An Interview with Natalie Anna Jacobsen

Natalie Jacobsen began writing fiction in high school, and after publishing her first newspaper article at age thirteen, she was invited to hone her craft in creative writing programs locally and overseas; in college she turned her interest in storytelling into journalistic endeavors. After graduating, she wrote and photographed for magazines, television, and music studios in Japan for years, fostering her love of untold stories. In Virginia, she reported on civil rights and defended journalists’ rights in court. Her other passion is filmmaking; after attending the New York Film Academy at TOEI Studios in Kyoto, she showed two projects at film festivals.

The award-winning journalist, writer, and marketer now devotes her time and talent to the public and nonprofit sectors, inspiring others to take action and change the world. In her spare time, she can be found at music festivals, boarding planes, volunteering, and in greenhouses. Hailing from the Pacific Northwest, Jacobsen lives in Washington, D.C., with her husband, a lawyer and fellow University of Oregon “Duck,” and their hundreds of plants – and books.

Who/what made you want to write? Was there a particular person, or particular writers/works/art forms that influenced you?

Writing has always inherently been a part of who I am and what I want to do. Even before I could talk, I was folding pieces of paper into a book-form, and scribbling lines in it. I was a voracious reader, with my mom taking me to the library every week to pick up an armload of stories to devour. I praise, thank, and attribute my love of reading as an inspiration to write to my parents, who fostered that love and interest so early. I particularly enjoyed historical fiction – my first instance being The Little House on the Prairie series, which demonstrated how much fun I could have while learning. I was compelled by how detailed the life account was captured, and knew I wanted to write in a similar way, in which I could impart history, lessons, and details that may otherwise be lost to time.

Tell us the story of your book’s title. Was it easy to find, or did it take forever?

It came to me right away. Granted, my title might feel simpler than others: Ghost Train is to-the-point, distinct, and fairly short. Other books have had similar titles that explored other topics or took place elsewhere, so I felt confident this book would be distinguished from others, allowing each to maintain their individuality. I knew from as early as 2010 that this would be my book’s title, the moment I learned about the existence of “phantom steam engines” (the original Japanese phrase I read) in the late nineteenth Century. “Phantom Steam Engine” is a little clunkier, so I went for an easier English version that I thought would grab readers’ attention.

Describe your dream book cover.

Ghost Train has it! The cover art includes a ukiyo-e (woodblock printed) painting by Kobayashi Kiyochika of a steam engine from 1877, the year in which Ghost Train is set. The cover also has three distinct kimono prints that were traditional colors and patterns to the era, making for an interesting, eye-catching, and historically accurate collage of art. The font and colors evoke a bit of nostalgia, and have a touch of retro vibes that enhance the atmospheric style in which the story is written. I am crossing my fingers that potential readers also find it both intriguing and inviting enough to want to pick up and read!

What other professions have you worked in? What’s something about you that your readers wouldn’t know?

Over the years, I have been a: journalist, marketer (in nonprofit, government, music, tech, and for festivals), educator, film-maker, and photographer. The majority of my twenties was spent juggling multiple jobs simultaneously – the most I held at any single time was five!

Now, I am currently a Marketing Director for a Federal workplace giving program. We help raise money for our charity program participants, over $70 million a year. The best part? It’s all entirely done out-of-pocket by generous Federal employees, without any company matching or other incentives. It’s a rewarding job, that also invites me into Departments and Agencies. It sometimes feels like we work for an undercover operation, since on any given week we can be at the Pentagon, FBI, FAA, HUD, DOL, DHS, Library of Congress, Supreme Court, HHS, DOI, OPM, or any other 3-letter Federal agency. It’s a fascinating and incredible job.

But I’ve also come a long ways. One of my more memorable jobs was in my mid-twenties, when I worked for a restaurant in one of Tokyo’s swanky cities of Akasaka. Not only was it a luxury, white-glove-service restaurant, it was designed to look right out of a James Bond film, with dress code to match encouraged. The food was incredible, with chocolates in the shapes of lipsticks, gold flakes on sashimi folded in the shape of roses, and finest wines. During dinner, dancers would perform as if it were a cabaret bar; and diners could enjoy a game of poker during dessert paired with Cuban cigars. The most interesting part? Most of the staff hired were non-Japanese; we came from the U.S., Italy, Canada, France, Ukraine, Russia, Estonia, Peru, Brazil – all over the world – and the language we commonly knew was Japanese. It was an incredible couple of years and I’ll never forget those long, long nights together in the high-rise. We had incredible views of Tokyo that always reminded me of how lucky I was to be there.

What books did you read (for research or comfort) throughout your writing process?

What is perhaps ironic – and a shame – is how abysmal of a reader I am since I picked up writing again more seriously. Between my full-time job, my volunteerism, my social life, and the work that goes into editing and marketing a book before it is published, I have had very little time to read for pleasure.

But, I did a LOT of reading for research! I read over 3,000 books, articles, academic research reports, blogs, short stories, personal accounts – anything I could get my hands on to enhance my writing and accurately capture the details I sought to convey and describe in Ghost Train. I became a dedicated member of my local library, a Library of Congress “reader,” and registered to so many websites to access academic papers and research.

I am part of a couple of book clubs, so I did occasionally get to read things unrelated to Ghost Train research, including The Council of Dolls, Door of No Return, Homo Sapiens, Chain Gang Allstars, The Other Einstein, Oona Out of Order, Young Jane Young, She is a Haunting, and Detransition, Baby.

What is one thing you hope readers take away from reading your book? How do you envision your perfect reader?

My hope is that not only is it a fun read, but it’s a read that teaches them something. It could be a little bit of contextual history, an eye-opening facet of Japanese culture, an inspiration to visit a specific place, a character from folklore – anything! My hope is readers walk away feeling that it was worth their time and that they can take away something learned.

Are you a writer, too? Submit your manuscript to Atmosphere Press.