Jeanneʻs Blog: authors, artists & other creative people
A Directed Blog...
My professional work crosses several fields: I am an author, narrator, motivational speaker, and design consultant. To assist entrepreneurs and executives, as well as other authors, artists, and creative professionals, I created a comprehensive blog several years ago. Recently I realized that the topics I address fall into several distinct sections. Therefore, I am in the process of moving appropriate materials from my original blog (Blog.JeanneBurrows-Johnson.com) to this blog as well as ImaginingsWordpower.com, which addresses many of the commercial interests of business professionals.
Interviews: Written and Audio
Interviewer or Subject?
No matter whether you are the interviewer or interviewee, preparation is essential! Written or audio, interviews are a wonderful opportunity for authors to communicate with their readers, listeners, and the general public...Of course, unless an interviewer has agreed to provide their subject with a full list of the topics he or she will be expected to address (let alone the specific questions on which they will be queried), the interviewee cannot be certain of the subjects they should review ahead of time. I try to have a portfolio of materials at hand for interviews, but there is no way of knowing which items will prove useful...nor how they can be certain of how they will "perform" when the moment arrives. If you have met your conversational companion in advance, and established a rapport, you should be comfortable for both an in-person or simply recorded experience, After several decades, I have usually been prepared and comfortable. Unfortunately, I had a recent interview in which I was not fully focused, as I addressed both my previous work and Yen for Murder, the latest Natalie Seachrist Hawaiian mystery...and once we were finished, I could hardly ask the delightful interviewer to allow me begin again...
Written Interviews
We are fortunate when asked to give an interview without any effort on our part. Like several of my promotional opportunities, my first interview as an author was arranged by my publisher, Geoff Habiger of Artemesia Publishing. It was with Lorna Holland, The Writing Greyhound, a books and lifestyle blogger in Northamptonshire, England. “Interview: Jeanne Burrows-Johnson,” was a chronological look at my background and the beginning of the award-winning Natalie Seachrist Hawaiian Mysteries. Like most interviewers, Lorna was interested in the process of my writing, the progression of my authorship, and the publishing process, as well as the essence of Prospect for Murder. You can read her current work at The Writing Greyhound.
Later, I was delighted to have a written interview released the day before my 71st birthday. It was based on questions posed by Naomi Bolton of ManyBooks.net. This interview focused on Murders of Conveyance.Publication and was based on my responses to questions posed by Naomi Bolton, who was especially interested in the convergence of two murders separated by sixty years, a Honolulu scavenger hunt during Chinese New Year, and a hidden jade artifact. The interview also explored my writing methodology, expansion of the series with Yen for Murder (the fourth completed book), and A Spineless Murder which is currently under way. I was especially pleased to be able to discuss Conversations with Auntie Carol, Seven Oral History Interviews with Caroline Kuliaikanu'ukapu “Wilcox DeLima Farias—a project nearing completion after thirty years.I craft product descriptions that not only describe your products but also make them irresistible to your customers. I'll help you showcase the benefits of your products and engage your audience with persuasive text. All you will require after that is an appropriate presenter!
Audio Interviews
When I was a young adult working in the performing arts, I sometimes recorded promotional pieces for plays and other events. Today, audio books, podcasts, and even drive-time radio programming, have heightened the popularity of audio interviews in numerous forms. As an author, I began giving talks and audio interviews with the publication of Prospect for Murder in 2016. My initial author audio interview was hosted by Rob Wesson on “The Professionals’ Round Table,” (with the Empire Broadcasting Group). This program highlighted myriad business professionals and I was glad to discuss the essence of my work as a branding and marketing consultant and the transition to being an author of fiction. Click below to hear this interview...
Twice I have been invited to discuss my authorship with Traci Halesvass who hosts “Write on Four Corners” on KSJE. As a retired New Mexico college English instructor, she takes particular interest highlighting the works of authors in the Southwest. Her congenial pace and curiosity about her guests welcomed me to an in-depth conversation about my developing career in mystery fiction from Prospect to Murder to Murders of Conveyance.
March 6, 2019: https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-4efvz-a9b920
October 23, 2019: https://www.podbean.com/eu/pb-dwzci-c12784
Advertising via Interviews
Sometimes it is expedient to pay to be interviewed on commercial programming. Such was the case in 2020, when I was preparing for the Tucson Festival of Books. At that time, I scheduled an interview on “Networking Arizona” (KFNX, Phoenix) hosted by Carol Blonder. I was especially pleased that a replay of the segment was scheduled for the middle of the Festival. Unfortunately, the Festival was cancelled, and I later learned that the program had not boosted sales of any of my books. If the Festival had occurred, the interview might have been a stimulus to potential attendees.
Interviews (especially blogs) are beneficial, regardless of whether they are by invitation or paid advertisement. Also, it is important to remember that the benefits of advertising and the results of other marketing work are accumulative...you can never really know how an event impacts the reader, listener, or viewer over time. It used to be said that a potential customer had to have about six interactions before they would conclude a transaction. You now have to multiply that number at least twice...
Wishing you the best in your creative endeavors,
Jeanne Burrows-Johnson, author, narrator, consultant, and motivational speaker