Poison Ivy's Book Vine : EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH AUTHOR SYDNEY JAMESSON

THE STORY OF US TRILOGY

by Sydney Jamesson

I had the privilege of conducting an exclusive interview with bestselling author Sydney Jamesson. The creator of The Story of Us Trilogy and maker of Ayden Stone and Elizabeth "Beth" Parker. The Story of Us is a fairytale love story that has captivated the hearts of many. I truly hope you enjoy this interview as I had sitting down chatting with Sydney. Be the first to find out Sydney's big Announcement at the end of the interview. This is on news you will want to know and pass on. Happy Reading!!

*** Warning! May contain spoilers. ***

Poison Ivy:
First I would like to say Thank you for giving me your precious time. I am very excited

Sydney Jamesson:
Hi, Ivy, thanks for having me.

Posion Ivy:
What is it that you do besides writing?

Sydney Jamesson:

I teach English language and Literature to teenage girls and disaffected boys. LOL

They are at the age where the girls are maturing and picking up on the nuances of a pre 20th century poem and the boys are still flicking pieces of paper at each other!

Posion Ivy:
Did you always see yourself as a teacher? especially of English language and Literature?

Sydney Jamesson:

When I was a teenager myself at a Parents' evening my English teacher - who I loved - recommended that I should have a career in Journalism or be a writer. She saw something in me which made an impact at such an impressionable age. I never forgot that.

I worked as a copywriter and a commercial journalist and, for some unbelievably naive reason, thought that a career in teaching might be easier! {laughing} In someways it was because it allowed me to have time off with my daughter during the school hols but I missed the liquid lunches

Media folk are a 'creative' bunch, especially in the world of advertising!

Poison Ivy:
When did you decide it was time to write your own novel?

Sydney Jamesson:
I had lived with The Story of Us in my head for over 20 years. The character names were different but the plot was all there! I just never seemed to find the time or have the right kind of stimulus. Then FSOG came along - drawing my attention to the idea of writing for an audience without being an established or formally trained creative writer. More importantly Sylvain Reynard came into my life and I was sold. I class Gabriel's Inferno as the best written book I had ever read, after Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice.

Poison Ivy:
Although, FSOG was my first erotica trilogy, I must agree with you when you say that Gabriel's Inferno by Sylvain Reynard it the best written book ever.

Sydney Jamesson:
Sylvain Reynard's impeccable prose and romanticism made me dream of putting pen to paper again; of capturing that timeless love and elegance I was so familiar with in my literary background but seldom explored. I was bewitched by Gabriel's and Julianne's story and was compelled to write The Story of Us. Two years in the drafting and one year - to the day - to publish all three books!

I wrote like a madwoman; forgot to eat, survived on four hours sleep a night for 18 months! I just hope it was worth it {laughing}

Poison Ivy:
I must send my cyber Thanks to Sylvain Reynard for being such somewhat of a guide to you to write The Story of Us.

Sydney Jamesson:
He continues to inspire me. Not only with his writing, but with his humanity and his generous spirit. It is my ambition to meet him one day

Poison Ivy:
I am still at a loss of words on how to describe your trilogy. The Story of Us has captivated me in every way known to a reader.

Sydney Jamesson:
Thank you! All my life I have shied away from being type cast as a creative type or an organiser, a teacher even. I see that we are all made up of many facets; much like the sapphire motif I have used extensively in TSOU. In that respect the trilogy crosses genres and dares to be different. It is essentially a 21st century reworking of Sleeping Beauty - a fairy-tale. It has all the elements you might expect, right down to the wicked wolf, Dan Rizler.

It is also a thriller. Woven through the love story is Dan's story told in the third person to keep distance between him and the reader. Only Beth's first person narrative endears the reader to her!

It also has elements of magical realism that reveal themselves in TouchStone for ever, but an astute reader will have been aware of that element all the way through. In the prologue the love story was described as being 'written in the stars ...' Something of that magnitude could not help but draw the eye of a higher order being: Death even who is ever present!

Poison Ivy:
You said you had TSOU in your head for 20 yrs, what was your inspiration way back when?

Sydney Jamesson:
My inspiration way back then was 20th century literature and the idea of women's liberation! Ha! I never wanted Beth to be a weak and feeble protagonist. She is quiet and a little shy but that's to be expected. She is also bright, funny and has a generous heart that no ogre from her past could soil or change.

