Featured Author: Marie D. Jones – A World Unimagined

Marie D. Jones

Left Hand Publisher Featured Author: Marie D. Jones Featured Author: Marie D. Jones is the best-selling author of over fifteen non-fiction books on the paranormal, cutting edge science, metaphysics, consciousness and ancient knowledge, including PSIence, The Déjà vu Enigma, The Power of Archetypes, Viral Mythology, This Book is From the Future, The Grid, Supervolcano (written with her father, geophysicist John M. Savino) and Demons, the Devil and Fallen Angels. She is a novelist with a horror middle grade series, “Shadowlanders” releasing in Spring of 2019, and a science fiction series, “W.A.R.” debuting in late 2018, written with her son Max.

http://whereslucyproductions.com and www.mariedjones.com

AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE – https://www.amazon.com/Marie-D.-Jones/e/B001JPA3KC/ref=dp_byline_cont_book_2

Marie is also an optioned screenwriter, with a science fiction project in pre-production with Bright Frontier Films, and she is developing projects for her own production company, Where’s Lucy Productions. She has written dozens of articles, essays and reviews, and contributed to over 100 anthologies, including seven “Chicken Soup for the Soul” books. She is a regular contributor to many magazines, including New Dawn, Atlantis Rising, FATE, Intrepid, MINDScape and Paranormal Underground. Marie has been on over two thousand radio shows worldwide including multiple appearances on Coast to Coast A.M., spoken at major paranormal and metaphysical events, and appears on television on “Ancient Aliens” and “Nostradamus Effect.” Her websites are www.mariedjones.com and www.whereslucyproductions.com. She is on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/MarieDJonesWriter/, Twitter at https://www.twitter.com/mariedjones, and Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/marie.d.jones.

Featured Author: Marie D. Jones Interview

LHP: How long have you been writing?

Marie D. Jones: I have been writing since I could hold a pencil or crayon. Writing and telling stories has been something I have done naturally since I was really small, according to older relatives. My grandfather told me around age 5 or 6 that I was always telling stories, and I see today how that was, and still is, true. I was so interested in exploring my world but used writing as a means of expressing what I was learning and experiencing.
Back to top >>>

LHP: What genre do you prefer to write in?

Marie D. Jones: I have always loved science fiction first and foremost, but am able to write in any genre, which is the hallmark of a real writer in my book! I have recently been writing horror screenplays, too, which is a genre I once wrote short stories in!
Back to top >>>

LHP: What/who inspired you to be a writer?

A World Unimagined, a sci-fi anthology by Left Hand Publishers
A World Unimagined, a sci-fi anthology by Left Hand Publishers

Marie D. Jones: The two people that inspired me most are Stephen King and Steven Spielberg. King was the writer I most admired and emulated as a teenager writing short stories in the horror genre for men’s magazines, which paid pretty good back in the day! Spielberg introduced me to a love of screenwriting when I saw “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” on opening day the year it came out, and I’ve never looked back. I also had a journalism teacher, Pam Ramsey, in high school who told me I could make it as a writer and probably was the most instrumental cheerleader I’ve had because from that day on, I was determined to make it work.

Back to top >>>

LHP: Describe your writing process. What comes first–character or plot? Do you “pants” it or outline?

Marie D. Jones: My writing process is very strange. I usually come up with a title first, I know, how odd, right? Then a story will build around that title, then the characters pop up and say hello. I will usually outline, but now and then just sit down and write and see what magic happens. I don’t stick to the outline much once the writing begins and the story and characters take over, but it still valuable to keep me somewhat on track. I write every single day except major holidays, or if I have the flu, and even then I think about writing. I am a workhorse and extremely driven and rarely am I not writing and moving my career forward. My goal is to die as empty of stories as I possibly can.

Back to top >>>

LHP: What is your daily/weekly routine as a writer?

Marie D. Jones: I get up and write until I realize it’s dinner time, or I have to go somewhere! I write on weekends, too, but for me it is something I just love to do, so I have to often remember to go outside and do things or get together with friends regularly. I usually write until dinner time and then after dinner, I edit or read through things or jot down notes for a variety of projects. I am a full-time writer, though, so I can do this! Others have to carve out the time when they can and be willing to sacrifice a lot of socializing to get their writing done.
Back to top >>>

LHP: Are there any software tools, resources, or websites you use often while writing?

Marie D. Jones: I use Word for novels and books, and Final Draft for scripts. I am not really good with computers and technology, I have my teenage son for that! So for me, it’s the basic programs that I am familiar with and comfortable with.
Back to top >>>

LHP: What are some of your biggest challenges you feel like you have to overcome in your writing career?

A World Unimagined, a sci-fi anthology by Left Hand Publishers
A World Unimagined, a sci-fi anthology by Left Hand Publishers

Marie D. Jones: My biggest challenge is finding the time to write all of the stories and books and scripts that are dancing around in my head. Even being able to write whenever I want is often not enough because stories haunt me, or new stories present themselves, and I feel like I need to learn to type faster…and I type pretty darn fast!

Back to top >>>

LHP: Do you have a set number of words per day you target? or do you set other goals to meet?

Marie D. Jones: I don’t have a set word count or page count for the day. I write fast, so I can get out about 5,000 words, or a few pages if needed, and tend to write until I feel a sense of being “done” or tapped out for that day. I hate leaving things undone, so I do push myself harder than most, but you have to stop or the writing becomes forced.

Back to top >>>

LHP: Do you prefer short stories or full length novels in your writing?

Marie D. Jones: I prefer full length novels but have found that sometimes the story lends itself to a shorter version – either a short story or novella. I have also found this to be true with screenplays. Some projects make great short scripts, others full-length features. It is really dictated by the story and how it wants to be told.

Back to top >>>

LHP: How much time is spent on “the business of writing” – queries, seeking an agent or publisher, marketing/sales?

Marie D. Jones: I spend maybe 25% of my time on the business side, and I am lucky enough to have a book agent, a script agent and a manager, but I am still incredibly pro-active with my career, so if there is something I can do, I do it. I should spend more time on marketing, and hope to carve out some time for that soon after I get through a few deadlines. I think the business side is just as important as the creative side, but it can be intimidating for us creative types and we tend to avoid it when we shouldn’t.

Back to top >>>

LHP: Can you give some us some insight into your story?

Marie D. Jones: My story “Brinkman’s War” came about as part of a lifelong fascination with aliens and the possibility that we have been visited by and interacting with alien civilizations throughout history. This led to me asking the question, “what if this happened during wartime?” The title came to me, then the story and character and I just sat down and wrote it. I love this story because it has a strange haunting effect on me even now when I read it, and I’ve read it many times! It feels as surreal to read it as the story itself is surreal…and I hope readers enjoy it!

Back to top >>>

LHP: What advice can you give other writers?

Marie D. Jones: The best advice I can give any writer is sit down, shut up and write. Just do it. Stop talking about it to friends, stop thinking about doing it, stop WANTING to do it and just put the butt to the chair and begin. You have one life. If you want to live it as a writer, you have to write.
Back to top >>>

A World Unimagined

Marie D. Jones recently authored “Brinkman’s War” for A World Unimagined on sale now.

Publishing, Independent, Writers, Authors, Manuscripts, marketing, EditingLeft Hand Publishers is NOT a vanity press. We will never ask the writer for an investment or to pay any part of the cost of being published. We provide our publishing services as a percentage of revenue which we participate in, once the work sells. Optional Services are available to writers who need assistance in getting their manuscripts and/or their marketing tools honed for a successful and profitable publishing experience. For various consulting services, outside of publishing, we will provide an estimate in advance at no charge. For more information, contact us at .