Jessie Wise: I cannot remember when I didn’t have these fictional characters roaming around in my head. I daydreamed about them, eventually allowing them to create families, and then I stood back and watched them interact with one another. My parents died when I was quite young and I lived with relatives. Although these relatives provided a home for me, for which I was grateful, I never felt they were my family. I believe I created my fictitious families from a deep longing to have my very own family.  My life was never complete until I had my three daughters. 

Suzie Housley:  I am thoroughly convinced every book an author writes has to do with a personal situation in their own life. Do you agree with my statement?

Jessie Wise:  No, I’m sorry but I do not agree with you.  Some of the events in my book, Tainted Blood, required extensive research to make them believable.  And I never base a character on a real person. I tried it, but in my experiences, real people come off appearing flat.

Suzie Housley: Your title has a very strong meaning, what is the basis behind selecting it?       

Jessie Wise:  It’s my belief that when a person is born, their life is planned for them.  They might alter their path, by taking detours but I believe within, they remain the same. We are individuals, rendering all of us unique and interesting. When I refer to someone having tainted blood, I see a person who leads a life that is completely self-centered, demanding their needs to be met, and disregarding those who get trampled in the process. Usually these are ruthless people who have no conscience, thus neither seeing nor caring that the things they do are hurtful to others. One of the male protagonists in Tainted Blood is such a person.

Suzie Housley: What do you want readers to take away once they read your books?

Jessie Wise:  I want them to smell the jasmine in the spring of the year, hear the birds sing and see the pictures I’ve worked at creating on every page of my book.  I want the reader to laugh and cry with my characters and I want them to taste the food prepared the true southern way. Most of all, when they have read through the last page, I want them to close the book and be satisfied with its outcome.

Suzie Housley: What characters are ‘musts’ in your heroes?  Do you enjoy writing about the bad guys?

Jessie Wise: A strong man and a stronger woman are ‘musts’.  Yes, I love writing about the bad guys—men or women. They mean trouble by introducing conflict. Although an evil character is not absolutely necessary in bringing about controversy, I find it more interesting to have a character create problems in place of circumstances causing it. A character must earn a place in my books. Good or bad, it they don’t fit, or turn into a weakling, I’ll kill them off, or go back and eliminate them altogether from the book. A couple of characters in Tainted Blood were introduced into the book to die. 

Suzie Housley: What haven’t you written yet that you really want to do?

Jessie Wise:  Since I’ve always owned horses and have ridden them hundreds of miles, I would like to write a book involving the equine world, but nothing to do with racing.  Personally, I could forgive anyone for anything if they have a sincere love for horses. When a person loves an animal they win my heart.  So at the present time, I want to give a lot of thought to that.  My story line and characters come to me one at a time, although while I am working on a book, I have the next book simmering on a back burner.

Suzie Housley:  Do you ever find yourself living through your characters?  For example, is there anything you had wished to try and haven’t yet, but you put your characters through the emotional turmoil?

Jessie Wise: I am on the inside of every character I create and I write about things that are familiar, so I have either experienced their feelings or I get to know the character well enough their experiences become mine.  I have always considered myself a “Jack of all trades” and master of none. I can do many things, but not good at most. All my life if I thought I could do something and had the desire, I’d give it a try.  The way I do things most of the time is unorthodox.  I don’t outline a book.  I round up my characters, breathe life into them and then we write a book. I tried outlining. It doesn’t work for me. 

Suzie Housley: What advice would you give new up and coming writers?

Jessie Wise:  Attend writing courses at your local colleges, go to seminars and conferences and get with a good critique group.  If you live in a rural area, as I did for half a century, don’t be embarrassed to go online and search out writers that could be living close by.  Never, and I want to stress NEVER, be embarrassed because you desire to be a writer.  Don’t do as I did for fifty years and write in a closet. Writing is a talent and almost like an incurable illness. At one time, when I saw my writing going no place I put away everything and tried to forget about it, but it nagged me day and night.  You are never too young to start and you never get old enough to quit. 

Suzie Housley: What mistakes have you made that you can share with others so they won’t make the same mistakes? 

Jessie Wise: Listening to those who constantly reminded me that I could never be published.  We don’t expect everything we write to make it past a publisher’s desk, but if we work at honing our skills we will get there. Like the old song says, accentuate the positive and eliminate the negative…that means people too. 

Suzie Housley: Is there anything you would like for us to know that we haven’t discussed? 

Jessie Wise:  I would like to tell anyone who takes the time to read this interview, that writing is one of the most satisfying experiences of my life. It’s a passion. I write something every day, if it’s nothing but a letter to a friend, and I give that letter the same concerted effort that I give my books. Whatever you write, do it well and you can lay your head upon your pillow at night and sleep well. 

Suzie Housley: How can fans contact you?

Jessie Wise:   By E-Mail at jlwise1@bellsouth.net or through my web site  www.jessiewise.net

Suzie Housley:  Thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to conduct this interview for MyShelf.com.