Janice Cantore Interview

Q: Let me start with asking you to tell us a little bit about yourself.

A. Born and raised in Southern California, I have three brothers and one sister. I grew up kind of a Tomboy, loved sports and horses, was fortunate enough to have a horse while I was in High School. I went away to college, first to San Jose State, then UC Irvine where I earned a BS in Biology. Not sure of the career direction I wanted to take, I went back to school, to Long Beach State where I just decided to have fun and earned a degree in physical education. I was working on a master’s degree when I saw a flyer about the Long Beach PD hiring and I applied. I tend to get bored easily and decided that police work would be different and changing. For the most part I wasn’t disappointed.

Q: When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?

A. I have always loved to read. I think the day I was in elementary school and we learned how the library worked was one of the best days of my life. I was 10 or 12 when I decided to try and write, and I started writing stories about horses in spiral bound notebooks. It was a dream that was put on hold for a lot of years, for a lot of different reasons. Standing on the front lines of the Rodney King riots as a police officer woke up a desire to write in order to try and convey some of what I felt during that time. About this time I discovered Francine Rivers and Randy Alcorn. I loved their stories with the spiritual dimension and knew that was what I wanted to write as well, book that would inspire. A few years later the idea for Accused came to me and I decided to seriously try and write a novel.

Q: Could you give us the highlights of your professional writing career including how you got your first writing break?

A. The highlight was meeting my agent, Don Jacobson, and then signing a contract with Tyndale. My first break was signing with Oaktara to publish my first book, The Kevlar Heart. I’d submitted the idea to Writer’s Edge and Ramona Tucker’s e-mail to me saying she wanted the book was the kind of e-mail I think every writer (especially after a lot of rejections) would want to see.

Q: Would you tell us about your current book release?

A. Accused is the first book I ever wrote. I wrote it before The Kevlar Heart, but received so many rejections that I put it on a shelf thinking that it would never be published. I started it while I was still a full time police officer and it was polished over the years as I attended writer’s conferences and read about how to write a novel. I also went back through it after every rejection. I wanted to write a page-turner that would leave readers inspired and feeling good.

Q: Where did you get your inspiration for Accused?

A:I was working as a juvenile detective and there was a kid in custody for a particularly gruesome crime. I remember looking at him thinking, what if he didn’t do it? From there I played the ‘what if’ game and developed the idea of having a cop be an advocate for a seemingly guilty criminal.

Q: What is the main thing you hope readers remember from this story?

A: The story has a strong spiritual component I hope that leaves believers inspired and non-believers interested.

Q: What is your favorite scene/chapter from the book? A: Actually, the ending was my favorite. I liked the way things wrapped up and had a feeling that the story was good because it ended on a strong positive note.

Q: What inspires you to write?

A. As a Christian, I believe that there is always hope, even in the darkest situation, that being said, when I read about a crime or a tragic situation, I’m inspired to write the story that shows hope in the hardest of those circumstances. When I worked, I saw a lot of tragedy, but I also saw people of faith picking up the pieces and moving on without whining or letting bitterness rule the day. I’m inspired to write exciting stories that show people rising from tragedy in order to inspire and uplift the reader.

Q: How has being a published novelist differed from your expectations of the profession?

A: I really didn’t and don’t know what to expect. I’ve just concentrated on trying to write the best story I can. I thank God that I can say I’m a published author. Now, I want to keep working hard for all the people who have believed in me over the years.

Q: What advice or tips do you have for writers who are just getting started?

A: One bit of advice that has always stuck with me was the advice of never being so in love with your work that you can’t appreciate constructive criticism, especially if it’s from people who know what they are talking about. I was at a writer’s conference one year where a new writer was devastated because she was told that her 300,000 word manuscript was too long and needed to be cut. She wanted it published as is and didn’t believe there was no market for such a long book and since she was an English major didn’t think it needed editing. She left the conference early determined to self publish. You have to listen to people who know the business, IMHO. If writing is what you love, what you believe is your calling, never give up, keep working at your craft and learning to turn out the best work.

Q: Would you share with us what you are working on now?

A. It’s another suspense novel, about two people who meet, not knowing that they share a common obsession, to solve a 25-year-old murder. They discover their common interest about the same time the killer decides they are getting too close to discovering the truth.

Q: What is something your readers might be surprised to learn about you?

A. Probably that my favorite TV show ever is Star Trek. Watching the original and all the spin offs on DVD is my guilty pleasure.

Q: When you’re not writing what do you like to do?

A. I read, I cross stich, visit the gym, and I have three dogs that keep me extremely busy.

Q: Anything else you’d like to tell or share with us?

A. I feel blessed by my association with Tyndale Publishing and love the team I work with.