Yes. It is Thursday. So why am I posting a 3 Questions Wednesday interview? Because I zealously overbooked yesterday and I like each guest to have their own day. And today’s guest, my friend, Janalyn, has a new book just released. Make sure and read to the end to enjoy a short excerpt from Hills of Nevermore.
So let’s get to the first question:
What inspires you?
Janalyn: Many of my best book ideas have come to me while in nature. The sensation of not being completely in control takes me outside my comfort zone, where inspiration breathes more readily into my soul. The beauty of my surroundings brings out the poet in my soul, and God seems very near.
Beauty bringing out the poet in us. I love that. Now…
You’re a new addition to the crayon box. What color would you be and why?
Janalyn: I’m the variegated crayon because I’m so eclectic. I’ve tried to fit into a one-genre-per-author publishing world, but that’s not how I’m wired. I’m a storyteller in the old-fashioned sense of the word. If I lived in a primitive culture where people gathered around the fire to socialize, I’d be the one spinning tales. That’s exactly what I did as a child. The neighborhood kids would sit around me on our front lawn and beg me for just one more story. I don’t remember anything I told them, but I must have known how to please my audience.
A Romantic Times review of Hills of Nevermore (Montana Gold, book 1), which just released May 1st, credited me with skillfully weaving together several genres. While that’s a nice compliment, the truth is that I just told the story.
Storytelling is a wonderful talent. Last question:
As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
Janalyn: I didn’t give it much thought until I turned twelve. That’s when my sixth-grade teacher suggested I consider becoming a novelist. His suggestion came on the heels of a rollicking short story I wrote for his class about some sort of high-seas adventure I’ve since forgotten. Despite my stint as the neighborhood storyteller, I had to move past my painful shyness and self-doubt to believe that I could write books.
Even then, I let a serious case of impostor syndrome hold me back. If you’re not familiar with that term, it’s when you sabotage your own success because you don’t believe you deserve it. It’s not uncommon among high achievers in particular. I had no clue I suffered from this affliction until I wrote a post about it for Live Write Breathe, my website for writers, and noticed familiar symptoms.
Recognizing that impostor syndrome holds you back takes you a long way toward overcoming it. Now I question every self-limiting thought and step out in faith to accomplish things I never thought possible.
We’re glad you overcame.
