#WriterWednesday with Janna Rollins
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I’d like to welcome the fabulous Janna Rollins, who also writes as Paula Charles, to the blog!
Favorite thing to do when you have free time: Read! There’s so many books and so little time!
The thing you’ll always move to the bottom of your to do list: Dusting. Those cobwebs will make great decorations when October rolls around.
Hardest thing about being a writer: Slogging my way through that first draft on days when the words aren’t coming easy.
Easiest thing about being a writer: Being able to truthfully say, “I’m having so much fun,” when someone asks me if I like what I’m doing.
Something you wanted to be when you were a kid: For years, I dreamed of owning a horse ranch in Kentucky surrounded by white fences. The book My Friend Flicka is to blame!
Something you do that you never dreamed you’d do: Write books! I never thought I had enough words in my head, but it turns out I do!
Something you wish you could do: Sing! I’m the world’s worst singer. My high school choir teacher actually told me I needed to pick a different elective.
Something you wish you’d never learned to do: Honestly, I can’t think of a thing.
Last best thing you ate: Chicken taquitos from Michael’s Tacos in Cody, Wyoming. Delicious!
Last thing you regret eating: Those breaded French fries from Bogarts in Red Lodge, Montana. I knew better than to eat gluten but did it anyway and ended up with a mouth full of canker sores. Bad choice!
Favorite things to do: Hit the road with my husband and explore a new place. I love getting to know how the air smells in a place I’ve never been before, what the wind feels like. There’s nothing like soaking in a new environment.
Things you’d run through a fire or eat bugs to get out of doing: Getting dental work done. Bring on those fire ants!
Most daring thing you’ve ever done: River rafting through some big rapids when I don’t know how to swim. My husband was already a “river rat” when we met. For a handful of summers, we went rafting at least once a week, though I never did learn how to swim.
Something you chickened out from doing: Jumping off a cliff into the river.
The funniest thing to happen to you: I’m not sure about it being the funniest thing EVER, but the first thing that came to mind was when my friend Annie McEwen and I were trying to navigate the DC Metro on our way to our first Malice Domestic. We were jabbering away and got off the subway at the Bethesda stop, navigated our way a mile or so to the Marriott we could see in the distance only to find we were at the wrong one. Back to the Metro station we went, continuing our journey to the North Bethesda stop. Instead of the hour it should have taken us to get from the airport to the convention, it took us three. We’re still laughing about our ridiculousness.
The most embarrassing thing to happen to you: When I was a teenager, I was showing a pig in a FFA livestock show. The zipper on my pants broke and I nearly lost my britches before the competition was over.
The nicest thing a reader said to you: I really loved your book. Is the next one coming out soon? (Then later, this man’s wife told me in all the years they’ve been married, her husband has only read about six novels, and two of them have been mine!)
The craziest thing a reader said to you: I really enjoyed your book, and I don’t usually like woman writers.
Best piece of advice you received from another writer: Don’t compare your writing path to that of others. Everyone has their own pace.
Something you would tell a younger you about your writing: Get started. You can do this!
About Janna:
When Janna Rollins isn’t writing, she likes to thumb through New England based magazines and drool over the pictures. She has a love for red barns, goats, and genealogy. Janna can be found showing her socially awkward side on Facebook or sharing photos of her tiny one-acre farm on Instagram. She is a member of Sisters in Crime, and also writes the Hometown Hardware Mystery series as Paula Charles. Janna lives in Southwestern Washington with her patient husband and a gaggle of furry and feathered creatures.
Let’s Be Social:
Website: www.paulacharles.com
Facebook: Rainy Day Mysteries
Instagram: @rainy_day_mysteries
