Look and Listen

Biography

J.I. O'Neal was born in the American Midwest. She is part of a rather large extended family, including 30 aunts and uncles - 24 (14 full, 10 half-siblings)on her father's side, 6 on her mother's! She has always had a passion for writing but has only recently taken the leap into the world of the self-published author. Also passionate about animals, she is the proud 'parent' of three rescued cats and the world's most adorable rabbit. She is an avid fan of music and movies, reading books of many genres, gardening and birdwatching. In 2008, she was lucky enough to take a trip to Scotland, where she fell in love with the landscape, history, culture and people - especially that accent! It is her hope that she may return one day and, possibly, even settle down there.

Inspiration

My influences, as far as the writers that I admire most, are: David Eddings, Agatha Christie, Karin Slaughter, Dean Koonts, George R. R. Martin, Stephen R. Donaldson and Jeffrey Deaver. I would have to say that television and movies are also a bit of an influence, as I am a very visual person. When I write a story, I am visualizing it as if it were a movie or TV show playing out and write it as I 'see' it. I think that my writing has a pace to it similar to the pacing of a movie or TV show because of that fact. The inspiration for my characters often come from traits I have observed in family members, myself and people I have met or simply observed in public. I think this is true for most writers - we are usually people watchers and incorporate much of what we see into our writing.