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Many of
you on Facebook have voiced your desire to read interviews of artists
of all kinds. Well you're in luck since this has spawned a brand new
segment that has been aptly named 'Meeting of Artistic Minds'. Today
we spotlight photographer and author Etta Jean who is having the
second book of her Chronicle series, Chronicle of Summer, being
released February 14th. Speaking with her, this young
woman who seems to have a multitude of muses has not only a handful
of other mediums she enjoys but has a personality as colorfully
woven as the worlds she creates.
Of
the various mediums, what was it about photography, clay miniatures
and writing that captured
your attention to the point that you wished to focus on those?
As
is my way, I got into my various mediums almost on accident. I never
set out thinking "I'm going
to do this." Photography was actually inspired in me by my
uncle. I was twelve, and we had
gone to Disney World. I had a point-and-shoot, and he had a 35mm
Mamiya. He and my mother
realized I had taken the better photos and urged me to try a class. I
figured "why not?" and
did so. I was immediately hooked. There's something about the
capturing of a piece of time,
of permanently making a memory, that moves me. Something about
showing someone that
they are beautiful—even against society's conventions—that drives
me.
Clay
miniatures . . . I have to blame my best friend, Cheyenne, for that
one. She started playing
with clay, and I'd been admiring mini food art, and I just decided to
give it a try, and again
I was hooked. It's rather therapeutic to make adorable mini versions
of food that I can't eat
for whatever reason.
My
writing . . . wow. It consumes such a large piece of my soul. It is
my salvation in so many ways.
I've always loved to read, loved worlds and words and escaping into
make-believe. I had a teacher push me into writing a ridiculous short
story, and it was a gateway drug. The doors had opened. The
characters I have created—three in particular come to mind— are a
living, breathing, piece of me. A small part of me doesn't think
they're merely a figment of my mind. Somewhere, in another plane,
they exist, and they tell me their stories so that they are not lost
to time.
For
your photography and writing, was there a specific source of
inspiration or influence that has
been influential to each? If so, could you please share?
My
photography has been influenced by the works of Ralph Gibson , Edward Weston (1886-1956), Ansel Adams (1902-1984),
and Annie Leibowitz. The first two for their stark and wonderful
dance with light and dark,
Ansel Adams because of his eye for detail and making the mundane
spectacular, and Annie
Leibowitz because of her ability to connect to her subjects and bring
out a powerful sense
of intimacy. All of those elements are what I want to bring together
into my work. I want to
create connections and draw out breathless delight and sometimes I
even want to inspire tears.
Life is laughter and pain, and I want to show life in its whole.
My
writing has been influenced by Nora Roberts, Linda Howard, Kay Hooper, and Christine Feehan.
I will grab every book they write even if I don't know yet what it is
about. They drag me into their worlds where I can't escape until I'm
done. I'm an insanely fast reader to begin with, but I'll knock out
whole books in two hours because I can't put it down. That's
the kind of thing I strive to create in my own work: a world you feel
so deeply that you just have to know what happens next. Supposedly
I'm succeeding. I've been accused of making people miss their bus
stops. Whoopsie!
When
it comes to your writing, is there a genre that you prefer writing in
more than others?
I'm
a romantic, so there will always be
a romance at the core of my stories. Saucy romances, of
course, because the spice is half the fun. Branching from the romance
base, I prefer to move
into fantasy or paranormal. A fantasy world where I make the rules,
or a paranormal one where I bend the rules to my whims. There is so
much mundane about my life, about many of our lives, that being able
to step through the veil and find some faeries or magic helps bring a
renewal. I can face the everyday grind if I can go home and throw
some fireballs in text.
Some
authors enjoy having fan-made art based off of either their
characters or situations that occurred
in their stories. Is there a character (or characters) that you would
like to see an artistic
interpretation of? If you could have any artist whose style you enjoy
to do a piece of work
for your writing, who would you choose?
I
would probably squeal like a little girl and jump up and down if
someone made me fanart! I would
love to touch an
artist deeply enough that they see my worlds/character so clearly
that they
just have to express their fandom via their chosen medium. To me,
there is no greater gift to an artist than the gift of art from
another.
Characters
I'd love to see interpreted . . . Sparkle and Daylar from CHRONICLE
OF
DESTINY/SUMMER.
