Theresa Adams
February 28, 2011Henry remembered for priorities
March 2, 2011New York Times’ bestselling author Lisa Jackson was babysitting at her Oregon home when her sister, novelist Nancy Bush, on a whim, suggested they write a book.
The idea stemmed from an article they’d just read focusing on a shortage of romance fiction in the literary world.
By the time Jackson’s sister returned to retrieve her children, Lisa had pounded out three chapters of a story.
The two would discover their niche, first in romance novels and, later, in romantic suspense novels. Jackson alone has more than 100 books in print, and Bush meandered between romance and young adult stories before switching to mystery novels. Her “Wicked Game,” “Blind Spot,” “Unseen” and “Wicked Lies” catapulted her to success.
But prior to becoming top-sellers, they’d endure a series of rejections.
“Maybe I was just young and na•ve, or maybe it was the way the letters were written, but I’d usually find something encouraging in what [potential publishers] said,” Jackson recalls. “Sometimes, they were so positive, I just kept at it.”
While Jackson’s story has a happy ending – she’s had numerous bestseller’s named to the prestigious New York Times’ book list beginning with “Fatal Burn” in April 2006, those early Harlequin paperbacks are back in circulation and her next three outlines for future books have been approved – her keynote message to those attending the 8th annual NSU Jubilee Jambalaya Writers’ Conference and Book Fair March 26: “Don’t quit your day job.”
“That’s not to say you shouldn’t pursue writing,” she’s quick to add. “You’ve got to write from the heart, write in your own unique voice and have fun with it.”
And, just as vital as a good tale, “you have to have thick skin,” Jackson says. “I’ve suffered many, many rejections. In the beginning, there were really horrible ones.”
But Jackson had had the storytelling bend from a young age. She stuck to her guns and soon had a plethora of romance novels in circulation.
Next came romantic suspense.
“I always liked high-drama, gothic and mystery,” Jackson said of her attraction to the darker side. “When I was writing for Harlequin, there wasn’t a call for that.”
But when she made the move to Kensington Publishing, “I could run plots as mysteriously and deadly as I wanted,” she said.
With the help of two former cops, a voluminous home library dedicated to virtually every psychoses, religion, rituals, murder and police procedures, Jackson continues to keep readers in suspense.
The March 22 release, “Devious,” is set in New Orleans. Seasoned detectives Rick Bentz and Reuben Montoya – first introduced to readers in “Hot Blooded” – are on the hunt for a killer that viciously garroted a novice nun. Convinced police are not doing enough to find the killer, the late nun’s sister, Valerie Houston, joins the hunt. And like any good Jackson novel, discovers life at the fictional St. Marguerite’s cathedral is far from the tranquil retreat many believe it to be.
“I love New Orleans – the culture, the history, the climate and the feel,” Jackson said. “It’s so seductive.”
The author has visited the Big Easy five or six times, most recently, prior to Hurricane Katrina. “Taking Bentz and Montoya back to New Orleans years later, after their lives have become so complicated … with bills, divorce and life, it was special,” Jackson said. “And being in that setting just adds to the story.”
In addition to delivering the keynote lunch address, Jackson will be on hand to sign copies of “Devious,” as well as her earlier releases.
Also at the day-long conference are speakers Cherry Adair, L.A. Banks, Marcel Bienvenu, Stella Cameron, Chere Coen, Don Davis, John Doucet, Woody Falgout, Rochelle Frazier, Heather Graham, Sheila Hebert-Collins, Ernest Hill, Deborah LeBlanc, David Middleton, Stella Nesanovich, Camille Pitre, Alex Sokoloff, Rosary O’Neill, Ken Wells, Paige Wheeler and Cherry Wilder.
Entries for the novel excerpt or poetry contests are open through March 11. Novel entries should include the first 1,500 works of the opening. The winner will receive $50 and a session with a New York editor.
Up to 100 lines of poetry are accepted in that contest. The winner will receive $50 and the poem will be published in a Jubilee compilation.
Registration is $35 at the door. For more information, call (985) 850-5301 or visit www.mytpl. org.
Bestselling author Lisa Jackson will sign copies of her latest New Orleans-based release, “Devious.”
Write Right: 8th Annual Jubilee Writer’s Conference and Book Fair
Where: Terrebonne Parish Library, 151 Library Drive, Houma
When: March 26, from 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.
For More Info: (985) 850-5301 or ww.mytpl.org
