FAQs

How about a quick bio?

Too easy! Here you go:

Jeanna Mason Stay loves a good fantasy yarn, particularly if it comes with a happy ending. She especially loves fairy tales—the romantic, the gruesome, the utterly bizarre—and many of her stories echo the magic of these old tales. Her favorite fairy tale of all, though, is a bit more modern: it’s the one she lives with her handsome husband and their four charming children. They are currently adventuring, battling thorny devils, and happily-ever-aftering in Alice Springs, Australia.

Jeanna also loves fireflies, serial commas, birds of paradise, and the latest addition to her bird craze: the loud-yet-lovely galah. She dreams of one day sculpting a clay Medusa head and owning a herd of Chia sheep.

How do you pronounce “Jeanna”?

It’s like the more common name Gina. Or, if you prefer, it’s like the pants—“jean” with a “nuh” at the end.

Do people mispronounce your name?

Yes, all the time. I get Jenna, Jeannie, Jana, Jeanine, Jee-anna, etc. It mostly doesn’t bother me, because I know it’s a weird spelling for people.

You live in Australia—are you Australian?

Nope, American. We’re here because my husband and I decided we needed a new adventure, so he applied for a temporary job here in Alice Springs. We’re loving it so far, but we haven’t yet survived an entire summer here, so ask me after that (the forecast for this week, for example, has 8 out of 10 days over 100F/38C).

What do you like to write?

I certainly lean toward fairy tale-related stories, and fantasy in general. But I’ve just recently noticed that several of my recent stories are ghost stories (like, a LOT of them), and one of my favorites is sort of broadly women’s fiction. I like to explore a bit, but fantasy is still generally where I land.

I also am mostly writing short stories these days. My mom crocheted afghans, dozens of them (I swear I have a point to this). But she also crocheted tiny little bookmarks. I started out on afghans with Mom, but I eventually found that I preferred crocheting stuffed animals (no bookmarks for me!). Short, sweet projects that come together quickly, that I feel happy just looking at, and that I can experiment with. So while I love novels and do work on them intermittently, I’m mostly a short story gal right now. I like the contained aspects of short story writing and the sense of accomplishment and finishing things. And, to be honest, I still sometimes take forever writing them, but it’s a different kind of fun from novels—and just the right kind of fun for me right now. Plus, it makes a little easier to jump genres all over the place, which currently suits me.

What’s your favorite kind of character?

I absolutely love writing (and reading) about characters who have suffered through difficult experiences and feel like they’re in some way “broken.” And then I love seeing them make difficult, moral, strong choices despite their past or their future. I love characters who think more about others’ needs than their own—not to the point of being doormats, but just in that they care and are willing to make difficult sacrifices and difficult choices to help others. Those are the characters I love the most.

(Examples? I love Juliet Marillier’s Blackthorn and Grim. Orson Scott Card’s Ender and Bean, for different reasons. Petrus and Mara, in the book I’m working on right now—they have my love so much. You can also see this idea in my short stories “Forged in Iron and Blood” and “The Earth Looks Different from Here.”)

Why do you put “clean ratings” in your book reviews?

First and foremost, as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I try to primarily read content that avoids graphic sex, graphic gore, loads of swearing, and other content that I generally categorize as feeling very dark. A number of my friends and family also adhere to these guidelines, so I like to let them know what they might find in the books I review.

I’m aware that not all types of content bother all people. Even among my friends and family, we have varying levels of what we feel comfortable reading. I tend to forget about swearing rather easily, and I’ve read a fair amount of gore, but I am very unhappy jumping into a book only to discover a detailed sex scene somewhere in the middle.

I’m also aware that some people find this kind of categorizing distasteful and feel like this content shouldn’t matter—the book should be judged by its story or any number of other factors, not by its “clean rating.” If that’s you, I do understand, but to me this is important. I’ve certainly read a fair share of books that I would admit are R-rated, and some were amazing—and I still don’t share them with the people I love who I know won’t be happy reading them. Happily there are so many wonderful books out there that I think we can all find something, regardless of what our preferences are.

I have another burning question! Will you answer it?

Umm, maybe? Put it in the comments, and I’ll let you know.