Were you an avid reader as a child? What type of books did you enjoy reading?
Oh, I read anything I could get my hands on. Mysteries mainly, or a little horror. I loved all those Black Stallion books and cut my reading teeth on Nancy Drew mysteries. Now, I still love a great mystery, a little horror or anything that catches my eye.
Tell us a bit about your latest book, and what inspired you to write such a story.
I decided to write a story about America's fascination with vampires. They're everywhere in books, television, and movies. I wanted to write a book that had a touch of the paranormal and cults within the pages. I already had a lead-in to that at the end of Absolute Fear where Kristi Bentz, after an accident, can suddenly "see" people turn black and white just before they die. Kristi is a popular character and deserved her own story, so Lost Souls, set in a college campus in Baton Rouge was born.
How would you describe your creative process while writing this book? Was it stream-of-consciousness writing, or did you first write an outline?
I always write a synopsis for the book. It's very detailed and usually is fifty to sixty pages. It's my road map and makes writing the actual story so much easier.
From the moment you conceived the idea for the story, to the published book, how long did it take?
Oh, that's a tough one. It takes me about two months to come up with the detailed synopsis, I think, depending upon what else I'm doing and then another three to four to write the book in its entirety. I write year round and produce two or three books a year.
Article comments
1 - Lisa Damian
Didn't Poppy Z. Brite write a vampire novel set in New Orleans titled "Lost Souls" also? Jackson's novel sounds like an interesting premise, and if it is nearly as compelling a tale as Brite's, it sounds like it might be right up my alley. I'll add it to my list of reads.