Featured Author - Jacinda Buchmann

[Mandie]

Tell us about your book(s) Indigo Incite is a YA fantasy/adventure with a touch of romance. It introduces the concept of Indigo Children through a variety of intriguing characters who represent unique telepathic and psychic abilities. The story is based on the idea of a fictional branch of the C.I.A. that uses Indigo Children as spies. When their interest falls on several Indigo Children who aren't willing to be a part of the agency, they find themselves on the run with no one to turn to for help except each other. Indigo Incite is a fantasy, but on a deeper level, it's about human nature, and relationships, and self-discovery. It's an escape to a world of what-if's and what-could-be's. And it's a book that people of all ages can enjoy.
    
Where did the idea of your (latest) book come from?  When my son was born, seven years ago, she gave me an informational book about Indigo Children and suggested that I should start researching the concept because she "knew that my children were going to be special". Well, of course, doesn't every mother think that her children are special? LOL! But, I was intrigued by the concept and read several books about Indigo and Crystalline children. When I told her that I was going to write a book, she suggested that I go with the concept of Indigo Children and present it in a way that would "enlighten and entertain" readers who may have never heard of the concept. I kept her suggestion in the back of my head for a few years. Though I wanted to write, I was in the middle of completing my Master's degree, in school counseling, and I had a newborn. Needless to say, I didn't have a lot of time to write a novel. Fast forward four years. I was sitting at my desk one day at school. I was now a school counselor and pregnant with my third child. Yes, third. It was the week before winter vacation, and so, I didn't have a lot of students traipsing into my office, which meant that, for once, I actually got to enjoy an uninterrupted lunch break. It's funny how I can still vividly remember that moment when the idea of Indigo Incite came to me. Before, there had merely been the idea that a story about Indigo Children would be kinda cool. And then, as I ate my taco salad (yeah, I even remember what I was eating that day, though I probably couldn't tell you what I had for lunch yesterday), the entire concept of the story came to me. I grabbed a piece of construction paper that was sitting on my desk and began to rapidly write story plot ideas. They were random ideas at first, but quickly, the story began to evolve and by the time my lunch break was over, I had a very general outline of the story and characters.  

Who and what inspires you to write your books? My mother and my grandmother always encouraged me to write and follow my dream. Writing has always been a calling. I believe that true happiness in life comes from following your destiny and for me happiness is writing.   

Each author has his/her own fascinating journey. How did you begin writing?    From the time I could pick up a pencil and write, I knew that I was supposed to be a writer. When I was in second grade, my mother would bring me to work with her on the weekends (back in the day when it was no big deal). She gave me a blank journal and colored pencils, and during that time while I sat at her work, I began to create and illustrate stories. My love for writing was born with that journal and has continued to grow and flourish.

I remember telling my grandma that I wanted to be a writer, and her response to me was, "Well, if you want to be a writer, you have to pick up a pen and start writing. As soon as you do that, you become a writer." Her words have always stuck with me, and whenever there was a sense of doubt that I would accomplish my dream to publish a book, I would remind myself that I was already a writer because I was writing a book.

It has been said that you know your true passion and meaning in life when you find something to do and suddenly, in that moment, you lose all sense of time. That is where I find myself in writing. When I write, there is no such thing as time (except when my kids remind me that I should probably cook dinner). I have found my true passion in life in writing, and I am excited that Indigo Incite is just the beginning of a long line of books to come.

What has been the most pleasant surprise about being a writer? How about the most unexpected downside? I love to read the positive reviews of my book. I get a thrill each time I realize that someone else has enjoyed the story I created. The biggest downside is that I constantly have stories running through my head and I don't have enough time to write as often as I would like

Do you have any particular writing routines or rituals?  I wish! In my ideal writing world, I would get up each morning, have breakfast, make either a cup of hot tea or iced tea, depending on the time of year, write until lunch, take a break, and then write again until it's time to make dinner. At some point during that time, I would have to stop for a bit of chocolate! That would be my ideal routine, and one that I look forward to once all of my children are in school.

