Author Interview with Jan Sikes
Where did your love of [books, writing, reading, and/or storytelling] come from?
I always love answering this question because it takes me back to my childhood. I can still remember the excitement I felt when I first learned to decipher words in the Dick and Jane readers. It’s a love I’ve never lost. I never planned on becoming an author. I just loved to read. But I had a true story that begged to be told and I realized one day I would have to write it, or else I’d have to tell the entire story to someone else. That began my writing journey.
How long have you been writing?
Long before I ever tackled writing a book, I wrote poems, songs, and short stories. I published my first full-length novel in 2013.
What kind(s) of writing do you do?
Besides working on books, I have an active blog that I enjoy creating new content for. I regularly blog twice a week and depending on if I have a guest or book reviews, it can turn into three times a week. But one of the most fun and satisfying writing jobs I’ve ever had was interviewing music artists and writing features for Buddy Magazine (The Original Texas Music Magazine). I’d say the most unique artists I ever interviewed was Kinky Friedman. He has no filters.
What was the hardest part of writing this book?
The hardest part of writing this book was staying true to the time period. I wasn’t born until the fifties, so I did a lot of research to make sure I kept it authentic. A good example is what they called their meals back then. It wasn’t breakfast, lunch, and dinner like we do now. It was breakfast, dinner, and supper. So, I had to keep on my toes and not write lunch. That word didn’t become widely used until the 1960s. When I was growing up, we called them breakfast, dinner, and supper. Little details like that help keep the story on track for the time period.
In researching this book, did you learn any unexpected, unusual, or fascinating information?
I took a trip to Missouri two years ago to conduct hands-on research for this book. I spent hours in the Dade County Library looking at old newspapers from the ‘40s via microfiche. One of the most interesting articles I found was a plea from President Harry S. Truman calling for all households in America to dedicate one day per week to have no meat. Even though the war was over, there were still shortages and the country was rebuilding.
Did you first experience rejections when submitting this manuscript for publication?
I queried agents for A Beggar’s Bargain for one full year and only got generic rejections that said the story didn’t fit what they were looking for. I swear they all use the same form letter. That’s when I decided to switch gears and go with a hybrid publisher, which has been a unique experience.
What projects are you working on at the present?
I am currently working on the second book in The Bargainers Series, A Noble Bargain. It differs totally from A Beggar’s Bargain, introducing new main characters. The story begins in Arkansas, and because of drastic circumstances, they start out on a road trip to St. Louis, Missouri. The car breaks down at Layken Martin’s farm and that intertwines the characters. I am close to halfway through the new story. Then, there will be a third book, and I don’t have a title for it yet.
The Page Unbound 