We were lucky to catch up with Jacci Turner recently and have shared our conversation below.
Jacci, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear about one of the craziest things you’ve experienced in your journey so far.
I was thrilled to get a book picked up by an imprint of a major publisher. When the book came out, they sent me an author copy. It was beautiful, perfect, until I got to the author bio. There was my bio information and someone else’s picture!
I had to laugh. I knew mistakes happened, but I was surprised they happened at such a big publisher. When I told them, they seemed embarrassed and said it was a printing error and they would fix it immediately.
They did and sent me ten new copies as an apology. Sadly, when I looked at the new copies, the same woman was staring up at me from the author bio page.
I did not laugh the second time.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I write books for middle grade children, eight and up. I write books for teens, and for grown-ups too. I enjoy writing across genres, contemporary, alternative history, fantasy, and non-fiction.
My books can be found on Amazon or ordered from any retailer. All come in paperback and eBook. Some are in hardback, and many are on Kindle Unlimited. Four are on Audible.
Personally, I love reading paperbacks and listening to audiobooks, but I know others love eBooks, so making them available on many platforms is important to me.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
I wrote my first play in third grade and started acting in my high school theater class. I LOVED it! In college, I had a dual major in Social Work and Theater because I just couldn’t stop taking those theater classes.
When my kids were small, we did community theater together. But when my children lost interest in being in plays, I found the requirements for rehearsals too high for a busy mom and school counselor, and the theater fell to the wayside.
Later in life, I was in a program to be trained as a spiritual director. As part of that class, we learned about the Enneagram, a useful tool for self-understanding. I learned that when I was in my happy place, I was a creative person, and it dawned on me that since I’d left the theater, there was no place in my life for creativity.
My children had left home by then, and I made one of their rooms into my writing room. I started to write and published my first book at age 50. I love writing because I get to do it on my own time, and it fills my need for a creative outlet.
I’ve written nineteen books since then and published sixteen.
You’re never too old to start something new.
How did you build your audience on social media?
TikTok has been a wonderful social media platform for me because it’s another form of storytelling. I’ve found a very supportive community of people who write books, and people who love to read them.
Many think it is a platform for youngsters only, but you can find any interest group there. Use hashtags to search out your people.
On TikTok, I use #authortok and #booktok to build my support team. The booktokers there have been fantastic at reading and reviewing my books and inviting me to be interviewed on their live sessions.
I highly encourage everyone to give it a try. No one cares how you look or if you edit your videos. Someone has compared TikTok to a come-as-you-are sleepover. I love it!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.jacciturner.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jacciturner/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jacciturnerauthor/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacciturner/
- Other: https://linktr.ee/Jacciturner
