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The Writers Write Interview – Jassy MacKenzie
Writers Write creates writing resources and shares writing tips. In this post, we share our interview with Jassy MacKenzie.
Jassy Mackenzie is a South African author who has written seven novels. She lives in Johannesburg with her partner, Deon, two horses and two cats. She writes crime and erotica and still wrestles a day job. She is witty and kind and has trouble saying no to carrot cake.
She says it’s funny that when she wrote crime no one ever asked if she had killed someone, but now that she writes erotica everyone asks about her sex life. She explains how she did her research, “I find lots of information on the internet. I read a book written by a mistress, which was very educational. I did have a similar background to Emma Caine, the protagonist in Folly.”
About her latest book, Breathless: “All of us have been involved with abuse in different forms. I wanted to show how easy it is to be manipulated into believing it was your fault. I wanted to show a toxic relationship.”
The Writers Write Interview With Jassy Mackenzie
Author: Jassy Mackenzie
Date of Birth: 19 May 1970
Date of Interview: 3 September 2014
Place: Lonehill, Johannesburg
The Book: Breathless
Date of Interview: 3 September 2014
Place: Lonehill, Johannesburg
The Book: Breathless
1. Who is your favourite hero of fiction?
Jack Reacher.
2. What is your most treasured possession?
My immortal nail file. I do a lot of nail filing when I think of words.
3. Which living person do you most dislike?
Anyone who seeks to gratify their own needs at the expense of other people or the environment.
4. What is your greatest fear?
Spiders.
5. Who or what has been the greatest love of your life?
Deon, my partner.
6. What is your greatest regret?
Having only one life.
7. If you could choose to be a character in a book, who would it be?
The assassin in Kill your boss by Shane Kuhn.
8. Which book have you read the most in your lifetime?
A short history of almost everything by Bill Bryson.
9. What is your favourite journey?
Any road trip.
10. What is your favourite quotation?
It is from The Lord of the Rings: All that is gold does not glitter
11. Dogs or Cats? Which do you prefer?
Cats.
12. What do you most value in a friend?
Empathy.
13. What quality do you most admire in a woman?
The ability to be artfully manipulative.
14. Which book that you’ve written is your favourite?
I always love the most recent, because it is freshest in my mind and I have a very special place in my heart for Folly because it was so much fun. I started writing crime because I was reading a lot of crime. I did Folly because I wanted to try something different. Romance is more fun than thrillers. Falling in love is so enjoyable.
15. What are your favourite names?
For a writer: the first one that comes conveniently to mind that doesn’t begin with the same letter as any other character’s name and that suits the character.16. What do you do as a hobby?
I ride horses and bicycles and, occasionally, I run. I also love to cook.17. Which are your three favourite books?I am going to choose three South African authors instead of books. They are Fiona Snyckers, Kgebetli Moele, and Louis Greenberg.
For a writer: the first one that comes conveniently to mind that doesn’t begin with the same letter as any other character’s name and that suits the character.16. What do you do as a hobby?
I ride horses and bicycles and, occasionally, I run. I also love to cook.17. Which are your three favourite books?I am going to choose three South African authors instead of books. They are Fiona Snyckers, Kgebetli Moele, and Louis Greenberg.
18. Where do you get your greatest ideas for writing?
It is impossible to say. Ideas don’t come when they are called, they pop into you head when they feel like it.
19. What is your Writing Routine?
I get in front of my computer and I stay there. I prefer writing in the morning, but I write whenever I can.
20. What are your Top Writing Tips?
- Try to write at least two or three times a week.
- Set a word target per session. Don’t stop until you’ve reached it.
- Find something in the writing to get excited about.
- If you need to make notes, do it before you start your session so that you know where you are going and won’t get stuck.
- Try to keep going no matter what because it is always easier to rewrite.
Visit Jassy MacKenzie’s Website to find out more. Follow Jassy on Facebook and Twitter.
Interviewer:Mia Botha (Follow her on Pinterest and Facebook and Tumblr and Twitter)
If you want to read more of our interviews, click here
Posted on: 15th October 2014
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