Say Hi to Jessica Bell, author of String Bridge

First of all, I suck. I was supposed to post this yesterday, but - guess what - epic #Tessafail once again. (I've stopped trying to schedule things because it ALWAYS goes wrong somehow)


Jessica, I'm SOOO SOORRY!!


Welcome to Interview Saturday @ Tessa's Blurb! (*edit: OKAY so technically it's Sunday now, just imagine it were still Saturday!)


And doesn't that sound nice? Maybe I should make it a feature... ; P


I have a special treat for you today - Jessica Bell, writer and blogger extraordinaire, author of the recently released String Bridge, has been so kind as to let me interview her today. She's been busy busy busy this past month, zipping back and forth on her String Bridge tour, so I've decided to forgo the usual interview questions and ask her something DIFFERENT! HA!


But first, here's a little something about Jessica:


Jessica Bell is a literary women's fiction author, poet and singer/songwriter who grew up in Melbourne, Australia, to two gothic rock musicians who had successful independent careers during the '80s and early '90s.

She spent much of her childhood travelling to and from Australia to Europe, experiencing two entirely different worlds, yet feeling equally at home in both environments. She currently lives in Athens, Greece and works as a freelance writer/editor for English Language Teaching publishers worldwide, such as HarperCollins, Pearson Education and Macmillan Education.

In addition to String Bridge, Jessica has published a book of poetry called Twisted Velvet Chains. A full list of poems and short stories published in various anthologies and literary magazines can be found under Published Works & Awards, on her website.

From September 2012 Jessica will be hosting the Homeric Writers' Retreat & Workshop on the Greek island of Ithaca, home of Odysseus.


And now, the questions.... 


Tessa: Hello Jessica! Thank you for taking the time to pop in on my blog and answer my questions. Let's get right to the meat of it, shall we? You write about music with such poetry that it seems to me this must be something very, very close to your heart - both music and poetry, that is. So here's my first question - if you had to choose one single instrument - voice and pen included - what would you want to be? (I write fantasy stories, remember ; ) )


Jessica: Ha! I hate these sorts of questions. I guess it would be my voice, because then I could sing and tell someone else what to write for me 


Tessa: Sneaky! And what if you could do only one thing, music or writing? Or are they so intertwined for you that they're one and the same? 


Jessica: Definitely intertwined. What are you trying to do to me, Tessa? You’re as cheeky as Tessa is in my novel 


Tessa: Good to know I live up to the name! You live in Athens - do you find your surroundings inspiring? Or maybe something Greek just 'sneaks' into your writing, on occasion? Or do you think your writing would be the same if you lived somewhere else?


Jessica: I think being here is definitely inspiring. Sometimes I’m actually afraid I might forget how English speakers interact, because Greeks use their hands a lot.

Tessa: As a writer, I find myself reading a lot. More than a lot, in fact... ; P Is it like that for you? Do you have a favourite read, ever? Poetry, lyrics, novels - is there something you read, over and over again, something you can't leave on the shelf? 

Jessica: Everyone has asked me this! Housekeeping, by Marilynne Robinson. Read it cover to cover numerous times and each time I’ve gotten something new out of it.

Tessa: Oh no! And here I wanted to be original. Ah well. Housekeeping? I don't think I've heard of that one before. I'll have to look it up! Ok, so at the risk of not being original... Do you have a favourite place and time to write? I'm partial to the local coffe shop, myself - whenever I can spare an hour or so. Or maybe you stay at your desk, approach it like a job and write for a set amount of time? 

Jessica: I love writing in my purple and blue office, but I never approach it like a job. I write when I feel like it. But I can’t just sit and write for an hour. If I sit down to write I want to be able to dedicate an entire day to it.

Tessa: The whole day, really? That's dedication! I can only write for a couple of hours at a time before my muse runs screaming. Okay, one last question and I'll leave you to go write... What, exactly, is a "biriki"*?

Jessica: It’s a little pot that you make Greek coffee in!

Tessa: Ah! That explains a lot. I should know that, really, considering my addiction to coffee! Thank you, Jessica, for answering my questions, good luck this book and with all your future writing! 

Tune in again tomorrow (*edit: later today) for a review of Jessica's debut novel, String Bridge. 

* it's mentioned in the book


You should also visit Jessica's wonderful BLOG and her WEBSITE. There's a Book Website, too.


Other interesting interviews with Jessica:


Madeline Sharples (interview/review)
Emily White (interview)
Pam Torres  (review/interview)


If you want to buy the book, you can do so here:

eBook

Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/String-Bridge-ebook/dp/B005Y48DF6/ref=sr_1_1_title_0_main?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1319369262&sr=1-1

Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/String-Bridge-ebook/dp/B005Y48DF6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1319370801&sr=8-1

Paperback:

Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/string-bridge-jessica-bell/1030101696

Soundtrack:

iTunes: http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?playlistId=465313522

Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/Melody-Hill-Other-Side/dp/B005P7ARNS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1317118328&sr=8-1

Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Melody-Hill-Other-Side/dp/B005P7G02A/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1317118484&sr=8-1