An Interview with Author Jennifer L. Miller

www.freewebs.com/hinothia/

Faith McKay

FantasyIsLove.com:
Would you like to start off by introducing yourself?

Jennifer L. Miller:
My name is Jennifer L. (Gregson) Miller. I am 29 years old and I was born and raised in Leadville, Colorado. I have three children, and am a single mother. I go to college full time, and have recently published a fantasy adventure novel called: "Speaking With Shugaan" which is the first in the four part "Hinothian Crystal Series"

FantasyIsLove.com:
How/when did you start writing?

Jennifer L. Miller:
I started writing short stories when I was about 14 with my brothers. We would sit in the floor and draw map and develop characters. In High School, a few of my friends and I would write themed stories on our "club" always outrageous and funny. I later would write, but never finish fantasy stories.

FantasyIsLove.com:
What inspired you to write fantasy in particular?

Jennifer L. Miller:
I love the fantasy Genre. My favorite authors are David Eddings and Anne McCaffrey. I've read a lot, but there is so much more I haven't had my hands on.

FantasyIsLove.com:
I know you mentioned your favorite authors, but what are your favorite fantasy novels?

Jennifer L. Miller:
Definatley the Dragonriders by Anne McCaffrey. I love Deed of Paksenarrion by Elizabeth Moon. Maybe it's the female heroes? lol

FantasyIsLove.com:
For those who haven't heard about your book yet, could you give a brief explanation of what it’s about?

Jennifer L. Miller:
It's about a young man, who discovers accidentally that he has magic. He has to go into hiding to learn to control it and keep it from the King, who has systematically been killing off all the Wizards in the land. When tragedy strikes he has to go in search of hidden magical creatures to help him in his fight against the King.

FantasyIsLove.com:
Are you working on the second book currently?

Jennifer L. Miller:
Yes, I have about half of it finished

FantasyIsLove.com:
How long did Speaking with Shugaan take you to write?

Jennifer L. Miller:
It took about one year. My goal is to write a page a day, but often I don't meet that goal

FantasyIsLove.com:
Well, you're a busy woman! Not only are you publishing novels and leading your personal life, but I know you have Word Weavers going ons, would you like to explain what Word Weavers is for those not in the know?

Jennifer L. Miller:
Word Weavers was started as a group "for authors, by authors" The whole idea of it is to support and help promote one another. We started our Trading Card program with this in mind. We wanted a place that was more about authors and not books. We feature authors with the intent of getting word out about them and their work.

FantasyIsLove.com:
When did Word Weavers start?

Jennifer L. Miller:
At the end of December of 06

FantasyIsLove.com:
How is it coming along? How has the group developed?

Jennifer L. Miller:
We have over 150 members now, most are authors, though some are fans, readers, and we even have a couple card collectors. The authors are using the boards to share ideas and give advice. The features seem to be doing a little good. The trading cards have kind of taken off. We get a request nearly every day now.

FantasyIsLove.com:
So, with Word Weavers, writers can converse about writer business, what does Word Weavers offer to the author fans? How can people use Word Weavers to find new authors?

Jennifer L. Miller:
Well, by going to the profile page, they have at their finger tips, links through the friends list to 150 or so authors of all genres. The features shed a light on specific authors. We try to put a few things in the featurs that readers and fans may not know. We are able to do that, by direct contact with the authors (through myspace). We'd love to see more readers join.

FantasyIsLove.com:
So what inspired the beginning of Word Weavers?

Jennifer L. Miller:
Actually? I was on another author’s myspace page and he had a Magic Card with his face on it, and a link to a generator. I made some for myself, showed them to my partner in crime, fellow fantasy author M.K. McWilliams and we decided to do our own. I designed some templates and then the idea of an authors group to offer them too spawned off of that.

FantasyIsLove.com:
That's great, I'm sure my husband will be amused it started with a Magic Card. So, with Word Weavers and just being an author yourself, what would you say are some of the bigger struggles of being an author?

Jennifer L. Miller:
Finding time to write I think is the biggest struggle. Most of the little known are self-promotion, even with a "real" publisher, so that is another...Just getting your name out. I think some authors struggle with being "taken seriously" no matter their genre. I think that authors float to authors as well, because we understand the struggles of it all.
I also think that writers, as a whole, need to support and promote one another. It's one of the only businesses in the world where helping the opposition, helps you as well.

FantasyIsLove.com:
When you started writing Speaking With Shugaan, did you think you'd eventually publish it and be starting an authors group and such?

Jennifer L. Miller:
I started Shugaan with the intent of actually finishing it, and publishing it. It came as a surprise that it was published and that so much has come of it. It's also the friendship with M.K. McWilliams, which started as our books were in production at the same time. We feed off of each others ideas and somehow make them grow into a reality.

FantasyIsLove.com:
Normally at the end of an interview, I ask people to give a quick "Why you should check out my project" shout out, but in the spirit of this interview, I guess instead I'll ask if you would like to give a quick shout out for "Five Authors you should be reading" (Other than Jennifer L. Miller of course!)

Jennifer L. Miller:
M.K. McWilliams, Jerod Twiford, Robert Marston Fanney, David Eddings, and Anne McCaffrey

For more information on Jennifer L. Miller, visit her website at www.freewebs.com/hinothia and see her on myspace at myspace.com/hinothia.
For more information on Word Weavers, visit myspace.com/weaversofwords

SPEAKING WITH SHUGAAN: Book One of the Hinothian Crystal 4 Part Series is available on amazon.com !