Stacy Juba Interview

I know you’re a wife and mother, how do you find time to write?

It would be helpful to have more hours in the day! I also have a couple of clients that I write newsletters for on a freelance basis, including the Melanoma Education Foundation. It takes time and several books to earn a steady income from writing fiction.  I put my novel-in-progress on hold for a couple more years as right now I’m up to my ears in promoting three books and I’ll be promoting four books in 2012.   I do most of my work at night, in the early morning, and about once a week when everyone is out of the house. I’ll be able to add regular writing back into my schedule in a couple years, and I also plan to update and reissue a new edition of Face-Off and release its unpublished sequel Offsides . Ultimately, I would like my work-in-progress Sign of the Messenger, which is a past recipient of the William F. Deeck Malice Domestic Grant, to develop into a mystery series when the timing is right.

At this point, I feel like I’m exactly where I should be - except I do need to force myself to slow down and enjoy the present moment and carve out more time for things like Tai Chi, exercising on my treadmill, and meditating. That’s what I’m working on right now – how to find better balance.  I firmly believe that things come more easily for you when you find balance, step back a bit, and let the universe work its magic. But, it can be a challenge to remember that when you have a lot on your plate.  

Your new book Sink or Swim is due out this December. I’m such a big reality show fan and I noticed you received testimonials from reality show stars, like Stephenie LaGrossa from Survivor: Palau, Guatemala, Heroes Vs. Villains on your website www.stacyjuba.com, how did you get them to provide the testimonials?

Since the book is about a reality show contestant returning to her normal life, I thought that it would make sense to seek testimonials from reality stars. I contacted Stephenie through the national marketing agent listed on her web site. He responded instantly and requested the early reading copy, and then she and I emailed back and forth a few times after she read the book. I was also fortunate enough to obtain testimonials from Michelle Costa, a contestant from Big Brother 10, who is from New England like my protagonist Cassidy, and Shawne Morgan, a contestant from The Amazing Race 16. I found Michelle through Facebook and she was very interested. Shawne captured my attention as I liked what I saw on her web site. She is an entrepreneur and mom, and it turns out she also belongs to a book club. They all were very reliable and I was thrilled to receive their testimonials. 

Comments

[Maria Savva]

Great interview, Stacy! It was great to learn more about your background and your upcoming books :)