THE WRITER'S VIEW: Jackie Chanel

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish. Jackie will be awarding gift baskets to two randomly drawn commenters which will include:

- a copy of the Untitled soundtrack
- a "I like Big Books and I cannot Lie" totebag
- Untitled themed or guitar shaped keychains
- $20 Amazon gift card.
Click on the banner to see the other stops on her tour--remember, the more you comment, the better your chances to win.

The View Inside My Writing Space

When I moved back to Atlanta, I converted one of my bedrooms into a home office and made it the perfect writing space. You know what I’m about before you even step inside. In bright bold colors, I painted two quotes on my door. One I made up and says “Live, Dream, WRITE” and the other is a song lyric that I fell in love with as soon as I heard it. It says “A Simple Little Kind of Free”. When you see those words, you know you’re entering the place where my muse and imagination reside.

The walls are painted stark white. There hangs pictures, some autographed, of my favorite musicians who have inspired me to go for my dreams. Jimi Hendrix, 2Pac, Mary J Blige, John Mayer, and Jay-Z. There is a concert poster that I framed of jazz saxophonist Bob Reynolds. On it, he wrote “Here’s to you and your next bestseller”. That one little statement keeps me writing and hangs right over my desk. There’s also a signed and framed picture of one of my favorite authors, the one who inspired me to pick up a pen and write my very first chapter, Ms. Jackie Collins.

Then sitting on a bright yellow end table are four pictures of my best friends, the most wonderful group of women that I’ve ever had the pleasure of knowing. What makes these women so fantastic is that before September 11, 2010, we had never met in person, yet they were my cheering squad, my support system, and my critics as I made the choice to pursue my passion.

When I step inside my writing space the view that I see calms me and centers me. Daily, I am surrounded by beautiful colors and people who love and believe in me and the people who inspire me. It is truly a beautiful place.

The View Outside My Window
It’s still summer in Georgia, still hot enough in the late afternoon and early evenings for kids to enjoy a few more hours of sunshine. I live in an apartment complex outside of Atlanta so I don’t have a beautiful view of the city skyline or oceans with turquoise water. But what I do see is just as beautiful.

Children at play.

I see kids outside riding their bikes, skateboarding, tossing a football, and even playing soccer in the parking lot. I haven’t spent much time around children and my last apartment complex didn’t have many families with children. I haven’t seen kids playing so freely in a very long time.

I smile when I see them because all is not lost. These kids, or at least their parents, recognize the value of exercise and fresh air. When the suns sets and they all return to their own apartments to get ready for the next school day, I can see the moon through the trees, and I remember what my mother used to tell me when I was a kid…

“Be in the house when the streetlights come on!”

About the Author:

Jackie Chanel is a contemporary romance author and self proclaimed badass. Her writing career began in high school when she began writing short romance stories about her celebrity crushes. Her very first novel was penned while she was a high school senior in Youngstown, Ohio. She insists that no one will ever read it.

Jackie studied at Georgia State University and currently lives in Atlanta, Georgia. When she’s not writing or daydreaming, she can often be found drooling over the latest Chanel shoes or reading on her Kindle with a cup of coffee in hand and a little Mayer or Hendrix in the background.

Her characters are a reflection of the people she has encountered along her writing journey and her books are often inspired by her favorite thing, music.

Find Jackie online at

Twitter Handle: @JackieChanel
Twitter Page: https://twitter.com/#!/JackieChanel
Facebook: Author Jackie Chanel
Facebook Author Page: http://www.facebook.com/jackiechanel
Website: http://www.jackiechanel.com/

For some, music is an escape from the every day norm.

For Aiden, it's his life's blood.

Already a star in his own mind & with the help of an unlikely partner, Aiden's escape from a life less ordinary begins with the blues and a guitar. Only he can determine where it ends.