Author Interview: Jennifer Sturman

I got the opportunity to ask Jennifer Sturman -- author of And Then Everything Unraveled and And Then I Found Out The Truth -- some questions. Read on more to see where her favorite reading spot is, what the best thing about being a novelist is for her, and who she'd take with her if she ever got stuck on an island.

.....

1. What is the best thing about being a writer/novelist?

The power! Seriously – it’s true! In real life, people just don’t behave the way you want them to. But when I’m at the keyboard, I have total control. I get to decide who does what and how they do it. It’s like being a dictator without having to worry about insurrections or coups.

2. If you could describe your novels in one word (or 2-3) what would they be?

Must-have. Also decorative.

3. What is your favorite place to read? To write?

I read everywhere and anywhere – bed, the bathtub, the subway, the gym – but I especially love reading on long plane rides. I don’t have the nagging feeling that I should be working or doing errands or dealing with any of rest of the day-to-day, so it’s completely guilt-free.

As for writing, there’s a library near me that has a “quiet room.” There’s no WiFi and cell phones aren’t allowed, so there aren’t any outside distractions. There are also a bunch of other people working away, and the peer pressure tends to make me more productive and less likely to nap.

4. What is the best advice about writing that you have received?
Not to plagiarize Nike or anything, but there’s a lot to be said for “Just do it.” That’s a huge, huge part of the battle. Also, don’t let adverbs do the work for you. The way your characters act and speak should be a function of who they are. The occasional adverb is fine, but if you’re constantly having to explain to the reader that the character is behaving wryly or sweetly or graciously or moronically, then something’s wrong.

5. You are to be stranded on a deserted island with five companions. If you could choose five fictional characters to accompany you, who would be and why?
Definitely not the kids from Lord of the Flies! Let’s see – I’d want somebody handy. Dumbledore from Harry Potter seems pretty skilled. And maybe Robert Parker’s Spenser? He’s good at solving problems, and he can also cook. Dennis from Auntie Mame isn’t handy at all, but she’d be entertaining, like a modern Scheherezade. Nick Carraway from The Great Gatsby seems like good company – insightful and empathic and I always suspected he was sort of hot. And James Bond (either the Sean Connery or Daniel Craig versions) would round things out nicely.

6. What can we all look forward to reading from you next? Any upcoming projects?

I have a couple of projects in the works – please stay tuned!

7. Do you have any messages to your readers and fans?

Keep reading! And buy my books!

.....

To read my review of And Then Everything Unraveled, click here. And for more from Jennifer Sturman, check out her guest post about her favorite childhood books as well as her own website. If you would like to win her novels, check out the Charity event we're having where both of them are included in the prize packs to be given away!