Interview with Jane Beckenham By Yvonne Eve Walus
Jane Beckenham’s latest novel, Always a Bridesmaid, was published earlier this year by Treble Heart Books. It is a contemporary romance set here in New Zealand in the wild lands of the Uruweras. 1. I’ll start with a cliché question, Jane: why are you a writer? I think it’s a love of a good story, a vivid imagination and stories in my head that won’t go away. Probably makes me sounds a nutcase, but although some days are hard work, it’s something I can’t give up.
2. I can understand that. Still, writing is not a very lucrative career nowadays, unless you're King or Rowling. So, is writing your sole profession, or do you have another career?
Try chief cook and bottle washer, plus mum’s taxi service to two teens. But, I am quite lucky; I work only part time, after having several major operations a few years ago. I do work at my writing as if it is my ‘job’, though: I write every day, and often late into the night.
3. All right, but if you could be anything else in the world, what would you be?
Thin! No, seriously, I don’t think I’d like to be anything else, but I would like more hours in the day. I love what I can do with words, the pictures I can create, the characters that scream at me to write them on the page. Why would I want to do anything else?
4. Tell us more about your books.
My first published book was co-authored by myself and Ellen Ben-Sefer. Ellen is an American living in Australia and we met via the internet when she needed someone to critique her time travel novel. I offered. We both have a love of travel and have lived in Israel and said wouldn’t it be nice to write about Israel and time travel/romance. Well the next day, via email I received chapter one and WOMAN OF VALOR was born. In those days I worked nights, so I wrote all day. (I was younger then!). Valor is set in ancient Judea, a time when the Romans occupied the land. It’s sequel (although a stand alone book really) LEAP OF FAITH is due
Comments