I met Jini through Goodreads, and have read her first novel Maginaugh. Jini brings to vivid life a world few fantasy authors have explored: Maginaugh is set in North America some 9,000 years ago, in a lush territory inhabited by three very different cultures.
Jini is 39 years young, writes songs as well as books, plays guitar, does yoga daily and loves to play tennis and swim in the ocean at Vero Beach, Florida, where she lives.
In addition to Maginaugh, Jini has published a second novel in the series, Maahilund. She is currently working on the third novel The Fair and Fey, and anticipates it will be available sometime mid year.
Please join me in welcoming Jini, and don't be shy with your questions and comments about her wonderful new series and the fascinating world it depicts.
About Maginaugh
Maybe
these events really could have happened. I did a ton of research before and
during the writing of each book, to make the worlds as real as possible. The
research included names of real people, religious beliefs of the time, folklore
of the place and period, and scientific evidence of things that might otherwise
be thought of as fantasy. To me folklore of ancient times was the most
interesting part of my research. No one wrote history books until relatively
recent times. So what we call mythology is sometimes simply an oral history,
passed down by word of mouth. Of course facts can get stretched when repeated
from one story teller to the next. Maginaugh, for example, is set in a time
approximately 9,000 years ago.
In her
review of Maginaugh, Karin mentions that the setting is quite unusual for a
fantasy. I wrote about the region where I was born and where I spent every
summer, even after I left my hometown. This was the upper peninsula of Michigan
where I used to take walks in the north woods much like my characters do in the
book. I used to paddle canoes just like they did. I even once made myself a
deerskin shirt, just like my protagonist in the book wears.
My
main character's name is Sashegh and I have to admit that much of her is based
on my personality and my experiences. In the book she experiments with her
sexuality as have I. She marries a man who is similar in some ways to my
husband and has a female lover who is very similar to someone very special to
me. Oops, this is getting quite personal isn't it? Maybe it's more than you
want to know?
I want
to tell you that what inspired me to write was a love of the books I was
reading at the time I began, in particular Stephen King and Tom Robbins. My
favorite book of all time is Robbins' Jitterbug Perfume and my favorite series
of all time is King's Dark Tower. I bought everything they wrote. I have to say
I more consistently enjoyed Robbins. I'm not into horror stories at all so it's
hard for me to read some of King's stuff. I read him for his fantasies. I love
being taken to fantastic other worlds and that's what I hope to do for all my
readers.
So
when I found a book of King's called On Writing, I was eager to read
what he had to say about the art of writing. It was way better than any English
composition course or writing workshop could ever be. To me, it's the bible for
anyone who wants to write well. And, it's inspirational. It gave me the kick in
the panties I needed to begin a novel and stick with it to the end. It's lots
of work believe me and most published authors will tell you the pay's not
great.
So
when I started writing, I used fantasies I had as a young girl, playing Indian
in the woods. Gradually my protagonist, Sashegh, being the strong character she
is, took over and did her own thing. I just followed her around and wrote about
her adventures. Strangely they seemed to parallel many experiences I've had in
my own life. I guess I have a lot in common with Sashegh. So the book took an
unexpected turn (even to me) halfway through when something surprising happened
to Sashegh. I won't tell you what though; it would be a spoiler.
My
favorite character in the book is Nanong, a native american. What a man he is:
strong, handsome, brave, loyal, faithful, and a terrific lover. I still get all
gooey when I think about him. No, Sashegh doesn't get to sleep with him, I'll
tell you that much. He's too much older, he's faithful to his mate, Sashegh
already has a man/boy when she meets him, and she has her eye on a certain girl
instead. But if he wasn't taken .... hmmm.
Anything
else anyone wants to know about me or my fantasy novels, please ask. I will be
monitoring this blog thread and give answers.
