We were lucky to catch up with Jean Davis recently and have shared our conversation below.

Jean, appreciate you joining us today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

I’ve been writing stories since I was nine years old. Those early stories were short and scattered on topics. As I grew up, they got long and more involved. I took a creative writing class in high school and decided that I wanted to be an author when I grew up.

Growing up took a while. There were marriages, a divorce, kids and various jobs. Through all that, I kept writing and reading. It occurred to me eventually that I was never going to be an author unless I set a deadline and made a serious effort to make it happen. At 35, I decreed I was going to be published by 40.

With two little kids at home, PTO duties, and a full time job, that was a challenge, but I carved out time to write some truly awful stuff while also doing a lot of learning, critiquing and reading. At 39, my first short story was published. After a few more years of juggling kids, publishing short stories, and a lot more writing, my first novel was published. Many novels later, I can now happily say, I have the job I always wanted. The growing up part is optional.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

Growing up in a house with a parent who was an avid mystery reader, meant weekly trips to the local bookstore. While I cut my reading teeth on YA mysteries, thanks to Buck Rogers and Battlestar Galactica on TV, I quickly veered off to science fiction. That soon spilled over into fantasy and horror. It’s no big surprise that I ended up writing all of those things.

Instead of picking one genre and digging in deep, I write a lot off different things, sometimes with similar themes but in different genres. I’ve written short stories, stand-alone novels, and a space opera series. My work runs the gamut of funny, tragic, whimsical, dark, and snarky. One of the problems I encounter when meeting readers is that they love a particular book and want to know what else I have that is like that one. Sorry, folks, at this juncture, unless you’re reading my series, The Narvan, no two books are alike.

I’m working on solving the issue with my upcoming books, focusing on writing a few books that are more similar in feel or theme. Frayed, my newest release is similar in feel to A Broken Race. I9, an upcoming sci-fi mystery is similar in snark and theme to The Narvan. Godmother, a project, I have plotted out will be very similar to Spindelkin, my YA fantasy novel. Identify a problem and write a solution.

Speaking of solutions, how do you get readers over to your table when you’re out signing books? A chicken. No, seriously. I might write science fiction, fantasy, and horror, but I play with chickens when I’m not writing. A couple of years ago, I had a tiny chicken who was having health issues so I took her to an art festival so the rest of the flock wouldn’t pick on her while I wasn’t able to monitor her. This turned out to be the best marketing move I’d ever made, doubling sales that day. Now, anytime I’m at an outdoor event (and approved for it), I bring one of my little chickens. Last year, I even wrote and illustrated a children’s book about one of them. Hence the new tagline: Science Fiction, Fantasy, Horror…and Chickens.

I’m happy to be known as the chicken author. Does that mean I’m giving up writing everything else? Heaven’s no. Write what you love. All of what you love, but maybe not chicken horror. You’ve got to draw a line somewhere.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

If you’d like to continue to see new content that isn’t the tenth sequel to a thirty year old movie franchise, something churned out by an AI, or a remake of a childhood favorite, please support artists and creatives by purchasing their work. The best way to do that, to help us pay our bills and buy food so we can continue to create new art, is to buy direct.

Making your purchase online through retailers is easy, but you’re mostly supporting the platform you’re buying through. The artist only gets a very small cut. We certainly appreciate your purchase, but if you buy from the artists own website or from them in person, you’re cutting out the middle distributor. You’re putting that money in the hands of the artist.

Buying direct also gives you the opportunity to meet the artist. We love talking to people who like the types of things we create. As an author. I enjoy hearing what my readers are reading, what books they recommend, and what they did or didn’t like about the last book of mine that they read. Sometimes those conversations spark enthusiasm and ideas. Those lead to new work. Don’t be afraid to say hello and chat for a few minutes. You might just be the inspiration we’re looking for.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

Creating something and finding other people who enjoy your creation is rewarding in itself, but one of my favorite things about being an author is helping others along their journey to write, publish, and market their own book. None of those things are easy and they all take time to learn and do. There is no shortcut for the actual doing, but we can help each other with the learning.

Sharing experiences, resources, and knowledge does take time away from my own writing, but it’s also giving back, repaying those that helped and inspired me along the way to achieving my goals. Seeing someone I’ve watched put in the time and effort to bring their dreams to fruition makes me very happy.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://jeandavisauthor.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jeandavisauthor/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jeandavisauthor/