Point of Distraction-The First Collection is a part of a four book story arc.  Is there a reason Ana couldn’t have her story told in one book?

The stories span a couple of years in the Ana Welsh’s life and what I like about the short story format is that I can put a microscope, so to speak, onto specific moments in time during those two years. In some ways I think of each installment as a TV show episode in my head. I think if I’d tried to show the same evolution in one novel, I’d have to gloss over some of the details that make each story charming.

I’d love to see all twelve stories bound together into one volume, maybe in print one day. Hey, a girl can dream, right?

Does Ana get a happily ever after?

She most certainly does. It’s funny, when I first started the series my goal was to tell somewhat unrelated sexual adventures. But as I got to know the character more and as Ana started to grow, I found myself wanting to give her a happy ending. IMHO, she deserves it J

Who is your favorite character in your Point of Distraction series?

My favorite character is Todd, Ana’s housekeeper turned close friend. He keeps Ana in check and nudges her in the right direction. Sometimes he leads her astray, like in story ten, The Kindness of Strangers, but that’s what makes him fun.

Any plans for those men Ana leaves behind?

In fact I do J I do a little wrap-up with them in story twelve so the reader has the satisfaction of knowing how things turn out for them. I’m also toying with the idea of a ‘spin off’ to the Point of Distraction series called The Men of Distraction where each one of them would get to tell how Ana touched his life and how he moved on.

Do you get character ideas from real life?  If so, who inspired your characters?  Any fun stories you could share?

Almost all of my characters are based on real people. Of course, they evolve into their own ‘people,’ but the base of their personality, individual quirks, and even looks I steal—ahem, I mean appropriate from people I know.

Oh boy, I could get myself into trouble naming names, but let’s see…there are few I think I can spill without repercussions, lol. Todd is based on a dear, departed friend, Ian Toney. Marie is based on my best friend, Eva Elliott. Aden, Ana’s assistant, is based on my real assistant from back in the day. As for the lovers, I will say they are based on men I’ve known, not necessarily ones I was involved with, though some I was, but I’m not going to kiss and tell, hee hee.

Let’s see, the funny things that happen to Ana that I’m willing to ‘fess up to. Okay, the Auburn/Alabama confrontation in story three, picking up a hetero guy in a gay bar in story four, the drunk-dialing spree in story six, the wine fiasco in story seven, the pornogram at work in story eight, and the ‘suicide highlights’ in story eleven are all things that have happened to me, lol. How’s that for a few teasers to get folks interested in the series. J

Does music influence your writing?  If so, does POD have a theme song?  Does Ana?

Music is a huge influence on me. It helps me get into the right mood to write a specific scene. I think if I had to pick a theme for the whole series, it’d have to be “It’s Raining Men” LOL. As for Ana, I think she starts off as Nelly Furtado’s “Maneater” and grows into The Beatles’ “Something”

I know there is a story about how POD became a story, would you please share?

Well, once upon a time, I was very much like Ana. I’d fallen into a lucrative line of work that I found wholly uninspiring. So, as a way of distracting myself, I started writing sexy stories. One day I shared them with Eva (my BFF) and she loved them. So I just kept ‘em coming, no pun intended. After a while she started requesting different types of heroes. Jonathan is her favorite.

One day, after I’d left my soul-sucking evil day job, I heard about a little start up e-publisher called Dark Eden. On a lark, I entered Siempre Mia as a stand alone short. To my surprise, Deb contracted it. I was stunned and thrilled. After I subbed Business with Pleasure and Games People Play, she contracted the whole series.

Since Dark Eden closed, I subbed the series to Lyrical Press. LPI has a higher minimum word count then DEP did so I bound the series together into collections of three shorts each and voila! You have the current incarnation of Ana and friends.

Where were you when you got your first contract?  Who did you tell first?

I was at my parents’ house in Florida. First I told my ex-husband. We’re still good friends and it was because of his encouragement that I subbed something to DEP in the first place. Next I told my parents, which was a fun conversation. When I told them that I had a contract for an erotic story I’d written their first reaction was “You wrote what?!” lol.

If Point of Distraction was optioned for a movie, who would play your characters?

Man, you got be dreaming big time now. For Ana, I think Ali Larter from Heroes would do a wonderful job. For Miguel it’s gotta be Eduardo Verastegui from Chasing Papi. I see Jonathan as Orland Bloom, young, fresh and sexy. Darcy is a no-brainer. Every time he says “darlin’” in the manuscript I hear Matthew McConaughey’s voice in my head. I’d love Todd to be played by Hank Azaria. Chad Michael Murray is totally the gorgeous Jordan. Since Sendhil Ramamurthy inspired Nikhil, I’d love to see him play the part. Whew! I think that’s all the major characters. Oh and Ryan Reynolds could sooo play Eli from story seven, just thought I’d throw that in since I know someone who loves Ryan Reynolds. J

If you’d like to see how I picture the MOD Squad (that’s the Men of Distraction), I do have character pics and a short intro on my website

What do you need before you start writing?  Any thing that is just a must have or the creative juice don’t flow?

Red Bull and vodka don’t hurt. Kidding, kidding! Okay, in all seriousness, before I write, I have to have visualized the entire book which means I need all the major characters in place and an outline of the major plot points. I’m a big plotter.

To get the creative juices flowing need mood music and some pics that invoke the scene or character I’m working with. I also need to be relaxed, and the room I’m working in has to be clean and orderly. I have the attention span of a fruit fly, so if I can be distracted by something, I will be; so visual clutter is a problem for me. I also have to disconnect from the internet or I’ll be playing online instead of writing. That being said, if the inspiration really grabs me, I could write in the middle of a Chuck E. Cheese birthday celebration. When my muse, Brighid, is on she’s really on.

What are you working on now?

Well, with Point of Distraction in the finished file, I’ve branched out considerably. I’m working on my first horror piece called The Wedding Feast. I’m also working on my first fantasy/mythology piece called Desire.  I’ve also got a full length novel plotted called Boundaries. It’s another first for me, I’ve never written a M/M/F love scene before. That’s a lot of firsts for me, lol.

Do you have any other stories published?

I do, thanks for asking. I have a title with Freya’s Bower, Taking Off: The Red Shoe Collection. It’s about the journey of a pair of shoes by a famous designer that pass from owner to owner over five decades. Each woman faces unique challenges and unique opportunities to capture love.

Where can we find Cindy Jacks?

I may be about to go a little overboard, but here ya go:

Author site: www.cindyjacks.com

Blogs:

http://cindyjacks.blogspot.com/

http://playgroundmystique.wordpress.com/

Lyrical Press titles: http://www.lyricalpress.com/cindy_jacks.html

Freya’s Bower title: http://www.freyasbower.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=7&products_id=133&zenid=867085434aa2a619574c0a9ddf361c8f

Yahoo groups:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/lyricalpress/

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/playgroundmystique/

MySpace: www.myspace.com/jaxx_c

Any other tidbits about Cindy Jacks you would like to share?

I’d just like to thank my gracious interviewer and Joyfully Reviewed for letting me go on and on about one of my favorite topics, the Point of Distraction!