Josi S. Kilpack hated to read until her mother handed her a copy of The Witch of Blackbird Pond when she was 13. From that day forward, she read everything she could get her hands on and credits her writing “education” to the many novels she has “studied” since then. She began writing her first novel in 1998 and has written thirty-three novels, one cookbook, and several short stories since then. She is a four-time Whitney Award winner, including two Novel of the Year awards for Lord Fenton's Folly and As Wide as the Sky and a Best of State winner in Fiction. She writes her national women's fiction under the pen name of Jessica Pack (say Josi Kilpack really fast and you'll see why she chose it). Josi currently lives in Northern Utah and is the mother of 4 wonderful kids.
For more information about Josi or her books, please visit her blog, What is a Sundial In the Shade?
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Q – How many books will be in the Sadie Series?
A – I had planned on ending the series with Wedding Cake, book 12, along with the cookbook that includes all the recipes from all the books in the series, plus a few extra. Sadie’s Little Black Book of Recipes was released at the same time as Wedding Cake in December 2014. In 2019 I capped the series with The Candy Cane Caper, a Sadie Christmas mystery. Readers have asked if we might do another Sadie book down the road. At this point, I am not planning on it. While I love Sadie and her misadventures, I feel like we finished her series strong.
Q - Will you write Mystery again?
A - I have some ideas for a mystery series that I hope to develop in the future. Right now I feel like I need some more distance from Sadie in order for my new ideas not to sound too similar.
Q – How do you find the time to write?
A – There is only one way to find time to write, and that is make trade-offs. I don’t do much other than write and participate in events tied to the writing community. I brainstorm constantly, edit while I wait for kids to finish their activities, and build time into my schedule for uninterrupted writing time. Because I want to be a mom and a wife first, life has often dictated that I don’t write much for weeks on end, then, when I’ve been able to arrange things to be less hectic, I write every chance I get.
Right now I find it very hard to write at home. My husband has recently moved his office home and has taken over some of the household responsibilities so that I can write four days a week at an office for a business we own. It's the first time in sixteen years that I have written full time, and I am trying very hard to make the most of it. Surprisingly it has come with it's own set of difficulties--I find it hard to write for hours on end uninterrupted, and often feel guilty if I don't utilize my time as well as I think I should. I'm learning and growing in new and exciting ways - we'll see how it plays out long term.
Every writer I know struggles to find the time and there is no bit of advice that will work for everyone other than finding what you can trade off in your life. I don't suggest you put your family second to your writing time, nor will I tell you to give up other passions - but we all have 24 hours and it is up to each one of us to decide how we'll use it. The time will not present itself, you will have to find it. I see my writing as a gift that God has given me and I know that I need to use it appropriately, in that my family shouldn’t be neglected because writing is more fun than helping with homework. I believe that I’m a better wife and mother because of my writing, and I’m a better writer because I’m a good wife and mother. I encourage you not to see your career or family situation as a drawback, but rather part of the process that will make you better as you manage yourself and fulfill your responsibilities.
Q – What do you read?
A – I don’t read nearly as much as I used to and I miss it. With the demands of my writing, reading for fun has gone by the wayside and most of my reading is focused on research materials. When I DO read, I enjoy an eclectic array of authors—Sue Grafton, Lief Enger, Gerald Lund, Dean Hughs, Brenda Kingsolver, Kate Morton, Susan Elizabeth Phillips, John Grisham. I love suspense novels, but I’m a sucker for well written characters in a variety of genres. The key for me is that it has to be well written. A poorly written book—no matter how wonderful the story might be—will lose me. Generally I give a book 50 pages to hook me. If I hit those 50 pages and I’m glad to put it down—I’m done. If I hit those 50 pages and decide my kids can have hot dogs again, then it’s worth my time. I would guess I only finish about 1/3 of the books I pick up—which is rather annoying. Reading was more fun before I became so critical. I have enjoyed audio books the last year or so--it utilizes time I am in the car to get into a good story again.
Q – What are you working on right now?
A – My first Regency Romance Novel, A Heart Revealed, was released in Spring 2015 and will be followed by a spin-off novel, Lord Fenton's Folly, in Fall 2015. I am currently working on some historical romances centered around real people--more info to come later as things are approved and schedules finalized. It has been so much fun working on a new genre.
Q – Do you write anything other than novels?
A – I’ve written some programs, articles, and short stories, some of which have won awards and honorable mentions. In addition to those things, I’ve done some web copy writing as well. I enjoy the challenge of writing different things, but am glad that I have good momentum with my books at the same time. I’ve contributed to two A Timeless Romance Anthologies: Spring Vacation and All Regency. I loved being a part of those projects with other authors I so admire and enjoy.
Q – What advice do you have for aspiring writers?
A – Being a writer is different then being a novelist. If you’re a writer, you write--and it can be for your own edification, for people you know and love, or for commercial interest. If you're a novelist, you are writing novels for other people to read. I am both a writer and a novelist; some of what I write is for myself, and some of what I write is for an audience. In either case, to have writing be worth the time you put into it, you have to love it. If you love to write and feel that you have something to say, then do it. There is nothing wrong with writing but not publishing, in fact there is some freedom in not writing for anyone but yourself. If you want to make a career of your writing, and earn an income, it's important to know that it isn’t an easy industry to find a career in, but it will never ‘just happen.’ I don’t know of anyone that had a publishing opportunity come to them. It takes a lot of time and a thick hide and it's continuation is determined by your continual ability to produce new work—but if it’s a dream you want, it’s worth pursuing.
