Q&A With M.J. Rose 

This Q&A is with M.J. Rose whose novels have appeared in The New York Times Bestsellers, USA Today Bestsellers and Wall Street Journal Bestsellers lists. M.J. Rose writes stories that have mystery, magic and history mixed in. Some of her novels are,  “The Last Tiara,” “Cartiers Hope,” and coming out today is  “The Jewelers of Stolen Dreams”. 

Q: What point in your life did you realize your calling was to be an author?

A: I didn’t really ever think that. I was always telling stories as a child and then went into advertising and told stories about products in commercials and then wrote screenplays and at a certain point in that process decided to try a novel. I suppose after I’d written three terrible novels, I decided I wanted to be an author.

 Q: I always find it fascinating when an author can mix magic, history and different genres into one amazing story. What is your secret to doing this? 

 A:I don’t have a secret – I wish there was  – I’d like to know it. It’s simply that I write about the things that interest me that I want to learn about and when I tell stories these are the subjects that just keep coming up.

Q: What’s your advice to new and aspiring authors dealing with negative feedback whether its negative reviews, online trolls and family and friends who aren’t supportive?

 A: You have to be an optimist to write a book. You have to believe that you have something to say that is really worthwhile in order to take on this enormous effort and stick with it. But then you have to become a pessimist and expect nothing in order to get through the publishing process. It’s going to be brutal no matter what you do for a million reasons. I don’t read reviews or search for myself on any social media site so I don’t see what anyone is saying. As for friends who aren’t supportive – then they aren’t friends. Life is way way way too short to have friends who cause pain. 

 Q: If you were to collaborate with another author who would it be with and why?

 A: I’ve written with many writers already including Steve Berry and Alyson Richman. If I could pick any writer no longer with us to collaborate with  — it would be Daphne Du Maurier.

 Q: Does Hollywood have the rights to any of your novels?

A: We sold the rights to the Reinarnationist to Warner/Fox and they made a TV show out of it in 2010, Past Life. A terrible show, but a show none the less. We are in talks now for another series, but I can’t talk about it 

Q: I read the blurb about “The Last Tiara,” and I love anything to do with the Romanovs and other royal families. Which era did you have the most fun writing about?

A: Whichever is the one I am currently working on is my favorite.

 Q: What is your advice to anyone wanting to be an author? What advice do you give to anyone struggling with writers block?

 A: Only write because you have no other choice. Because ultimately you can’t not write. Because in the end the writing itself brings more joy than pain. It’s too brutal a business with too little reward for 99% of all writers to do it otherwise. And as for writer’s block – I believe it only exists when you don’t know your character well enough. SO if you have it – get to know your characters and their desires and conflicts better.

Q: Are you writing a new novel now? If so can you reveal any details? 

A: I am but I’m so sorry, I never talk about the a novel until it comes out —

A: but The Jeweler of Stolen Dreams comes out on Feb 7^th and I’m really excited about it. It is a tale of two passionate women separated by decades but united by a shared vision. One, the real life famous jeweler Suzanne Belperron, fighting to protect her company and rescue the man she loves. The other, a young auctioneer whose exceptional gifts reveal a secret that endangers her very life.