I was lucky to get an interview with Jamie Jackson, the author of The Sparrow and the Oak Tree, and a semifinalist in this year’s #SPFBO9.

Please, tell us a bit about yourself…
I’m Jamie, and I live in Charlotte, NC with my husband, three feral children and two badly behaved dogs. When I’m not writing I’m either working or baking or watching way too much TV. I’m constantly curious and love documentaries that explore how movies are made, the popularity of certain toys, and anything that involves being behind the scenes.

Why should I buy your SPFBO9 entry?
It’s a fantasy romance retelling of Tristan and Isolde that includes enemies to lovers with forced proximity, instalust/instalove, a secret cinnamon roll LI, only one horse, he falls first along with elemental magic, hordes of the walking dead and she save him. So if you’re looking for a romance that’s as sweet as it is spicy, this book might be right up your alley.

What got you into writing? And how long have you been doing it?
Star Wars. Seriously. I grew up watching the original trilogy and said, I want to do that. I want to create something like that. So I would say I’ve dabbled in writing since I was in grade school but never managed to finish a project until 2021, when I was having to essentially homeschool my children. I had nothing that was for me, that was mine, so I said, I’m going to finish a story, and I did, and then I just didn’t stop writing.

Have you participated in the SPFBO before and where did you hear about the competition?
I participated in SPFBO8 and I initially heard about the competition via the writing community on the social media app formerly known as Twitter.

Why did you choose to write fantasy?
Fantasy has always been my preferred genre, so it just made sense to me. I started out writing superheroes/urban fantasy and then branched into fantasy romance because it would appear that romance in general is in my blood but only if there’s also magic.

Which other author has had the biggest influence on your writing?
R.L. Stine if I’m being completely honest. There’s elements of horror in all of my stories and I would say his Fear Street series has had a lot of influence on me.

If you were to win the SPFBO, what impact do you think this would have on your writing career?
The dream would be that it has enough of an impact that I would be able to make writing my full time career. I do love my current job, but working both it and doing all the things I need to do to market my books along with the house and the kids is exhausting. Even just having that sort of financial cushion from having a steady income stream would certainly be a huge relief.

What challenges did you face during the writing or publishing process, and how did you overcome them?
Can I say formatting? Formatting is the worst. Truthfully I would say my challenges have been minimal. My husband has been incredibly supportive, I’m lucky that I have amazing friends and even better beta readers and a solid editor. I’m blessed and grateful that the hardest thing to deal with is the marketing because oftentimes that’s just a grind.

Do you have any tips or an author app, tool, or resource that you can really recommend we try?
Firstly, read any and all genres you can get your hands on. Don’t limit yourself to only your favorite. Secondly, do not disregard other forms of media. Movies, TV shows, video games, graphic novels, even music, they’re all valid forms of storytelling and you can learn so much from them. Not just how to structure a story, but dialogue, character building, how people move and interact with the world around them. The differences in how they react to the situations they’re put in. Even take the time to explore the badly (subjective opinion obviously) done ones because those can still teach you what not to do.

And now it's time to yank out your Palantir! Let’s talk about the future. What new projects are you working on?
I have a dark romantic fantasy retelling of Shakespeare’s Macbeth releasing this Halloween, and other than that I have a paranormal romance I’m working on along with another work in progress that is currently just vibes and spite.

Apps that are based on artificial intelligence (AI), such as ChatGTP and Midjourney, along with apps aimed specifically at authors, have caused quite a stir. Do you expect these new technologies will make your life as a self-published author easier or harder, and do you expect that they’ll mean you’ll earn more or less?
I think for a while we’re going to see a glut of terribly done AI books on the market which will at least have the short-term effect of making it harder for self-published authors to get their books seen, but once the people who have been throwing those AI books out there realize they are not the get rich quick scheme they thought they were I think the use of it will taper off and hopefully we won’t see any sort of long-term negative effect on sales for those of us who put in the time, skill and effort to write our own books.

Do you have any dreams you’d like to share?
I would love a guest appearance on an episode of the Mandalorian, but I think I’d have to become famous to have a shot at that. Also, I’m not sure I can act at all so they probably wouldn’t want to give me a speaking part.

Anything else you would like to say before we close?
Thank you so much for including me in your interviews!

“And that’s the way the cookie crumbles.” (I was inspired by your photo to use that line) :-) Jamie, I wish you the very best in the SPFBO and hope you make it to the finals. May the Force be with you and a lot of readers discover your writing.
Thanks for doing the interview!