Interview with Jenelle Jack Pierre

1. I notice you have a MA from the writing program at John Hopkins University. Tell us a little more about your writing background.
   

   I studied Communications as an undergrad and wrote two YA novels during that time. In graduate school, I began writing short stories, including Someone Else, Somewhere Else.
   

1. Short stories versus the novel? I know you’ve written before so which do you prefer?
   

   I think they’re both interesting genres. I won’t say I prefer one over the other. A novel is for when you want to dive into another world you’re creating and you have time to do this because of length. When I’m writing a short story, I have to add depth to the narrative faster because of the shorter length.
   

1. Someone Else, Somewhere Else is full of such rich prose, and you really bring your characters to life. Was this story based on true events?
   

   The only true aspect is that one of my friends had a mean stepmother. The setting, characters, situation, etc are all make-believe.
   

1. I like the way you handle Henry and his deception about the rabbit. Many times authors will go overboard trying to be subtle about that kind of character development and it ends up not being subtle at all! With that in mind, how much time you spend in the editing process for short stories?
   

   Short stories can take a lot of time to edit. I edited this story at least four times. Editing a short story can take awhile because I want to build a believable world and show the characters grow in some significant way.
   

1. Are you solely a YA writer or do you work in other genres as well?
   

   I write YA and contemporary short stories.
   

6. Tell us about your next project and the book we are giving away today!

Thanks for asking, my next project is called “Love’s Onlookers.” It’s a collection of short stories. Someone Else, Somewhere Else will be included. Three of the stories will have a young protagonist.

Someone Else, Somewhere Else is available to your readers, who can currently download it for free at eretailers, including Amazon. One winner will get a copy of my YA novel, “Before I Breathe.”

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