tend to fall into to two types for me. Either I
see them as a chance to escape the responsibilities of my real life and write
or I’m in search of new places and adventure. When adventure is my goal, I
usually travel with my daughter and niece. They’re not always enthusiastic
about the adventure part but both enjoy traveling. In the last few years we’ve taken the train
to nowhere at Christmas in Verde Valley, bounced through an ATV adventure in Kauai,
parasailed in Maui, zip lined in Oahu, rode in a Cinderella carriage in San
Diego, and sailed with a happy hour cruise near Waikiki Beach where we spotted
whales.
What is your favorite comfort food?
My daughter found a restaurant that serves the absolute best
grilled-cheese sandwich and tomato soup, Crust in Scottsdale. Add a glass of Moscato and I’m in heaven.
Where can we find you online?
Facebook: @sjphillipsauthor
Twitter: @Stellajaynep
Instagram: @stellajaynephillipsauthor
Download Sweet Dreams at The Palace Hotel on Amazon and other online retailers
3 comments:
Great interview, Stella! You sound like quite an adventurer! Best of luck with your writing.
Hi Stella. Nice learning more about you. I don't think I could keep up with you on vacation! Wishing you much success with your writing.
I love to see as much as I can when I travel, too. I zip-lined last year in SAN LUIS OBISPO, CA. What a blast.
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