Interview With JK Bovi

H. Schussman's Interview with JK Bovi

Heidi:

Tell us about yourself.

JK Bovi:

I live in Savannah Georgia with my wonderful husband. I have two great grown-up sons who live within “hugging distance”. I enjoy fishing and boating. I have a degree in art and I paint with acrylics. I am a professional graphic designer and work from home.

Heidi:

What does JK in JK Bovi stand for? 

JK Bovi:

Joan Kay. My mother had intended for me to be named Joankay, but they misunderstood her and separated my name on my birth certificate. JK Bovi is shorter than my full name and easy for readers to remember.

Heidi:

What genre do you write?

JK Bovi:

I write Young Adult & Teen Paranormal Humor Fiction that take place in Savannah. (boy that’s a mouthful)

Heidi:

When did you start writing?

JK Bovi:

I started writing when I was twelve. It was out of necessity more than anything else. I didn’t have any books to read, so I wrote my own story. (It was the first time I wasn’t writing for a school assignment) I really enjoyed it, and from that point on I had a story scribbled down in a spiral notebook somewhere. This was before computers. I had to write everything by hand which really makes you think more about what you’re saying when your pencil is getting shorter and shorter and your hand is cramping up. I finally got a Brothers Portable Typewriter for Christmas and it was the best gift ever!

Heidi:

Who is your all-time favorite Author?

JK Bovi:

Mark Twain. His wit is timeless.

Heidi:

Where do you write? Describe your workspace.

JK Bovi:

I write by the seat of my pants…I mean that literary. I use my ipod. It slips easily into my back pocket. I take it out and write whenever I want. (It is so much better than dragging that Brothers Typewriter around.) When I think the story is finished I move it to my computer in my work office and then it becomes a work in progress. This is the researching, spelling, double-checking, cutting, moving, editing part that polishes the story.

Half of my office has all the peripherals for a graphic designer: printer, scanner, computer, bag of gumdrops, file cabinets etc… The other half has my painting easel, paints, light box and sketches. My office walls are covered with my artwork and everything I own has a splotch of paint on it that doesn’t belong there.

Heidi:

Who is your favorite character in your story?

JK Bovi:

I don’t have a favorite character. I love all my children the same. Even the crazy mischievous dead ones.

Heidi:

Do you see yourself in any of your characters?

JK Bovi:

I would say I am most like Jenny. She is a painting major at the art college and everything she owns has a splotch of paint on it (like me). She is practical and levelheaded, but also a believer that anything is possible.

Heidi:

What are you working on now?

JK Bovi:

I have two books coming with Vinspire. Zombies Y’all! will be released in October 2015. (Southern Fried Zombiefied) Heels & Souls will be out the following year. (It’s a ghostly thing … that Savannah swing.) I am tweaking final edits for both of these. I have two more I am working on, but they are on my ipod in my back butt pocket.

Heidi:

Did you find writing a query letter a challenge, if so, how did you overcome it? Do you think there was a key phrase or idea in your QL?

JK Bovi:

I never found writing a query letter a challenge. The hard part is checking grammar and making sure to use spell-check. I keep my query letters simple and don’t fill it with flowery fluff. I like a bullet format because it is quick and easy for the submission editor to evaluate.

Heidi:

What advice do you have for a writer aspiring to be published?

JK Bovi:

Research publishers of your genre. Follow their submission guidelines. Mostly, don’t take rejection personal. Publishing is a business.

I took a lot of time researching publishing companies for Dead Man’s Fingers. I was looking for a regional (Southeast) company that would appreciate my southern sense of humor. I wanted a smaller publisher that treated their authors with dignity and offered e-books as well as printed books. I found Vinspire in Charleston and it seemed like a perfect fit. They have a diverse readership and offer humor, paranormal and young adult books. (I had a one in three shot of getting in somewhere) I kept returning to their web site to see what genre they were accepting submissions for, and when they opened the door to young adult manuscripts, I was ecstatic and ready to submit.

Be prepared. “Your dreams will come true when you least expect it”, but until then be watchful, persistent, and believe in yourself.

Heidi:

Who would you like to acknowledge?

JK Bovi:

I want to thank my husband, family and friends for their support and encouragement.

I want to thank Dinah at Schiffer Publishing who believed in me and helped get my first book Wicked Haints, published.

I want to thank Dawn and the editors at Vinspire Publishing who published Dead Man’s Fingers and welcomed me so kindly into their group of talented authors.

Heidi:

Would you be willing to share your Facebook page and website with your fans?

JK Bovi:

Of course!

Facebook

Website