AN AUTHOR INTERVIEW WITH JEAN CAMPION

This month’s interview is with good friend and author Jean Campion. Jean is well-known in southwest Colorado as local author and historian,and is available to speak at book clubs, libraries, or other groups. Her e-mail address is jeancampion@frontier.net if you are interested.
Her two historical novels, Minta Forever and Return to Rockytop , are favorites among the folks in the Four Corners, since the Marvel area (south of Durango, CO) is the setting for both stories. Leave a comment here on the blog for a chance to win a copy of one of Jean's books.

Welcome to Barb’s Author Interviews, Jean. Let’s begin with a few facts about you that might interest your readers.
My husband and I adopted two siblings when they were seven and five and then had a “miracle” baby. I lived on top of a mountain in Dinosaur National Monument one summer while working as a fire lookout. I have been a volunteer at a local thrift shop sorting clothing for over fifteen years.

How long have you been writing?
The first thing I remember writing was a skit for a play my 4-H club put on when I was about ten.

Of the two novels you’ve had published, which is your favorite?
Since they are a set, I couldn’t chose one over the other. I could say Minta because it was my first. Or I could say Rockytop because it completes Minta’s story.

Which is your favorite character?
Minta, obviously. One of my secret fantasies is to be a one-room school teacher at the turn of the century. She’s as close as I can get to that in this life.

What is your current WIP?
I’m about half done with a third book in the Minta saga. It takes place ten years after Return to Rockytop but has the same setting and some of the same characters. Different plot, however.

Do you have a favorite scripture or quote?
“Books are the quietest and most constant of friends. They are the most accessible and Wisest of counselors and the most patient of teachers.” –Charles W. Elliot. At least today. Ask me tomorrow and it will probably be a different one. I keep a notebook of quotes I like, so there are a lot of them.

Where do you get ideas for your stories?
I do a lot of research into local history, especially the history of the one-room schools. The story ideas fall into my lap as a result.

Where do you get ideas for your characters?
That’s harder. I start with the main character. It has to be someone I like and know enough about to write a whole book about. She (or he) doesn’t have to be like me, but I have to at least be able to imagine myself in her shoes. Then I just imagine who the main character interacts with and the rest of the characters kind of write themselves. I can’t explain it. Sometimes I’m typing conversations these people are having and I have no idea where it comes from. It just comes.

What “writing stuff” do you keep handy while you work?
A calendar for the year I’m writing about (gotten off the internet), old dictionary to make sure I don’t use terms that are too modern for my time period, thesaurus, old textbooks from my collection, file of research material I’ve collected on the time period and area I’m writing about, and a map of the area I’m writing about.

What are you currently reading?
I belong to a book club and read one book a month for that. In addition I read four to ten other books per month. I usually have three going at once: a fiction, a nonfiction, and the club book. Right now I’m reading The Shipping News by E. Annie Proulx for the club, Hillside Letters A to Z: A Guide to Hometown Landmarks by Evelyn Corning that I bought at a museum in Florence, AZ, and Angel Time by Anne Rice.

Is there an author who has influenced your writing? Who and why?
Too many to name them all. The most influential, though, was Harriet Beecher Stowe because she was my grandmothers’ great aunt. I grew up thinking women in my family could be writers and that was very empowering to me.

Describe a typical writing day.
I’m too inconsistent to have a typical day. A good day: I wake up at 4 a.m. with a brilliant idea. I get up and write for two hours, then have breakfast. After a long walk I write another two hours, edit what I’ve written, and quit for the day. Then I can spend the rest of the day doing housework, reading, napping, etc. without feeling guilty that I haven’t written. When I’m on a deadline or really involved in something I sometimes write for six hours, but usually two to four is it.


What would you hope readers will take away from your books?
I hope my readers would feel they’d been entertained while learning something new and take away a new appreciation for the lives of our ancestors.

It's been a joy to have you here on my blog, Jean. Thanks so much for agreeing to interview. And readers, please don't forget to leave a comment. You just may win a copy of one of Jean's novels.