Sink or Swim
Stacy Juba Interview!
Deanna: Tell us a bit about yourself that our
readers might not know.
Stacy: I’ve been writing stories since elementary school
and had my first book, my young adult hockey novel Face-Off, published when I
was 18. I wrote it in high school. Later, I worked as a journalist for several
years.
Deanna: What do you do to relax?
Stacy: I do Zumba, yoga, and I love to read. I have a
special recliner chair in my living room (so comfy as it has memory foam!) and
I will sit there to read and meditate. My husband and I also enjoy watching
Once Upon a Time.
Deanna: As authors, we’ve sometimes been accused of
being several people. How many personalities live in your mind?
Stacy: A lot! There’s the Nancy Drew personality that
enjoys writing mystery stories and whodunits. There’s the romantic personality
that likes to add an element of romance to my books. There’s the sassy chick
lit girl who likes to inject humor into books. (She is a new “personality” for
me as I am finishing up my first romantic comedy.) There’s the mom who writes
books for kids from time to time. And there’s the journalist who wants to
inform people about important subjects through my blog and through writing
articles.
Deanna: What type of hero do you like best?
Stacy: I like a hero who is good-looking, funny, smart,
and treats his lady with respect.
Deanna: How many plots do you include in one of
your books?
Stacy: I usually have a main plot, a romance subplot, and
a couple of other subplots that either advance the main storyline or help with
character development.
Deanna: Tell us about a typical day in your life as a
writer
Stacy: On a typical day, I do a lot of book
promotion tasks such as doing interviews, setting up posts on my blog,
scheduling tweets, working with my intern on various marketing projects,
corresponding with book reviewers and book bloggers, and networking on Twitter.
I also spend time either writing or editing my book in progress.
Deanna: Do your books have a common theme or are they
all different?
Stacy: They are all different in one sense, as I’ve
published mystery/romantic suspense novels for adults, young adult paranormal
and sports books, and children’s books. But the one common theme is that all
the characters are at a crossroads, or a fork in the road, where they can
either remain on the same stale path or take a risk and venture into a new
direction. I branded my website as Characters at a Crossroads.
Deanna: Where does your inspiration come from?
Stacy: I am inspired by places I’ve been and things
that I’ve done over the years. For example, my mystery novel Twenty-Five Years
Ago Today was inspired by my previous job as a newspaper editorial assistant
and the Greek mythology subplot was inspired by my interest in mythology. My
work in progress, Fooling Around With Cinderella, was inspired by a family trip
to a theme park.
Deanna: What attracts you to your genre?
Stacy: In the past, I primarily wrote mystery
novels with a romance subplot. I am attracted to that genre as I’m a lifelong
mystery fan who loves a good puzzle or whodunit. Lately, I have also been
attracted to both reading and writing in the sweet romance/romantic comedy
genre. Sometimes I’m in the mood for a lighter book where no one gets killed
off and the suspense comes from the relationships.
Deanna: What was the first novel/short story/poem
you wrote? Did you ever publish it?
Stacy: My first story was The Curse of the White
Witch, and I didn’t publish it because I was in third grade. However, I
recently reread it and I was very surprised at the underlying similarities to
my published teen novel Dark Before Dawn, about a 16-year-old psychic girl who
feels like a misfit. My childhood story was about a girl with special powers
who tried to use them for good, but people were mean to her because of her
differences. I was startled by the similar themes when I reread my childhood
story.
Deanna: How did you come up with the title of your
latest book?
Stacy: Sink or Swim was named after the fictional
reality TV show in the book. My character Cassidy goes on a show where she has
to serve as a crew member about a Tall Ship, and those voted off must walk the
plank. After she returns to her normal life, Cassidy attracts a stalker and
must “sink or swim” once again in this new struggle.
Deanna: you have a specific writing style?
Stacy: Several editors have described my style as
evocative and clear, easy reading. I’m not one to write pages and pages of
description without dialogue. I’m very aware of pacing when I write and I don’t
want to write long blocky passages that readers will skim over. I blend
in descriptions and narrative in smaller chunks and write a lot of dialogue.
Deanna: Is there a message in your novel you want
your readers to grasp?
Stacy: One of the messages in Sink or Swim is about
going for it and not being afraid to take chances. Cassidy takes a chance by
going on a reality show, as she hopes to win money to start her own fitness
center. When that doesn’t pan out, she is afraid to take the plunge into
entrepreneurship. She is also commitment-shy and needs to take a chance in a
romantic relationship. She grows in the book as a result of her
experiences on the show and with her stalker.
Deanna: How much of the book is realistic?
Stacy: Cassidy works in a health club as a personal
trainer. My college major was exercise physiology and I worked in a health club
during college, so that setting was derived from my personal experience.
The book was inspired by the reality TV show craze, so I did some research into
what it’s like to be on a reality show. However, the plot is all fiction –
thankfully, since some reality contestants get killed off!
Deanna: Is there anything you find particularly
challenging in your writing?
Stacy: I find it hard to carve out regular time for
writing, as there is so much book promotion to do. That is probably my biggest
challenge.
Deanna: What kind of research do you do for your
novels?
Stacy: For Sink or Swim, I audited a firearms class
as I thought it was realistic that Cassidy might want to get a gun to protect
herself from her stalker. I’ve also interviewed police officers for my books
and I once took a Citizens Police Academy with my husband. That was fun as we
got to go on a ride-a-long in a cruiser and we also received a tour of a
prison.
Deanna: What do you hope readers gain from reading
your books?
Stacy: I hope they are entertained and that my books
distract them from the stress of their daily lives. I hope that even when
they’re not reading it, that they might be thinking about it and wondering what
happens next. I also hope that they learn something new. For example, in Sink
or Swim, readers get a behind the scenes glimpse into reality TV. In
Twenty-Five Years Ago Today, they learn about the newspaper industry and about
Greek mythology, and in my young adult thriller Dark Before Dawn, they learn
about chakras and crystals.