Poison Ivy:
Ayden Stone is not your typical alpha male in my eyes. He has a strong personality but has a caring heart and loves with his soul, and you make sure to show his soft side throughout the book. When you wrote Ayden's character, how were you trying to portray him?

Sydney Jamesson:
I didn't see Ayden as your typical dominant, arse slapping, whip wielding alpha male. He is more than that. He has depth and is less of what has become a caricature in contemporary women's fiction. He has had a difficult past but has come through it and reinvented himself. He learns to laugh when he meets Beth and she humanises him. God love her for that!

Beth is a modern day heroine - an Elizabeth Bennett (Pride and Prejudice) for the modern age. She will not conform to anyone's expectations; she can hold her own in any situation but still holds onto that softness that makes us all care about her. That's why we cry in TSFE when she is willing to sacrifice EVERYTHING for Ayden.

That's what REAL love is all about. Putting the one you love, first!

Poison Ivy:

OMG ... you had me on edge in every single book. My mini heart attacks were always constant and never ending. I did cry alot but I also was happy.

Sydney Jamesson:
Well, then my work is done! LOL I want to wrestle with my readers' emotions; to surprise them, to generate an emotional response either through the characters' feelings, moments of pathos or passion or even through music. If a book has moved me. I think I have had my money's worth if I have been swept away for a couple of hours and my world has been made a little richer for having had that experience. That's why the books are twice the size of usual novels; it's an epic love affair!

Posion Ivy:
Why did you create the "Open Book Day"? Wouldn't it have been easier to just have Aden tell Beth about his past?

Sydney Jamesson:
Open Book Day was Ayden's idea, {laughing} based on what Beth said to him. "Oh, you will never be an open book, Ayden." She was right! The rule in any good piece of writing is show, don't tell. I showed and it was wonderful to write. I loved meeting Sylvia and Patrick, learning about Ayden's mother and being introduced to Winnie. I wanted readers to get to know the real Ayden, hence the marbles and his tormented past, the guilt for something that he could not have prevented as a child.

The issue of child abuse and incompetent child care is massive in the UK at the moment. So many children are neglected and fall through the net. Ayden was lucky; Elise was not so lucky.

Touch Stone for giving was Ayden's book. Touch Stone for ever was Beth's

Posion Ivy:
I cried tears of joy and sadness on that day because as a reader I was brought into Ayden's past that is so crucial to this story

Sydney Jamesson:
I agree ... I can read it now and cry too.
Beth shared her story about her mother with him and he felt close enough to her to share his secret past too. They were in love, he was learning that's what lovers do. Confess everything and be compassionate!

Poison Ivy:

Why did you make such a small intimate wedding in Vegas the biggest event in the story?

And the wedding proposal was just out of this world. The wedding was beautifully described

Sydney Jamesson:

Thank you! It was not a conventional wedding! As we know Ayden was keeping a massive secret up until this point. The ceremony was his final opportunity to make her remember, It was a fairy-tale wedding, right down to the 'breadcrumbs' leading her to the altar

He wanted to be the man she deserved. Her Prince Charming.

The wedding proposal was pure movie magic! He was conscious of having made such a mess of it the first time in Rome so wanted to do it right - he went overboard but Beth loved it and so do my readers. {laughing}

The fact remains that he had been planning it since day one. Jake explained that to Beth on the flight back to the UK.

Poison Ivy:
There was a moment in the book when Ayden asked Beth what she wanted and she told him what that something was. You then gave your readers a clue as to what Ayden did to make that wish come true for Beth. Did you want your readers to catch that clue?

Sydney Jamesson:

God yes!! It is so important that they do!

That was such a generous act on his part.

Poison Ivy:
I caught it the moment you wrote the words and was the most excited. It was beautiful

Sydney Jamesson:
The fact that the reader knew but Beth didn't made it all the more special!

Poison Ivy:
That is true and I loved it! I must confess I did NOT like Dan and Elise. Why did you make their paths cross and join together?

Were you trying to show the just what strength Ayden and Beth's love had that they could overcome anything and everything together?

Sydney Jamesson:
Dan served many functions. He added the suspense element to TouchStone for play and TouchStone for giving and this encourages the reader to side with Beth; to fear for her safety as he got closer to her! His parallel narrative also gives an insight into the mind of a madman, a dangerous sociopath who will stop at nothing to get to her: a wolf in sheep's clothing!

