Author Interview: Jackie Trippier Holt

Today I am excited to have Jackie Tripper, author of "Dirty Monsters" stop by to tell us a bit about her writing process, how she decided to go indie and where her inspiration comes from! 

Describe DIRTY MONSTERS in five words or less.

Love hurts. So do claws.

DIRTY MONSTERS is a collection of novellas, how many stories do you intend for the series? 

11. Quite a commitment. I fleshed out ideas for the series then wrote 'Freaks Like Us', the first book, to see how it came to life. I'm currently holed up in a cottage on a Scottish island, pulling the series details together in a more organised form and I'm part way through book two.

Do you work on multiple books simultaneously? If so, what is your process? 

No, I immerse myself completely in one. Sometimes scenes from the future of the story (or other stories) pop into my head and I note them down quickly then go back to the main attraction. I have a job other than being an author and I have a family too, so trying to focus on more than one at a time would probably be impossible.

Fans of __________ will enjoy my books. 

I can't think of a comparable book or series readership where I can say "Oh, they'll love 'Freaks Like Us'!" That's partly because I can't remember when I read anything similar. It's also because I don't write to fit an audience or a genre, I write the tale as it needs to be told. Then someone asks me this question and I flounder! Needless to say, if you're a woman and looking for something with earthiness and guts in the contemporary fantasy genre, you'll enjoy this.

What are you currently reading right now? 

Last night I reached the end of 'Wolf Hall' by Hilary Mantel and felt bereft. I might go straight on to 'Bring Up The Bodies'. Stunning yet understated writing.

How did you come to the decision to go indie? 

I was encouraged by a couple of friends, one who is an indie publisher. It was a hard and terrifying decision - I think we Brits don't like to think we're bragging and 'vanity publishing' is a filthy term. Yet, I have creative friends who are musicians and bring out their own CDs and artists who sell their work - so why shouldn't I do the same? Why wait to 'be discovered'? I felt I owed it to myself to go indie. There is absolutely no way I would ever have been given a chance by a traditional publisher simply because of the way the industry is set up.

Being an indie author what impact (if any) have book bloggers had on your career? 

I'm a relative newcomer to the indie scene and still feeling my way in the book blogger environment. I really hope to gain more attention from relevant bloggers because I strongly believe they are the future: for a start, the discreditation attempts from the literati speaks volumes: you guys have them worried! In addition, indie authors I know have benefited massively from blog reviews and interviews. I just can't speak first hand yet.

Where did your inspiration for DIRTY MONSTERS come from? 

I wanted to write a scary circus story since I heard 'The Carny' by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds and read 'Something Wicked This Way Comes' by Ray Bradbury. Two decades later I took up online role playing and got involved with a troupe of performers, monsters and freaks all, that gave me insight I needed to develop the idea.

How do you respond to maybe negative (or not-so-nice) reviews? 

I haven't had any yet: it's early days. I know not everyone in the world will like my stories, so in theory it's fine if they don't. If there's genuine criticism to answer to, that needs exploring. In practice, I have no idea. Possibly cry and rage in private, then pick myself up, dust myself down, give my inner child some chocolate and get on with writing!

Any advice for aspiring authors? 

Keep notebooks for your ideas. Plan, organize, schedule. Always write wearing your pajamas  Dream, and know you can make it a reality.

This or that?

Monsters under bed or monsters in closet? Closet.

Hot chocolate or chocolate milk? Hot choc.

Kindle or Nook? Kindle.

E-Book or physical book? Physical paperback.

Unicorn or Sasquatch? Unicorn. Bigfoot used to live in my closet.

Carny or townie: carny.

From Goodreads: "Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls and children of all ages! Welcome to Burfoot's Circus, the travelling home of freaks, misfits, drop-outs and the socially inept – sometimes all of the above – come together for your entertainment pleasure tonight, out of a love of performing in some cases, and simply fear of discovery in others. 

“We have little people, fae, werewolves and mutations, hybrids and humans in The Ring together! We have demons and dogs and those who prefer to keep silent about the stories of how and why they came to join the circus.

“Yet, most important of all, we have acts! We have The Saw Man, The Cat Boy, The Violet Illusion, Fearless Henry, Lady Fortunata, Benedict The Storyteller, The Bearded Lady, Snake and too, too many more to mention.

“Catch the show now, while you can. We can't stay long in any town and who knows where we'll be next? And honestly, folks, our circus isn't what it was and certainly isn't what it should be. See it now and you'll be able to say, 'Burfoot's? I knew it before it was famous'.

“Because nothing can remain a secret forever.”

About the Author: Jackie was born and bred in Rossendale, Lancashire.

Her career has been varied: bar maid, fortune teller, market trader, public relations officer, teacher, newspaper and online journalist, copywriter and freelance writer of women’s erotica.

‘Annie, the Doll, its Thief and her Lover’ is her first novel. She is currently working on a series of novellas called ‘Dirty Monsters’.