Meet Janis Thomas

Today we’d like to introduce you to Janis Thomas.

Hi Janis, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself. 
I’ve been writing stories since I was six years old. I wrote plays and screenplays during high school and college and continued after I graduated. I lived in New York for eleven years, and I wrote regularly, but not seriously. I did theater and had a band with my sister called she said which played out all over the city, and I managed a bar on the Upper West Side. Busy days. I met my husband – he walked into my bar one night and never left. We moved back to SoCal and started a family, and when my children were old enough to start school, I finally sat down to write a novel. This time, I finished it.

I was lucky enough to get a literary agent who managed to sell my novel to Penguin USA within two weeks of signing me. Since then, I have had four more book deals with traditional publishing houses, and I have also dabbled in independent publishing. Seven novels to date, including my latest, FINDING GRACE from Blackstone Publishing, which has received critical acclaim. 

I love writing, and I also love sharing what I have learned. I teach the craft of writing and have led numerous workshops at many conferences, including Writers Digest, Romance Writers, Santa Barbara, and more. I am also active in the Southern California Writers Association and am the Director of the Southern California Writers Conference. With fellow writer and friend Ara Grigorian, I created the Novel Intensive, a one-day seminar on how to write a novel from concept to revision. From that, I have created Novel Boot Camp, a two-day workshop series at the SCWC in February, and am currently putting together a Boot Camp retreat, the first of which is slated for this October. 

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The writer’s life is a rollercoaster ride. And, to use the cliché, it is a marathon, not a sprint. There is a lot of rejection in this business. There are market trends, and things that might offend people, and rules that need to be followed, and then all of those things shift suddenly and get turned upside down. A book deal, or five, doesn’t make you Stephen King. I have had many ups and many downs. I’ve been rejected; I have been dropped by publishers. I’ve had my agent turn down what I’ve written, though I poured my heart and soul into the story. I have whole, huge books that will never live outside my computer because no matter how hard I sweat over them, the stories will never work. Time is also a factor for me, as I am a mom first, so my children always took priority, and there were stretches of days and weeks that I couldn’t write, and to be clear, I don’t regret that at all. Now, I have more time because my kids are essentially grown, but life is busy. Always. And there is always that voice in the back of my head, the one that asks in an insidious whisper, “Why are you doing this???” Because it’s hard. And success is fleeting. And I am only as relevant as my last book. And what if the next book isn’t good enough? And yet, the answer to that question is easy. “I’m doing this because I have to. I am a storyteller. It’s what I do.” 

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I have three humorous women’s fiction novels, SOMETHING NEW, SWEET NOTHINGS, and SAY NEVER. I have one murder mystery, MURDER IN A MINOR. 

I have two novels that are domestic suspense with a hint of magical realism: WHAT REMAINS TRUE and ALL THAT’S LEFT OF ME. 

My latest is psychological suspense with a hint of paranormal, FINDING GRACE. 

Some authors like to stick with one genre, but I have to write the story that captures my attention, my passion, and compels me to sit in my chair and type, no matter what genre that might be. You can always count on me for a good story with rich, complex characters who go through something and come out on the other side having learned and grown. I am a positive person, optimistic even when the world gets crazy, and that comes through in my work. No matter how dark my stories can get–and they can get pretty dark–there is always light at the end of the tunnel. 

Networking and finding a mentor can have such a positive impact on one’s life and career. Any advice?
My advice for writers is: 

1) Learn your craft. Everyone has a story in them. Not everyone can write that story. Take classes, workshops, tutorials. Learn about story structure and character arcs and scene construction and dialogue, and all those elements required to create a compelling read. 

2) Find your people. I’m married to a wonderful man who has absolutely no idea what I do, how I do it, or why I do it. It’s important to be around people who understand you and what you do, people who get you. Writers Conferences, Clubs, and Associations provide great opportunities to network, gain knowledge, get inspired and motivated, and find your champions. 

Contact Info:

• Website: www.janisthomas.com
• Instagram: @janislthomas
• Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/janis-thomas-888a6879