31 December 2013

Interview with Jamie Baywood!

A little while back, Jamie Baywood sent me an email asking if I would like to interview her for my blog and, of course, I said yes! A few days later I sent her a few questions and she replied with these answers.

Hi there Jamie, thanks for coming to GeorgiaReviews...!
Thank you for having me.

What inspired you to write about your travels in New Zealand?
By the age of twenty-six, I was actually much happier being alone than dating, but I was completely bombarded by guys trying to date me in California. I read in a New Zealand tour book that the country’s population has 100,000 fewer men than women.  I wanted to have some me time and an adventure. New Zealand seemed like a good place to do so.

Did you keep notes or a diary through your trip and why/why not?
Yes, most of my book was written as the events happened. Reading my book would be similar to receiving emails from a friend living abroad. I didn't really come up with the distinct writing style. It’s just how I honestly observed things and described them. I only know how to write my truth. My truth tends to be stranger than fiction.

It would be impossible to write down every single thing that happen to me in New Zealand for over a year and it probably wouldn't be interesting to read. My book is 100% true. These are 100% my experiences. I have changed some the names, but not all of individuals and organizations to preserve privacy.

If you could pick 3 songs to sum up your trip, what would they be?
1. Santigold – L.E.S. Artistes (Listen HERE)
2. Kids of 88 – Just a little Bit (Listen HERE)
3. The Naked and Famous – Young Blood (Listen HERE)

There are some lines in L.E.S. Artistes that really apply to how I felt when I first arrived in New Zealand:
What I'm searching for
I can say I hope it will be worth what I give up
What am I here for
I left my home to disappear is all
I'm here for myself
Kids of 88 and The Naked and Famous were New Zealand bands I discovered during my time in there. I had the chance to go to a concert where they both performed. It was a great night.

What is your favourite genre to read?
My new favourite book is May I Ask You Something? by Cyan Corwine. I personally also find autobiographies interesting, but it really depends on who wrote it. One of my favourite books is collections of funny true stories like Area Code 212 byTama Janowitz.

What are you doing in your life at the moment?
I haven’t stopped travelling since I moved out of California in 2010.I never moved back to California. For the past three years, I’I've been disassembling and reassembling my life by moving to different countries. I've lived in five countries now America, American Samoa, New Zealand, Scotland and now England. Although I intended to have a solo adventure I ended up meeting my husband a Scottish man in New Zealand.
My husband is very busy working on a MA in Landscape Architecture. This gives me a lot of time to work on promoting my book and attending book talks throughout the UK.

We've actually lived in two different countries in the United Kingdom after leaving New Zealand; Scotland and now England. After New Zealand, we moved to Scotland, got married in a castle and ended up living across the street from Edinburgh Castle in Edinburgh. Scotland is a sincerely magical place. There are so many castles in Scotland. Scotland has amazing architecture, beautiful mountains, lochs, beaches and sweet natured people. The landscape of the Highlands is very similar to the South Island of New Zealand. I love hearing the Scottish accent everywhere you go. After living in Edinburgh, I can understand how J. K. Rowling was inspired writing Harry Potter. I lived above a used bookshop that looked like where Harry would have bought his school supplies.

For unwanted and complicated reasons we had to move to England last September. It was devastating to have to move out of Edinburgh to Sheffield, England last year for my husband graduate school. We will have to live here until summer 2014.
I've designed, published and have been marketing Getting Rooted in New Zealand. Self-publishing is one person taking on all of the responsibilities typically held by teams of people in traditional publishing companies. It has been a steep learning curve.  I am currently booking meet the author events at libraries and book clubs throughout England and Wales between now and June 2014.

What new books are coming up in the future for you?
I plan to divide my books by the countries I've lived in. My next book will be about attempting to settle in Scotland. I plan to publish it late 2014.


Getting Rooted in New Zealand is available in paperback and ebook on Amazon HERE.
You can also follow Jamie on the following sites:
Facebook.com/jamiebaywood
Twitter.com/jamiebaywood
Pinterest.com/jamiebaywood
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7069448.Jamie_Baywood
amazon.com/author/jamiebaywood

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