Today I have a great author interview. This woman has lived a very interesting life. Let's get to know her a bit more.
J.D.Wynne grew up in the Midwest. In 2003 she was deployed to Afghanistan with her Army Reserve unit to serve as a prison guard housing suspected terrorists.
Upon returning to the states she received her Bachelor's of Science in Psychology. Wynne began to write Soldier On when she was a stay at home mother raising her two children. She now lives and teaches in the Southern California area.
When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?
I think the first time I had a desire to write was in 2009 after the passing of someone very special to me. I was so saddened by it I used writing as an outlet for my grief.
How long did it take you to write a book?
I began to write Soldier On in July of 2009 and completed it in May of 2015. So it basically took me seven years to finish my novel.
What was your work schedule like when you were writing?
Fortunately, I was a stay at home mother when I began the book. Each night after I put the children to bed I would work away at my story. I would spend about thirty minutes per night working on it.
What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?
I could only write in my bedroom. I tried to write in other spots but I think the bedroom made me feel most comfortable with my thoughts. I always had to have a glass of red wine on the bedside table too, it was my ritual.
Where did you get the information of ideas for your book?
The idea for my book came after I was dusting my bookshelf. I pulled out a book I had my fellow soldiers sign while on deployment in Afghanistan. As I sat there and read their comments I laughed and cried and felt overwhelmed with emotion. I knew that I had to write about it. My story, though fiction, is about people mostly. It was my tribute to the people who I became so close to, to the people that had touched my life in such a profound way.
When did you write your first book and how old were you?
Soldier On is my first book and I began to write it at 29 years of age. I completed it at 35 years old.
What do you like to do when you’re not writing?
I love to walk. I feel like walking clears my head of the negative and helps me focus on the positive. I guess it my form of meditation.
What was the most surprising things you learned in creating your books?
I hear writer’s say this all the time but it is so true, the story took me rather than me taking the story. I had an idea of what I wanted in the beginning but the book didn’t turn out the way I had imagined it at all. It was really a wonderful thing and kept the book interesting for me.
Who are some of your favorite authors that you feel were influential in your work? What impact have they had on your writing?
Hands down my favorite author is J.K. Rowling. I could read the Harry Potter books a million times and never get bored. Rowling is such an inspiration to me because despite her odds she went after her dreams. I think it must have taken a plethora of courage, grit, and determination to write such an amazing book with little means.
Though my book is nothing like the Harry Potters series it was Rowling’s journey that kept me focused on my own.
What do you think makes a good story?
I love characters, the story can be as cliché as they come but if the characters are good I’m hooked. I am a people person, so when a writer can develop a character that is interesting yet relatable, I am engrossed.
Thank you so much for spending time with us today! I really enjoyed learning more about you!
Check out her book Soldier On
Molly McKinney embarks on the journey of her life after rashly joining the Army Reserve before 9/11. Called to active duty, she lands in the most unlikely place for a nineteen year old aspiring doctor; as an MP in a prison facility in Bagram Afghanistan.
Molly finds her new role as a prison guard challenging especially when Beck, an insanely handsome sergeant (who's only facial expression when it comes to Molly is indifference) is always waiting for her to slip up, justifying his belief in her unsuitability to the job.
Molly leans on Specialist Shaw, a humorous Bostonian, to get through the often uncomfortable and mundane days at the prison. Molly falls for Shaw's quick wit and tactless humor.
