J.A. Louvel has been writing for over three decades, but finally got serious about her work and published New Eden in 2017, Book 1 in The Joining Trilogy: a dystopian sci-fi fantasy. In 2019, it was followed by Book 2 in the series, Progeny, a much darker blend of sci-fi fantasy.
J.A. has resided on the West Coast of Canada for most of her life, interspersed with time spent in Northern Alberta, England, and the Caribou Region in BC, where she lived in an old prospectors’ cabin with three cats and played host to a friendly skunk and an occasional bear. Later, she exchanged one of the cats for a baby girl.
Currently she no longer lives with cats or kids, or receives wildlife visitors, but she does share a home with a very wolfie looking man, whom she loves immensely.
To date, her published works have little to do with animals and contain only a smidge of humor.
J.A. usually works ten hours a day at the business of writing ─except when she works for twelve. Her weekends are often spent ‘writing for fun.’
When not writing, J.A. reads both hard and soft sci-fi’s that are often a mix of fantasy and dystopian. She also reads murder mysteries and espionage novels ─both of the British variety, and watches Netflix and movies. She loves to go for walks to clear her head and sort out ideas, and is strangely fond of Pilates. She enjoys cooking (and eating) different types of cuisines from around the world and finding the right wines to pair with them.
Addicted to chai tea and chocolate covered coffee beans, she limits herself to three cups a day and three beans –except on weekends. She also drinks an inordinate amount of water.
A big Xmas enthusiast when it comes to decorating, baking, and family, J.A. customarily takes a few weeks off from work around the Holidays and a week off in the summer to recharge her creative batteries, although this has sometimes been known to involve ‘writing for fun.’
What Were Your Influences?
I think I’ve been influenced by every book I’ve ever read, at least on some level, even if it was simply to recognize what I didn’t want to write. But my most powerful influences, within the sci-fi realm, were Frank Herbert, Isaac Asimov, Doris Lessing, J.R.R. Tolkien, Ursula Le Guin, Douglas Adams & Walter M. Miller Jr.
From these writers I learned what was possible when developing a storyline, in the sense of time and space: essentially, it’s pretty much unlimited! They also legitimized for me the use of metaphysical/fantastical powers within dramatic adult fiction. These writers taught me about pacing, and how to write an action scene. And that it’s okay to create an ensemble cast of characters ─and how to juggle them!
My most notable influences from the non-scifi world were: Jane Austen, James Clavell, Len Deighton, George Elliott, John Irving, John Le Carré, James A. Michener, Edgar Allan Poe, William Styron, Leon Uris, and Oscar Wilde.
These writers taught me about character development, scene development, and the different ways to allow a story to unfold. They also taught me how to write dialogue and how to develop the relationships between the characters.
I am speaking as if I knew that all these books would one day influence my writing when, in fact, I’d no idea that I would ever be writing a book (that was just a little daydream). I was simply reading what I enjoyed ─and recognizing what I didn’t─ but my subconscious writer, waiting in the wings, was taking note of every key element that would one day serve me. It was only after I began writing my own stories and realized why I was making the decisions I was making, that I understood how much I had learned about writing, simply by being a voracious reader.
I also wanted to write the types of stories that I enjoyed reading, but always with a regard to satisfying my readers, otherwise I’d just be journaling.
I prefer to share.
WIP’s
Works in Progress include the following:
THE JOINERS: The Joining Trilogy Book 3
THE AWAKENING OF CHARLIE BURDOCK: A fantastical Tail
THE ALIEN CHRONICLES: My Journey of Discovery
THE BONDED: A Magical Scifi Adventure
RAPUNZEL, THE UNTOLD STORY: A Revised Fairytale (screenplay)
MORT: Short Stories with a Deadly Twist (mixed genres)
AWAKENINGS: A Scifi-Metaphysical TV Series
NOVEL ATTRACTIONS: A comedy about death, deception, love & sex
(adapting my original stage play for the screen)