Jessica Berg Author Bio:
Hello! I’m a Midwest girl, born and raised, and my farming/rural background has played an integral part in who I am and what I do. I live in South Dakota with my husband of twenty years and four children (two boys and two girls), and a supposed-to-be miniature Australian shepherd. Something must have jumped the fence, however, as Fitz is a bigature and larger than even normal Australian shepherds. Welcome to my world!
I love my job as a high school English teacher and the 23-24 school year will be my 19th year! I also am an adjunct English professor with two local universities.
What inspires you to write?
There are a lot of things that inspire me to write but I mainly take inspiration from three things: my love of family, the prairie in which I grew up, and the intricate human relationships that bind us all together, for good or bad.
Tell us about your writing process.
The inner battle between outliner and pantser is an eternal one with me! My natural tendency is to write by the seat of my pants and then freak out when things devolve into chaos. My brain tells me to outline, and whenever I ignore logic and order, guess what happens? If you guessed that I regret pantsing and start outlining, you'd be correct.
For my outlining, I use Novel Factory. I have tried poster board and sticky notes, but it's too willy-nilly for my brain to handle. I wish I used this method as I love all the colors and it would give me a reason to feed my Sharpie addiction, but alas, I stick to online outlining.
I am not an author who does character sketches. I do have a basis for their wants, needs, and motivations, but I don't do personality tests, etc. I don't even know their birthdays (unless it's pivotal to the plot). For me, my readers are so real in my head, and I want to give them life in my manuscript, not spend time writing up sketches. I know this works for many authors, but all authors write and create differently, and what works for one might not work for another.
For Fiction Writers: Do you listen (or talk to) to your characters?
While I often joke and say that I write to quiet the voices in my head, I don't listen or talk to my authors. My interaction with them is knowing them well enough to know if they would say or do something. Now, my gut will tell me that a piece of dialogue is wrong or that a character would not do what I just had him/her do. I think my natural instinct comes from just knowing people and my avid reading habit.
Who are your favorite authors?
I am an Austenite, and you can't convince me otherwise. I've been in love with her writing since I was a teenager, and that love has not wavered. If anything, as I grow older (maybe a little wiser), I understand her work better. Pride and Prejudice is my favorite of hers, followed by a tie between Persuasion and Northanger Abbey.
Agatha Christie is my second favorite author, and I've devoured all her works. While there are one or two that don't tickle my fancy, I enjoy 98% of her works, and with her extensive list, that's a ringing endorsement!
After these two ladies, I have quite an eclectic taste in books. I like anything that's not YA or horror.
What genres do you write?
Contemporary Romance, Romantic Suspense, Cozy Mystery
How did you choose the genre(s) you write?
My first love was contemporary romance, and as that is was I primarily read, that's what I felt most comfortable writing. After realizing how much I loved cozy mysteries, I wanted to challenge myself and see if I could write one. And, boy, did I have fun!
What three things are on your writing desk at any given moment?
Coffee … always coffee, pen and paper, and my lucky Jane Austen figurine.
What hobbies do you have when you need a break from writing?
When my four children, husband, and dog do not demand my attention, I enjoy playing piano, embroidering, tending my flowers, and exercising.
What formats are your books in?
eBook, Print, Audiobook
Website(s)
Home Page Link
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Author’s Social Media Links
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All information is provided by the author and is presented as it was submitted so you the reader get to hear the author’s own “voice” in their interview.