Yes, he and Elise failed in their mission to drive Ayden and Beth apart. The reverse happened. They became closer. Ayden took care of Beth, he became her knight in shining armour, her saviour.

Elise appeared wicked through and through but she was a product of her terrible childhood. As Beth pointed out, "she never learned how to love." Readers grow to hate her and it isn't until TSFE that they get to see the real Elise. Like every other character in the trilogy, she redeems herself and her letter is the means by which Beth concludes her final lesson in love.

Poison Ivy:
With Dan and Elise out of the picture, we as readers always expect the HEA right away but that did not happen in TSFE. My heart broke at the loss that Ayden and Beth suffered but there were many turn of events all at once. I am really trying not to spoil anything for readers, so can you tell them what the message was in TSFE?

Sydney Jamesson:
There was! It was always my intention to deliver the HEA my readers needed. Having said that, it was not delivered on a plate. {laughing}

Poison Ivy:

I loved it! I was in tears! I saw the HEA but you took us on another journey that lead us to the ending that was brilliant. Was it really just a dream?

Sydney Jamesson:

Fairy-tales seldom have a HEA ... lives are lost, monsters killed, lessons learned. That's what appeared to take place in TouchStone for giving. The ending was not a dream!! She was still wearing her mother's ring! That's why she was so shocked when she saw it. Her dark prince had loved her enough to let her go, to give Ayden back to her!

"I’m smiling and crying but these are not tears of sadness, fear or regret; they’re tears of joy. Somewhere out there in the night sky is a blinding light and in that light there is goodness and compassion. Now I know the truth. I have been loved by an angel"

Poison Ivy:
Beth loved her dark prince, didn't she?

Sydney Jamesson:
She felt compassion for him and taught him how to feel that too. She sensed his loneliness but she was always faithful to Ayden. She confessed her love for him and kept it alive through her digital scrapbook.

Poison Ivy:
True love in its true form

Sydney Jamesson:

Absolutely! Remember the prologue in TouchStone for play ... this was forecast right then ...

"When I was least expecting it, my wish found its way to a fateful star. Someone extraordinary succumbed to the gravitational pull: a mere mortal. That little piece of heaven was Ayden Stone. In that one defining moment my life changed forever."

Little did she know that gravitational pull had attractive something more metaphysical ...

It was her Dark Prince who had always been watching over her! He had been in love with her for most of her life!

He took the opportunity to steal her away from Ayden but loved her enough to let her go!

The message of TSFE explores the idea of real love! If you love someone unconditionally there are no lengths to which you won't go to save them. You will give EVERYTHING! Beth does exactly that and is heroic in that respect.

Poison Ivy:

You Ms. Sydney Jamesson are a shining star that has written the most beautiful story I have read.

Sydney Jamesson:

Aww. Thank you, Ivy I am so moved by your words!

AN EXCLUSIVE ANNOUNCEMENT FROM SYDNEY JAMESSON

Poison Ivy: So, I hear you have a BIG announcement you'd like to share with your readers. Please share this news with us.

Sydney Jamesson: Haha! Due to popular demand I have finally allowed Ayden to have his say! You know what he's like. He isn't the kind of man to be quiet for long. {laughing}

I will be introducing him, in the first instance, through a bonus chapter in an upcoming special edition of TouchStone for play. Mr. Stone will be STRIPPED BARE for a limited time on December 9th. After that who knows what he will be getting up to in the new year. He and Beth have a life together ... a baby on the way, a French mother to meet and so many other avenues to explore together ... their epic romance will continue.

I am so excited! I have missed not hearing them speak and sharing their wonderful adventures with readers everywhere.

Poison Ivy: OMG!!!!! YAY!!!! I am so jumping up and down with this news.

Sydney Jamesson: Ha! Thank you, Ivy! ME TOO!!

Poison Ivy:

It is such an honor and privilege that you have chosen to share this exclusive with me and your readers. Thank you so much, Sydney!

Sydney Jamesson:

My pleasure, Ivy. You have become a great friend and supporter of the trilogy. All we have to do now is get Henry to read The Story of Us, see himself in Ayden - the romance, the laughter, the strength of character - and sign up for the movie!! {laughing}

I wish!!