Jerena Tobiasen On the Search for Authenticity

WW: I first want to say congratulations on the series and on the awards you've won. It's wonderful to see! And I understand that you wrote The Prophecy saga after you retired?

JT: In the summer of 2015 I took a writing course at SFU just to be more familiar with what's required in writing something of a volume because I'd only ever written short stories or essays or poems.

This saga is based on true stories I’d been carrying around with me for about thirty years. It was written in my head. Just a matter of putting it on paper. And so I finished my previous work just before Christmas and the first Monday in January I sat down and started writing.

I finished the manuscript by the end of February. Then I gave it to a structural editor and she said it was too big, I’d have to split it in half. But I said I couldn’t do that, it had to be three.

Then my husband and I went to Europe and we travelled in the path of my characters, following in their footsteps. When I came back, I took those three stories and embellished them based on my experiences and perceptions and ended up with three novels.

WW: That's an amazing story in itself. JT: Well, I figure if I'm going to be writing historical fiction, I want it to be as authentic as I can make it, and yeah, there might be the odd bit in there that requires a leap of faith, but the historical characters referenced were real, and what they said is a direct quote from something I read.

I don't know if your characters talk to you but mine do. They've been with me forever. My husband always says, “I don't just live with one person. I live with families and people I've never met before but I know a lot about them.”

WW: I noticed that you published your own books. So besides beginning a new career as a writer, you also had to learn how to publish and market and distribute.

JT: I've learned a lot more than I planned on that’s for sure. I self-published and I had a reason for that. My motherin-law, who was in her nineties, and my mother both really wanted to read the story they were already so familiar with. So I was driven—I didn't have time to find publishers and take two or three years to convince somebody that it was a worthwhile project. I cast about until I found somebody who was comfortable to work with and they helped me publish. Then I engaged another branch of their office to help me with the marketing. They had great advice and were ever so helpful. I don't know if you've ever heard of Cascadia Author Services in Victoria. They have all sorts of packages that you can pick and choose from.

WW: Any advice for new writers? I truly believe in courses that help you get started, but when it comes to whether you plot or you write by the seat of your pants, I don't think that is so important. What's important is listening to your heart and writing what you think or you feel and just get your thoughts on paper. Then worry about the rest. If you've got a good story just write it…what’s that term, stream of thought? Let it go.

WW: Is that how you wrote your book in two months? JT: Yes. That’s what I did.

WW: Thank you for telling me about it Jerena. I enjoyed this time with you.