Author Inverview: The Birr Elixir by Jo Sparkes

A well-known Century City Producer once said Jo Sparkes “writes some of the best dialogue I’ve read.”

Jo graduated from Washington College, a small liberal arts college famous for its creative writing program, forgot about writing totally, until she had a chance to study with Robert Powell, a student of renowned teachers Lew Hunter and Richard Walter, head of UCLA’s Screenwriting Program.

She has written feature film scripts, scripts for Children’s live-action and animated television programs, a direct to video Children’s DVD, and commercial work for corporate clients. A featured writer on several websites, she was a member of the Pro Football Writers Association and (very unofficially) the first to interview Emmitt Smith when he came to the Arizona Cardinals.

Jo served as an adjunct teacher at the Film School at Scottsdale Community College, and even made a video of her most beloved lecture.

Her book for writers and artists, “Feedback How to Give It How to Get It” has received glowing reviews.

When not diligently perfecting her craft, Jo can be found exploring her new home of Portland, Oregon, with her husband Ian, and their dog Oscar.

Her latest book is the fantasy, The Birr Elixir.

You can visit her website at www.josparkes.com or connect with her at twitter at www.twitter.com/sparkes777.


Describe your book in five words or less.
Abandonment Tome Peril Myrrcleft Triumph

How did the ideas for your books come to you?
Marra, the heroine, prodded me for a time. She wanted her story told. She didn’t give me the details until I finally sat at the computer to write it.

Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?
As an author, my task is only to record what the characters say and do. Any messages there are between these folks and the reader. I’m not sure it’s any of my business, really.
What is the hardest part of writing for you? What's the easiest?
Honestly, I think the hardest for me is to stop writing. I’m very compulsive about rewriting.
I can pick up an article or story I wrote years ago, one that’s been published, even received praise. And I’ll immediately find things I want to change to make it better.
I make myself stop when I realize I’m changing words back to what I had before.
The easiest? For me, I create the characters, and roughly figure out the events to put them through. Then I can just sit back, and sort of record whatever happens. They very often startle me.
What's next for you? Are you currently working on or have plans for future projects?
Marra, Drail, and Tryst will arrive in Missea soon. They’ve got a king to save, a prince to place back on his throne, and a disasterous war to stop.
Why did you choose to write for specific genre?
It’s a genre I love to read, but never tried before. I’ve thought about it many times.
And then Marra tiptoed up and began whispering in my ear. She became rather insistent, really. The next thing I know, we’re opening an old book and fleeing from Snark.
What's it like hearing that readers are eagerly awaiting your book's release date?
Humbling.
What is one question that you've always wanted to be asked in an interview? How would you answer that question?
I love that question about who would you invite to dinner if you had all of history’s personalities before you.
And my answer if Shakespeare. I’d love to know his process for writing. To create such stories that even today connect with an audience – what a feat!
What was your road to publications like?
Like all dreams, it’s a road of decisions. Some are easy – and some can be very scary. You must make each of them and move on.
Otherwise you can be stymied by one or two tough actions or choices that you just don’t want to deal with. You never think, “I’ll give up my dreams rather than do this one thing.” You fool yourself by merely putting it off, for today. Just for today.
Better to make a wrong decision and move on. If you fail, you can look back, learn from the mistakes, and try again. But if you never allow yourself the luxury of failure – then success itself becomes very hard to achieve.


Marra had never heard of Birr Elixir.

But when Drail of the Hand of Victory saw the words in an old book, she found herself agreeing to make it. Even lacking the right ingredient.

And after drinking it, the Hand of Victory defeated a Skullan team, something no one had ever done before. Now Drail walked the path his grandsire had walked, and Marra was offered a place as Brista, his potions mistress. She doubted her ability, but took the chance to escape her slave-like existence.

When she found a way to wake the mysterious sleeper, Marra wondered if she deserved the title after all.

But with Tryst's waking, ill luck and bad things suddenly dogged their tracks. Drail, being a man of action, saw only the good in people. Marra lacked his faith, but was frozen by her own timidity. When the time came to confront these enemies, would Tryst stand with them or against them?

Would it make any difference?

About the Author:

A well-known Century City Producer once said Jo Sparkes "writes some of the best dialogue I've read."

Jo graduated from Washington College, a small liberal arts college famous for its creative writing program, forgot about writing totally, until she had a chance to study with Robert Powell, a student of renowned teachers Lew Hunter and Richard Walter, head of UCLA's Screenwriting Program.

She has written feature film scripts, scripts for Children's live-action and animated television programs, a direct to video Children's DVD, and commercial work for corporate clients. A featured writer on several websites, she was a member of the Pro Football Writers Association and (very unofficially) the first to interview Emmitt Smith when he came to the Arizona Cardinals.

Jo served as an adjunct teacher at the Film School at Scottsdale Community College, and even made a video of her most beloved lecture.
Her book for writers and artists, "Feedback How to Give It How to Get It" has received glowing reviews.

When not diligently perfecting her craft, Jo can be found exploring her new home of Portland, Oregon, with her husband Ian, and their dog Oscar.

You can visit her website at www.josparkes.com or connect with her at twitter at www.twitter.com/sparkes777.