NOTE: THis one is different–I am not sure whose it was but I just discovered that we’d gotten another interview back from Jane (not the one I had sent!) when I went to format it and there was not time to try to get another. Whoever it was, they asked some good questions too and I hope you will enjoy it! Remember, Jane will be giving away a free download copy of Dragon’s Pearl and Lady Luck to two lucky readers today so comment!!! AZG

CTR: You write in several genres. Which is your favorite and why?

JT: Paranormal, usually with romance, is my favorite. I think this is because at an early age I read E. A. Poe, H. P. Lovecraft and A. Merritt. Or maybe I enjoyed them because I have a natural leaning toward paranormal–who knows?

CTR: Are you a disciplined writer? Organized or impulsive?

JT: I’m pretty organized because I’m a plotter. Though I did write my first two published books, both paranormal gothics, by the seat of my pants, all that fell apart with the third book, where I discovered I needed to plot ahead to keep from wandering all over the place.

CTR: What has been your greatest triumph as a published author? What was your greatest disappointment?

JT: I suppose maybe selling to H/S on my first try felt like a great accomplishment at the time. What I didn’t realize was how I would have to limit my writing to fitting into their lines. Which may also have been my greatest disappointment.

CTR: If you could go back to your time as an unpublished author and do one thing over, what would it be?

JT: If I could go back to being unpublished, I’d start writing seriously much earlier than I did.

CTR: Do you think book covers sell books?

JT: I certainly think they do make readers pick up a book. To look at if it’s in print at a bookstore and also to check out intriguing ebook covers online. But I also think most readers want to be sure the content matches what the cover promises.

CTR: Do you think e books will ever replace print books?

JT: Not for a long time. Some readers still want what they think of as “real” books, though they’re dwindling. So eventually, yes.

CTR: What marketing strategies work best for you?

JT: I sure wish I knew. I belong to a closed group of twelve authors who promote each other, I belong to promo sites and appear on blogs and do interviews and chats, plus getting reviews. And I do have a web site (www.JaneToombs.com). But I have no clue which of these are effective.

CTR: Who are your favorite authors?

JT: I’ve had many favorites in my time. Andre Norton comes to mind. And MacCaffery and certainly Poe, Lovecraft and Merritt for paranormal. But I also read murder mysteries, where Dana Stabenow, Michael Connolly, Carol O’Connell and Nevada Barr are favorites.

CTR: What are your hobbies?

JT: You’re asking an old bat who’s had to give up many things I used to enjoy–knitting for one. Though I can still type with no problem, osteoarthritis has made some skills I once could do effortlessly impossible now. It also limits my gardening. But I still enjoy walking with the Viking from my past–just not as far. And reading.

CTR: What are you working on now?

JT: I’ve finished my Darkness of Dragons Trilogy, and Devine Destinies has published all three, Dragon’s Pearl, Dragon’s Diamond and Dragon’s Stone. But there’s a dragon novella lurking insistently in my mind, which means I’ll probably do that next despite my New Year’s Resolution. ( Not actually breaking it, as I did promise The Turquoise Dragon to Devine Destinies awhile back.) Last New Year’s Eve I looked over all my unfinished books and was ashamed of myself. Most were either trilogies or series and so I resolved to finish the first book in every one of my series before I did anything else. I started with Darkness of Dragons and finished Dragon’s Pearl. Devine Destines snapped it up so fast I then had to finish the other two books before I could begin the first one in another trilogy. I already have two books in another series, Deadly Deceit, Shadow On The Floor and Watcher At The Door, waiting to come out at Red Rose Publishing, so when they do I may have to interrupt whatever I’m doing to write Darkness On The Shore, the third. And there are eight in all. So no telling when I’ll finish the other five waiting series. But I will, if I live long enough. I take New Year’s Resolutions seriously.

Bio: Jane Toombs’ published books total over eighty along with twenty plus novellas, most in print and many in ebooks. She lives with the Viking from her past and their calico grandcat, Kinko, across the street from the south shore Of Lake Superior in Michigan’s beautiful Upper Peninsula wilderness amongst the wildlife. They enjoy marvelous summers colorful falls, terrible winters and refreshing springs.