Being a photographer, I found the perfect models for Tariah, Dominic,
and
Kelsey, but my little Kin Fae have eluded me. There's actually
another character I'd love to see even more but she's from a story
not yet released, so I can't say much about her—yet.
I
have three artists whose work I love enough that I'd FLIP if they
just randomly gave me
fanart.
One is Brianna Garcia (dA).
She has such a wonderful style, and she does awesome things
like turn characters into My Little Ponys without losing the
character's style. So fun! Another
is Charlie Bowater (dA).
She has a more realistic style and her range of depth and color
is yummy. The third is actually YOU, Ms. Dawn Star Wood. As if the
way I'm always dogging
your heels and hiring you wasn't a clue! (By the way, my birthday is
in August. Just a hint.)
With
your new novel approaching its release date, is there a memorable
excerpt from either Chronicle
of Destiny or its continuation Chronicle of Summer you wish to share
with readers?
This
is a fun bit from SUMMER where we're getting to know one of the main
characters, C.J.
He
and his best friend Cole . . . well, there's a reason I loved writing
those boys.
*****
"They
won't turn my skin blue, will they?"
"Blue?"
She blinked then hid a smile. "No, they won't, I promise. You
might be a little
more
sensitive to the sun though, so take care not to get a burn."
She put the herbs in a bowl
and
began to expertly grind them into a fine powder. "I'll make it
into a lotion you can rub into
your
skin. It's more effective than eating them. And anyway, they might
make your stomach
upset."
"I've
eaten Cole's cooking and survived."
When
Cole didn't say anything, Kappa lifted a brow. "No witty
comeback?"
"I
can't argue with the truth," was the dry response. "If they
really want to get rid of the
Elite,
they should feed them my attempt at sweetbread. It's probably more
lethal than a fireball
from
a Master Fire Magi."
She
bit her lip to hide a smile. Without another word, she finished
grinding the herbs.
She
then added a liquid serum from some desert flowers to make it into a
spreadable
condition.
"The only side effect other than the sensitivity to the sun will
be that you might smell
like
flowers."
"I'm
a Soil Magi," C.J. pointed out. "I frequently smell like
anything that has to do with
growth.
Spring is the worst. The findral keep trying to chew on my hair."
"That's
why it's so short," Cole offered. "We couldn't get the
findral away fast enough."
"Are
you sure you're not brothers?"
The
males grinned at each other. "Well, in a way we are," C.J.
admitted. "We've been
best
friends ever since I was twelve. No one knows me as well as Cole
does. Actually, I've
never
been comfortable around anyone but Cole, so that's part of it as
well."
*****
Thanks
for having me on your blog, Dawn! The coffee is on me next time.
----
Many thanks to the lovely and delightful Etta Jean for taking the time to answer some questions and taking me by surprise by some of her answers. If you're interested in getting a copy of her Chronicle of Destiny or her upcoming release Chronicle of Summer, here is some information for you to check out:
Amazon.com: Chronicle of Destiny (Kindle) - $2.99
Amazon.com: Chronicle of Destiny (Paperback) - $13.21
Genocide.
It marks the history of the Chronicle race. The populous Magi erased
their more powerful cousins from the face of Lucksphere two thousand
years ago, and any Chronicles discovered in the time since are
murdered on sight. Tariah Chronis is a Chronicle. Her survival lays
in a combination of her parents' love and a crafty disguise by a
sympathetic member of the Kin race. Her continued survival hinges on
her control of her emotions. When those emotions are released, her
identity is revealed and her destiny secured. Now she is on the run,
following the map buried within the lines on her body that will lead
her to her other half: a Fury. Dominic Whisperer is a Fury. He has
lived three centuries waiting for the day he will die. A Fury always
feels the birth of their Chronicle, and they always feel their death.
A Fury whose Chronicle dies will suffer endlessly until put out of
their misery. Twenty years ago, Dominic put his affairs in order and
prepared for that day. It didn't come. Now Tariah and Dominic will
have to fight for their right to live, and to do it, they might have
to save the very world that wants them dead.
Want
to follow the wonderful Etta Jean via social media or check out her
other work? She has you covered:
Facebook:
Etta Jean (Author) / Stacy J. Garrett (Photographer)
Website:
EttaJeanFantasy.com
deviantART:
CryticalVision.deviantart.com
