We had the good fortune of connecting with Jeanne Skartsiaris and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jeanne, is there something that you feel is most responsible for your success?
Success? Ha! A writer spends years crafting a book then pounds the pavement to sell it – or, too often, give them away. I won’t say I’m successful monetarily but feel a sense of accomplishment having written and published books. (I still have a day job). Writing is a part of me and I will continue to sit my rear end at a keyboard. Perhaps a spark will ignite and one of my books will take off. In the meantime, I’m grateful and appreciate the process of telling stories. Marketing is the hard part!

 

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Being an author is like running a race. The writing is what motivates me. I love to tell stories. I hate marketing though – and that’s an important part of this race. I’d managed to complete four manuscripts before I published. And that was fun – writing without the pressure of getting it “out there.” I self-published two YA books (Surviving Life and Snow Globe) before traditionally publishing Dance Like You Mean It. It is such a great feeling to hold a finished book that you’ve written. You want to jump up and tell the world. And that’s the hard part – getting it into the world’s readers,. Finding an audience. Marketing your work. It’s all part of the process though. I’m still jumping hurdles. Falling some, but soaring when a reader offers a great review. That makes it worthwhile. Writing is a journey and I try to savor every part of the ride.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Mostly I’m incredibly boring. My best times are hanging with friends, sipping vino and laughing. I would take my bestie on a long walk around White Rock. Grab lunch at zizikis before we went to the DMA.(Preferably for a lively Arts and Letters author). A Segway trip around downtown and a quiet wine bar like Times Ten Cellar. Painting With a Twist on Lover’s and a delicious dinner at Asian MInt.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I’m lucky to have a great critique group to beat the pages out of me. It’s an art to be able to slash one’s work, yet still be great friends.

Website: www.jeanneskartsiaris.com
Instagram: JSkartsiaris
Twitter: @jskartsiaris
Facebook: Jeanne Skartsiaris, author

Image Credits
Book signing at Leaves Book and Tea Shop.