Member Q&A: Janice Carlisle
Author: Jody Wallace
Original Publication Date in Love Notes: September 2008

Q. We’re so glad to have you as a member of MCRW.  Are you a native of Nashville or somewhere else? If somewhere else, where, and how did you end up here?

A. LaGrange, Georgia. (have lived in Utah, Texas as well) I moved here when my youngest daughter (who thinks she is my mother) moved here after college and insisted that I would love Nashville...I had my doubts, but to my great delight...I love Nashville and Franklin. Shortly after moving here, my daughter moved to KY and became a TV anchor, so I made a decision not to follow my children anymore.

Q. What made you decide to try your hand at writing romance novels (or at joining RWA/MCRW)? 

A. About twelve years ago, as my youngest left for college (I have four children and was a single mom) I decided that it was time for me to do whatever I wanted to do. I watched an interview about Romance Writers and thought...I could do that. HOW NAIVE I was. I thought all you had to do was to write a novel, send it to a publisher and received a big, fat check. That was two million rejection letters ago... so I told myself...I would simply write for my own enjoyment. Then about three years ago I began to get itchy feet...I want to see my books on the New York Times Best Seller's list...I have even practiced my speech when I accept the Oscar for best screen play. Haven't we all???

Q. Tell us about your "WIP" or work-in-progress?  What in specific do you write?

A. I have six manuscripts finished. They are contemporary mystery romances and I have even had two published with "on-demand" self publishing, but this is not what I want. I want to be a good writer and I want to learn from those who have the same goals and perhaps learn what they already know. I now understand that in order to realize my dreams I must address the business part of writing...networking, workshops, listening, learning.

Q: How do you balance your writing with your other responsibilities? (Yes, as always, I'm looking for tips...)

A. All four of my children are now grown and live in other states. I live alone, but work full time at St. Thomas Hospital, so it is much easier than it would have been when I had to balance homework, science projects, cupcakes, scouts and ballet.

Q. What do you do when you're not writing?  Do you have a "day" job, hobbies, obsessions?

A. As stated above, I do have a day job. St. Thomas Hospital. I love to read and I am an artist and was once an art teacher (private lessons to children). I paint to relax.

Q. Do you have children, pets, plants, a spouse, dust bunnies, a thimble collection or anything like that?

A. Alas, my pets have all died now. I have four grown children. (two in Utah, one in Texas and one in Kentucky) Four grandchildren (Oldest daughter has three, middle daughter has one) I breed dust bunnies but have yet to find a market for them.

Q. What are some of your favorite books, romance and other?

A. I love the classics (Dickens, Shakespeare) but I enjoy all sorts of books from Romance, Biography, mystery, suspense, poetry. Lord of the Rings was one of my favorite set of books long before anyone had ever heard of a hobbit. I first read them in the early 70's and I enjoy that sort of fantasy (C.S Lewis as well) I like many Romance authors (Nora Roberts, Sandra Brown, Danielle Steele. The first romance novel I ever read was by Barbara Cartland and I was hooked (before that I was a literary snob...and would not be caught dead reading such things.)

Q. If you could go on a dream vacation anywhere in the world on someone else's perfectly legitimate dime, where would you go, who would you take, and what would you do? 

A. I would go to Ireland, Italy and Paris. Ireland (land of my ancestors) and I would walk along the cliffs and allow my imagination to take wing. (I'd take my youngest daughter with me because she would enjoy the magic as much as I would. To Paris to see the Lourve and the art and I would walk the wonderful rain-soaked avenues and absorb the sights and smells of the city....I would take my son (who is also an artist, albeit on the edge sometimes with his art...but an artist nonetheless) and to Italy to absorb the food, wine and atmosphere...I'd take both my youngest daughter and son. My middle daughter is a cowgirl through and through...breaks and trains horses in Texas and my oldest daughter is really into other things, which is fine, but my youngest two, I fear, have the gypsy heart of their mother in them.

Q: Tell us a secret!

A. Like Peter Pan, I fear I shall never grow up....I love the worlds I (and others) create much better, sometimes, than the one where I reside. However, after raising four beautiful children...as a single mom, I feel justified in retreating there from time to time. I am a hopeless romantic...so I am a romance writer.

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