Welcome to BookEnds, Gin Jones!
- By: admin | Date: May 14 2018
I’m thrilled to welcome USA Today bestselling author Gin Jones to BookEnds! I can’t wait for you to read her next cozy mystery (and no, I didn’t just sign it up because of the adorable barn cats, although they were a plus). In the meantime, enjoy learning more about her today on the blog. ~Rachel
What do you love about writing cozy mysteries?
I love that justice always prevails. That wasn’t always the case in real life when I practiced law.
Why did you choose the genre you’ve chosen?
I started out reading and writing romance, and it was a good learning experience, but romance is just not what inspires me. It took me a while to figure that out, but once I decided to try something different and started writing about killing instead of kissing, everything seemed right in my fictional worlds.
If you’re not reading or writing, what would we catch you doing?
I’m a quilter, a gardener and a patient advocate, so you’d find me playing with fabric, digging around in the dirt, or trying to shed light on the challenges experienced by patients with chronic disorders.
Do you belong to any writing organizations?
Sisters in Crime, both the national organization and the New England chapter.
Where can readers find you on the web and social media?
My website is GinJones.com. I’m @giniajo on Twitter and GinJonesMysteries on Instagram (although most of my posts recently have been kitten pictures, nothing to do with storytelling).
What’s the last book you read?
I’m a big fan of Lindsay Buroker, and read the last in her Dragon Blood series, Oaths, the day it came out.
What’s your favorite piece of writing advice you’ve received?
Rather than a single quotable tidbit, the best advice I received was fairly comprehensive, in a community started by author Jennifer Crusie. My takeaway from years of discussions was the importance of understanding story structure in order to tell a satisfying story.
Plotter or pantster?
I’m emphatically a plotter. I scare other writers by threatening to show them my plotting spreadsheets! But I still find that random little surprises show up as I turn the cells of the spreadsheet into scenes, things that I didn’t plan or have any idea would be important, and they’re often what really bring the story to life.
Synopses, love them or hate ‘em?
Because of my spreadsheets, which I update as I write the manuscript so I can see the story at a glance, synopses are easy if not exactly fun, so I don’t have strong feelings about them either way. My legal training probably helps too. Synopses are very much like the statement of facts in a legal memo.
Drink of choice when writing? When not writing?
When I need the caffeine (or just feel self-indulgent), I drink vast quantities of Dr. Pepper. (And I knew Rachel Brooks and I were a match made in literary heaven when I learned she too appreciates the appeal of Dr. Pepper.) For more relaxed times, it’s decaf green tea.
What excites you most about joining the BookEnds family?
I’ve always admired the emphasis that this particular agency places on goal-setting and hard work. It’s hard to stay on track while working solo, so I’m looking forward to having more accountability as I pursue my own publishing goals.
Hello, Gin! How interesting that you were a lawyer before you became a mystery writer. I’m excited to read your books!
Interesting but my favorite was that the thing you like about cozy mysteries is that justice always prevails. YES!
Gin, what you said: I started out reading and writing romance, and it was a good learning experience, but romance is just not what inspires me. It took me a while to figure that out, but once I decided to try something different and started writing about killing instead of kissing, everything seemed right in my fictional worlds. is exactly me (although I was already reading mysteries, so I’m not sure why I didn’t start writing them).
Congrats, Gin. Good to see you.