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MEET S. JONES ROGAN
by Bonnie O'Brian

What did you most like to do when you were a child?

S. Jones Rogan

There were many things I enjoyed as a child growing up in the Welsh countryside. Games of imagination were my favorite; I’d be shipwrecked one day and lost in a forest the next. I’d build shelters in the woods, living on berries and hazelnuts – until it was time for dinner of course! When I was quite young I lived next to the ocean and I would spend hours collecting shells. Later, when we moved into the valley, I loved to ride my pony or swim in the river. Collecting warm eggs from our chicken coops was always a favorite. There was no TV to speak of, no computers or cell phones but I owned an old record player and would listen to the popular music of the day and read or draw. Much of the time, I had to help my parents in the small inn that they owned but I always enjoyed meeting new guests, especially the ones from foreign countries. They seemed to bring a little piece of something new and interesting with them, a different language or accent, clothing, and stories from their homeland. I was always making new friends.

Did you write stories when you were growing up at school or at home as a hobby? As a young child or as a teenager or both?

I wrote many stories when I was growing up and also used to keep a diary although I did not write in it every day. Mostly I would write as a hobby at home rather than in my classes as I always found school assignments rather boring. When I was a teenager it became more difficult to find the time to write with school and work.

Do you do other types of writing – for example, educational, nonfiction, magazine work?

I have written several short stories for magazines such as, Highlights for Children and, Clubhouse. I enjoy writing short fiction for adults though have never tried to publish any. I have written a couple of screenplays which was an interesting experience, and quite different from writing books.

What kinds of things inspire you to write?

Inspiration comes to me from all kinds of things, but probably mostly from ‘setting’ or ‘scene’. I’ll see a rain-washed village, a stormy beach, maybe a sunlit field of yellow mustard or a chilly mine shaft. Who once lived in that house with the windows now staring black and empty? There’s always a story if you let your imagination go.

What are you working on now? When do you expect to start submitting it to publishers?

Presently I am working on three projects. I am ‘polishing’ the sequel of, DARING ADVENTURES OF PENHALIGON BRUSH. It is already with the publisher. I am also working on a middle grade fiction novel, a mystery, set during the Second World War. A book of scary short stories is almost completed. Neither of these projects is ready for the publisher quite yet.

When is your next book going to be in the bookstores?

Hopefully, THE CURSE OF THE ROMANY WOLVES will be available in the spring of 2009.

Do you like to receive letters/comments from your readers?

I love receiving letters and comments as it helps me to become a better writer. When I hear comments about what readers like about my characters or the setting or plot etc., I know that I am communicating my thoughts and ideas successfully through story, which is what it’s all about. If my readers have enjoyed being transported to another world for a short time, then I am very happy.

What do you want the students to get out of your school visits?

I would like students to realize that most things are possible but dreams don’t often fall into our laps unless we pursue them. Books can help achieve and discover those dreams, whether one is writing them or reading them. Good stories are like the guests at the inn that I mentioned earlier in this interview; they bring their own blend of excitement and flavor from places that you have never been able to visit.