If you’re interested in being a published author, I recommend you join a writers group, attend some writing conferences, meet other writers, and just keep writing, I've belonged to the LEAGUE OF UTAH WRITERS for years. If you’re not in Utah, there is likely a similar group in your state. To find it, do an internet search of your state + writing groups and see what you find. I also belong to a group by the name of STORYMAKERS and we do a writer’s conference in Utah every year which has been a great asset to many writers. If you’re interested in attending our next conference, go to this LINK for more information.
A – I had planned on ending the series with Wedding Cake, book 12, along with the cookbook that includes all the recipes from all the books in the series, plus a few extra. Sadie’s Little Black Book of Recipes was released at the same time as Wedding Cake in December 2014. In 2019 I capped the series with The Candy Cane Caper, a Sadie Christmas mystery. Readers have asked if we might do another Sadie book down the road. At this point, I am not planning on it. While I love Sadie and her misadventures, I feel like we finished her series strong.
Q - Will you write Mystery again?
A - I have some ideas for a mystery series that I hope to develop in the future. Right now I feel like I need some more distance from Sadie in order for my new ideas not to sound too similar.
Q – How do you find the time to write?
A – There is only one way to find time to write, and that is make trade-offs. I don’t do much other than write and participate in events tied to the writing community. I brainstorm constantly, edit while I wait for kids to finish their activities, and build time into my schedule for uninterrupted writing time. Because I want to be a mom and a wife first, life has often dictated that I don’t write much for weeks on end, then, when I’ve been able to arrange things to be less hectic, I write every chance I get.
Right now I find it very hard to write at home. My husband has recently moved his office home and has taken over some of the household responsibilities so that I can write four days a week at an office for a business we own. It's the first time in sixteen years that I have written full time, and I am trying very hard to make the most of it. Surprisingly it has come with it's own set of difficulties--I find it hard to write for hours on end uninterrupted, and often feel guilty if I don't utilize my time as well as I think I should. I'm learning and growing in new and exciting ways - we'll see how it plays out long term.
Every writer I know struggles to find the time and there is no bit of advice that will work for everyone other than finding what you can trade off in your life. I don't suggest you put your family second to your writing time, nor will I tell you to give up other passions - but we all have 24 hours and it is up to each one of us to decide how we'll use it. The time will not present itself, you will have to find it. I see my writing as a gift that God has given me and I know that I need to use it appropriately, in that my family shouldn’t be neglected because writing is more fun than helping with homework. I believe that I’m a better wife and mother because of my writing, and I’m a better writer because I’m a good wife and mother. I encourage you not to see your career or family situation as a drawback, but rather part of the process that will make you better as you manage yourself and fulfill your responsibilities.
Q – What do you read?
A – I don’t read nearly as much as I used to and I miss it. With the demands of my writing, reading for fun has gone by the wayside and most of my reading is focused on research materials. When I DO read, I enjoy an eclectic array of authors—Sue Grafton, Lief Enger, Gerald Lund, Dean Hughs, Brenda Kingsolver, Kate Morton, Susan Elizabeth Phillips, John Grisham. I love suspense novels, but I’m a sucker for well written characters in a variety of genres. The key for me is that it has to be well written. A poorly written book—no matter how wonderful the story might be—will lose me. Generally I give a book 50 pages to hook me. If I hit those 50 pages and I’m glad to put it down—I’m done. If I hit those 50 pages and decide my kids can have hot dogs again, then it’s worth my time. I would guess I only finish about 1/3 of the books I pick up—which is rather annoying. Reading was more fun before I became so critical. I have enjoyed audio books the last year or so--it utilizes time I am in the car to get into a good story again.
Q – What are you working on right now?
A – My first Regency Romance Novel, A Heart Revealed, was released in Spring 2015 and will be followed by a spin-off novel, Lord Fenton's Folly, in Fall 2015. I am currently working on some historical romances centered around real people--more info to come later as things are approved and schedules finalized. It has been so much fun working on a new genre.
Q – Do you write anything other than novels?
A – I’ve written some programs, articles, and short stories, some of which have won awards and honorable mentions. In addition to those things, I’ve done some web copy writing as well. I enjoy the challenge of writing different things, but am glad that I have good momentum with my books at the same time. I’ve contributed to two A Timeless Romance Anthologies: Spring Vacation and All Regency. I loved being a part of those projects with other authors I so admire and enjoy.
Q – What advice do you have for aspiring writers?
A – Being a writer is different then being a novelist. If you’re a writer, you write--and it can be for your own edification, for people you know and love, or for commercial interest. If you're a novelist, you are writing novels for other people to read. I am both a writer and a novelist; some of what I write is for myself, and some of what I write is for an audience. In either case, to have writing be worth the time you put into it, you have to love it. If you love to write and feel that you have something to say, then do it. There is nothing wrong with writing but not publishing, in fact there is some freedom in not writing for anyone but yourself. If you want to make a career of your writing, and earn an income, it's important to know that it isn’t an easy industry to find a career in, but it will never ‘just happen.’ I don’t know of anyone that had a publishing opportunity come to them. It takes a lot of time and a thick hide and it's continuation is determined by your continual ability to produce new work—but if it’s a dream you want, it’s worth pursuing.
If you’re interested in being a published author, I recommend you join a writers group, attend some writing conferences, meet other writers, and just keep writing, I've belonged to the LEAGUE OF UTAH WRITERS for years. If you’re not in Utah, there is likely a similar group in your state. To find it, do an internet search of your state + writing groups and see what you find. I also belong to a group by the name of STORYMAKERS and we do a writer’s conference in Utah every year which has been a great asset to many writers. If you’re interested in attending our next conference, go to this LINK for more information.
