Self-Published Author Spotlight: JF Kearney

What is the title of your book?

Once Upon a Time There Was a Girl…Troubles at Blue Bayou

Tell us about your book!

JF Kearney, author of Once Upon a Time there was a Girl: A Murder at Mobile Bay, is back with her second installment in the Cajun Lawman murder mystery series.  The complicated law man with the dogged moral compass, finds himself ensnarled in a mysterious disappearance of a girl he once knew. A girl no more, Tom’s first love Calli Tucker is now a prominent evangelist in Blue Bayou, Louisiana.   

  “My Calli…our Calli is missing, Tom,” Delia Tucker tells him during a late night call. The desperate call forces Tom to remember the night he’d walked away from Calli on a September night in 1975, never to look back.  He was being forced to look back, and to admit that Calli Tucker was still very much a part of his life.  

About the Author:

Janis Faye Kearney, author and founder of Writing our World Publishing is also a teacher, former newspaper publisher and first-ever Personal Diarist to a President.  She was a W.E.B. DuBois Fellow at Harvard University, awarded the University of Arkansas Lemke Journalism award and inducted into the Arkansas Writers Hall of Fame. She is a literary coach and ghost writer for new and emerging authors. She has authored 10 books and coauthored or ghostwritten seven. Her genres of choice are memoir, biography and murder mystery.

What inspires you to write?

Stories, people, my love of history, and my dreams of creating a better world.

How often do you write?

About six months out of the year, I write daily. The rest of the year I write from two-three days per week.

How long have you been writing? 

I began writing as a child but made writing my career in 2001.

What, according to you, is the hardest thing about writing? 

Discipline to stick to your timeline or plan.

Have you ever experienced writer’s block? If so, how long does it usually last? 

Absolutely, it has lasted from a week to a few months. I think many times it has to do with what else is going on in my life. I’m a multitasker and sometimes I find myself on overload.

Any tips you would like to share to overcome it? 

Put the story/manuscript down, walk away from it. Find another project to engage your mind. Then, once you’re not thinking of it every minute or every day…go back to it.

Describe your writing process. Do you have a routine? 

My routine is to commit to spending some time each day working on my book project. I have to have a space devoted to writing, a room away from my husband. I’m an early riser so I get a lot of my writing done by noon. Spend my day doing other real work and coming back early evening and doing a bit of rewriting. I forgive myself when I miss weekends. As I get older, I realize the importance of work-life balance.

Do you read much, and if so, who are your favorite authors?

I read a lot. I read each night before I fall asleep, and whenever I travel I take books with me to read. Often I’m reading two books at the same time. I read a diversity of authors and genres. Ernest Gaines was one of my favorites, as is Barbara Kingsolver. I grew up addicted to Agatha Christie. I discovered Eudora Welty and Zora Neale Hurston in college.

What is the most important thing about a book in your opinion?

The story, the characters, then the relationships between characters. I love good character development and great dialog.

Any advice you would like to give to aspiring writers or authors looking to self-publish? 

Write for yourself, first and foremost. There are far too many readers to try and please them all.  Take your writing seriously if you’re serious about writing – workshops, book talks, authors’ blogs, reference books on writing…learn as much about the craft as you can – the creativity will come.  If you choose to self-publish, create yourself a team who can help you produce a quality book (editors, designers, marketing, publicists, etc.).

What is the most rewarding thing about printing your book? 

The magic of being able to share mine and other’s stories with the world.

You can purchase Once Upon a Time There Was a Girl…Troubles at Blue Bayou and other books by JF Kearney on Amazon and at https://www.wowpublishing.org/books

Feeling inspired? Partner with 48 Hour Books and start your self-publishing journey. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact us! We are here to help through every step of the way.