10 Questions With Amani Jesu

I’ve stalked you on Amazon since reading Eliana-Who-Sees-Us. You have a very interesting background. One of the things I promise readers is that I won’t ask authors the stock questions, so here goes!

1. Your author profile says that one of your interests is belly dancing. Tell us about that.

I know I saw The Key to Rebecca as a made-for-TV movie, and maybe there were glimpses of belly dancers in other movies or TV shows. It was one of those things that just drew me, without knowing why. I saw a notice for belly dance classes at a Louisville, KY bookstore, but I didn’t take the number from the flyer and never could track the teacher down afterwards. Years later, in Houston, I saw classes for the Sirrom School listed in the now defunct Leisure Learning catalog. I took lessons for years, performed with a troupe at some festivals and school events, and do hoopla every year at the Chevron Houston Marathon. I am terribly out of practice now, but I still love it. 

2. What would be your weapon of choice in a sword fight? Do you have a particular style that you follow/practice?

I learned “light” Renaissance-era rapier fighting in the Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA), as opposed to the “heavy fighting” with broadswords. I even helped teach the youth program for a while. When you start learning, you use a lightweight blade, like a modern fencing foil, rather than an actual rapier. You can add a second sword, a dagger, or a shield. I usually fought with just the one sword – other tools can be useful or they can be one more thing to think about! I loved the community of the SCA. When you show up for weekly fighter practice, they say, “Oh, are you here to play?” Even if play involves stabby things. 

3. Back in 2015 you wrote a blog post titled Tension in America. I loved it when I read it. Care to recap the high points here?

Wow – I just reread it, and it’s so relevant, I could have written it yesterday. Basically, the old adage of “sex sells” has been replaced with “anger sells.” But raging at people and insulting them does very little to get them to change their minds and only pushes us all farther apart. We have to ask ourselves, am I really trying to A) find a compromise with other people, B) get them to come over to my way of thinking, or C) just bash someone because it feels good in the moment? Maybe debate class would help give students the tools they need to have reasonable discussions. Adults might be reachable through entertaining reality shows, but those tend to promote catty remarks and backstabbing. 

4. What first drew you to Nepal?

I do remember while watching Twin Peaks in the 90’s I was excited when Agent Cooper mentioned Tibet, but like some of the other interests mentioned in this Q&A, I’m not sure what started it. In 2000, I planned a trip to Nepal with a short trip to Tibet, but [long story deleted] didn’t make it over the border to Tibet. It was a fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants trip, so there were some other things I wanted to do that I didn’t get to. I went back in 2014 as a sort of “tidying up” to do those things and have a sense of completion. I didn’t expect to fall in love and keep going back again and again. I think there are some desires that God plants in us as a seed, and it may have a purpose on its own, or it may just serve as a path to something better. I’ve begun to accept that the things I take an interest in don’t have to become my career. On the other hand, I have to be mindful not to start out with a sense of “well, this will be a big waste of time because it’s just leading to something else.” That kills all the fun and makes the journey into a chore. 

5. I loved Eliana’s struggles. She goes through the blender on a few issues: Is she crazy? Is she chosen? Good guy/bad guy? My favorite, though, is one I don’t want to spoil for people reading your book, so let me ask about the one that has confounded me since adolescence: What is so appealing about bad boys?

Well, shoot! Now I want to know what your favorite is! But I have examined the bad boy thing myself, specifically during Pirates of the Caribbean. I went to the movie as a fan of Orlando Bloom, after seeing him in Lord of the Rings, but couldn’t take my eyes off of Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp). Why? Orlando’s character, Will Turner, is a good guy, handsome, brave, skilled in his job (but lets his drunken boss take the credit), and he is willing to risk his life for Elizabeth. But the bad boys like Jack are willing to color outside the lines – to do “bad” things, even if it’s for a good purpose, and audiences are fascinated by that. I think as authors or filmmakers, we need to work a little harder at making “good guys” interesting, multi-dimensional characters who let us live out a fantasy side of ourselves or push the boundaries of society (which are sometimes wrong), even while remaining good. 

6. Do you have any rituals or practices that get you prepared for writing? What are they?

I do not. Maybe I need to. I have a wonderful little home office with a nice view out the window, but the office is so cluttered I usually write in the living room instead. ☹ Setting a timer is a great motivator for me, which I learned from The Pomodoro Method. Even after all the encouragement I’ve received from my wonderful critique partners and editor, I’m still held back by FEAR. I think writers such as myself who procrastinate need self-help therapy more than writing instruction. Sometimes starting off by journaling about my concerns helps me to write actual words instead of “researching” online for an hour.

7. What’s your favorite restaurant in Houston?

I am blessed to have a husband who is a good cook, and I’ve found that even when we’re willing to spend many times the cost of a home meal, restaurant food is often disappointing. Pre-pandemic, we went most often to Lucky Village Chinese buffet, just outside the Beltway, because they have a huge variety, and Ranjan can get lots of seafood that would be more trouble to cook at home. Having grown up in landlocked Kentucky, I was never much of a seafood person.

8. Where were you in High School? What were you like?

I went to North Hardin High School in Radcliff, Kentucky – it was like a suburb of Fort Knox, but surrounded by rural communities. Because of the army base, we had a very diverse student population, and I’m grateful now that I had that. I was VERY shy. I could talk a lot to friends I felt comfortable with, and I loved to make them laugh. But I was bullied at various times and tended to try to be invisible more often than not. I wrote some fiction, took art classes, and played flute in the band (I really wanted to play guitar in a rock band, but that had to wait till I was an adult.) I dreamed of having a creative career, but was always told that I would need a job that would pay the bills, and I took that to mean I probably wasn’t good enough to succeed. As a result of all of the above, I have good memories of particular friends, but not fond memories of “high school” in general.

9. Is there any non-financial advice you would give to the you of 10 years ago?

I think I got tons of good advice from the teen-centered media of the 70’s and 80’s, but I just didn’t understand it. “Just be yourself” was one piece of advice, but it was usually wrapped up in a story where someone pretended to be years older / a different person / some other extreme. I guess “your boring, ordinary life is just fine” doesn’t go over well in pitch meetings. I love that in Season 4 of Stranger Things we keep hearing “I’m right here” over and over from supportive friends. I think that is the advice I would give myself. Those things that you think you have to earn or go somewhere else to find or dig up — they are probably already right in front of you: love, respect, inner peace, a sense of worth; look at the people close to you first. 

10. Star Trek or Star Wars?

My disclaimer – it’s been years and years since I watched either one. I want so bad to choose Star Wars, but I was disappointed by movies “I, II, III” and now there are several new ones that I’m not sure whether to watch or not. With Star Trek, it seems easier to drop into the middle and go from there. That gives it an openness to newbies. I think I like the clothes and the grubbiness of life on the planets in Star Wars better, but prefer the storylines of Star Trek. Also, it’s hilarious when a group of Trekkies shows up at the Renaissance Festival in uniform. So I’m going to go with Star Trek.

Follow Amani Jesu’s blog here.

For those of us on a budget, Jesu’s having a free day on Amazon TODAY! (That’s Tuesday, September 6th, although if you’re late reading this, it may still be available free on Kindle Unlimited.)

Buy the book here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B556ZXPT/

Enjoy!