The reality: There is no routine and I struggle to find a balance between spending time with my children, writing, cleaning the house, cooking, and finding time to fit in pilates or my elliptical machine. When do I write? A couple of hours during nap time and then if I'm not too tired, a few hours in the evening after I put the kids to bed. It's chaotic, but I am thrilled that I have the opportunity to stay home with my children and write, and I wouldn't change a thing!  


Do you write in order?  Absolutely! Before I began Indigo Incite, I wrote a complete, detailed outline, and then the story just seemed to write itself. There were two aspects though that I wrote out of order. After I completed the entire story, I wrote a Prologue, but eventually ended up cutting it out because I needed to cut down the word count. I plan to eventually post the Prologue to my blog as a "deleted scene" at some point down the road. The only other aspect of the story that was written out of order was the chapter titled "Rebecka". I hadn't originally planned for her to be such a major character, but after I finished the story, I felt that she had a story that needed to be told, and so I wrote her chapter in after the entire story had been completed.  

What is on your playlist when you write? Playlist? I love music but definitely not when I write. When I write I need absolute silence, I can't even have TV on in the background. If I hear other "voices" talking, it interferes with the characters' "voices" telling me the story in my head. Do I hear voices? Yep, I guess I do. I'm not afraid to admit it, LOL! I save my "playlist" for when I cook dinner. I like a shuffled combination of Country, my favorites are Rascal Flatts and Jason Aldean, and then I love Train and The Script. If I'm really tired or it's been a stressful day, I enjoy Celtic music   

Favorite writing snack? Dark Chocolate!!!   

Where do you like to write? In my bedroom. It's decorated like a log cabin. I live in Arizona, so when I'm in my room I can "pretend" that I'm in a cabin in the woods. A cabin would be my ideal writing location, but my bedroom is the next best place. I have a plush lounge chair and ottoman that is very comfortable at the end of a long day. The perfect place to write!   

Do you have any advice for authors wanting to publish? The same advice that my grandma once gave to me. You want to be a writer? Start writing. And don't stop. It's so easy to get side tracked with "life", but if you truly want to be a published author, you have to tell yourself that you are an author, it is your job, and you need to work at least a little bit each day.   

Are you currently working on anything else? I just started writing Indigo Instinct, Book Two of the Indigo Trilogy   

Who is your favorite character and why? One of my favorite characters in the story is Trevor, a young boy with autism. As I researched the concept of Indigo Children, I came across the knowledge that it's not uncommon for some Indigo Children to be diagnosed with autism. During the time when I wrote Indigo Incite, I had the great opportunity to work in a self-contained, elementary class of autistic children. There is no question that the children in that class taught me far more than I ever taught them. They were amazing and inspiring, and I feel so very blessed to have been given the opportunity to work with them. Indigo Incite's character, Trevor, has a fairly small role in Indigo Incite, but he is definitely my favorite, and he will help to continue the trilogy in Indigo Instinct, Book Two of the Indigo Trilogy.
My other favorite character is Ian, because he is, well...HOT! But then again, so is Eddie...   

Favorite book of all time? I have to pick just one? Sorry I can't. I love The Celestine Prophecy by James Redfield and I love Outlander by Diana Gabaldon   

Breakfast says a lot about a person. What is your perfect breakfast? My perfect breakfast is a slice of leftover fruit pie, strawberry rhubarb, apple, or pumpkin! Of course I would have to have vanilla ice cream or whipping cream to top it off. If you think about it, it's a lot healthier than a box of donuts or even pancakes and syrup. Pie is definitely not my everyday breakfast though. On "normal" days, my perfect breakfast is a scrambled egg skillet with sausage, mushrooms, and jalapeno peppers.

Please tell us in one sentence why we should read your book Indigo Incite introduces a world of adventure and intrigue, spiced up with a touch of romance, a book that people of all ages can enjoy.

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