As part of our dual celebration of book birthdays (Jen’s main characters’ shared nativity on June 13, Joanna: SOMETHING BETTER turns 1 June 20th), Jen flipped the script and interviewed me!
Jen: You are an avid reader! What book do you wish you had written?
It’s the strangest thing. The one that immediately popped into my mind when I read this is a Richard Clark’s LOVE AMONG THE RUINS. It’s a quiet book about a man looking back on the time he ran away with his high school love. I read an Advance Reader Copy back in 2001 when I was working at Barnes & Noble. Even then I remember thinking that his writing was quietly beautiful. And now, your question has encouraged me to re-read it, and I can’t get over some of the thematic similarities between his book and mine (although it’s spicier than I remembered- phew!). But that’s the goal isn’t it? To write a book that embeds itself into a reader’s subconscious so deeply that the right question at the right time will unlock the memory and make you realize that, on some level, you’ve been thinking about that book for two decades.
If you had chosen to use a pen name, what would it be?
Here’s what a rule-follower I am: It never occurred to me not to use my real name. I suppose if I had to pick one, I’d pick Josie. I always wished that was my nickname.
What outside sources influence your stories?
Growing up, I wanted to be an actress, so movies are probably my biggest influence. I have always trended toward either stories that are cozy and funny or ones filled with bittersweet longing. I also love movies that can surprise you in some way. Some of my favorites are My Big Fat Greek Wedding, Serendipity, Some Kind of Wonderful, Pretty in Pink (of course), Arsenic and Old Lace, The Skeleton Twins, The Good Girl, and Almost Famous. I will also always watch Moneyball for the “Don’t make me point at Pete” scene.
Are you a plotter, a pantser, or a plantser?
My toxic writing trait is that I am a total pantser. Everywhere else in my life, I’m organized and all about lists. But I wrote my first manuscript as part of Nanowrimo and the experience of free writing imprinted itself on my brain so that’s the only way I know how to do it.
I will say there is a big upward swing in organization in my subsequent drafts. I start outlining, making notes, tracking arcs and storylines via spreadsheet. But that first draft is all pants, no plot.
Would you ever consider collabing with another author? If so, who would it be (any author, famous or not, living or dead)?
I think that would be fun! Are you volunteering?
Actually, my first experience with long-form storytelling was a collab. My writing partner Tom (Hi Tom!) and I started trading email chapters about a woman who lived in our hometown who was famous for keeping the sidewalk in front of her house meticulously clear of leaves, snow, and children.
What genre would you NEVER write?
Historical fiction. I would go so far down the research rabbit hole that I’d never be seen again. I don’t know how historical fiction authors do it!
What genre do you wish you could write?
Middle grade Horror. My friend is a middle school librarian (read her interview here) and she says there is a real demand for age-appropriate horror stories. Now, I love a spooky story, but I’d be too scared to write about spiders or clowns myself.
What is your favorite genre to read?
Oh gosh – how to choose?! I like my books like I like my music - a little bit of everything.
I get on kicks that sort of feed themselves. Like if I get on a horror kick (as I do most falls/winters) then the algorithm starts showing me more horror and I go deeper into the genre. I was on a WWII women spies roll for awhile too.
Have any of your characters been inspired by people in your real life, and are you brave enough to divulge who?
Yes and no. Like Corinne, I come from a small town. Like Daisy, I lived in Denver. It’s impossible not to be inspired by those around you, but I try very hard not to put a 1:1 correlation of anyone in my books. And I would NEVER put in anything negative. As I tell people, “If you are looking for yourself in my books, look to the good. I make up all the bad.”
One fun little Easter Egg I did put in SOMETHING BETTER is that every time someone rents a car, it is a Chevy Malibu. That’s a nod to my bestie’s (Hi Cass!) myriad of experiences with rental cars .
Who is the first person you trust to read your work?
My writing coach, the fabulous Charlotte Rains Dixon, was the first person to read both SOMETHING BETTER and WELCOME TO BLOOMS. Beyond that, you are my alpha reader! You’re the first person to read all three of my manuscripts.
You are a proud Gen Xer like me! What 80s experiences have influenced your writing? Definitely 80s movies. We were this famously under-supervised generation, and so much of our ‘information’ came from TV and movies. And because of my interest in acting, I bought into everything being sold to us. True love, dramatic showdowns, preppy vs. soc, I was ALL IN. Of course, with the passage of time, I’ve come to realize how limited those messages were, but I think that’s what was most interesting about writing Corinne; I took someone who had grown up with certain ideas about ‘romance’ ingrained in her, and put her in a situation that challenged them.
My current work in progress, WELCOME TO BLOOMS, shares 80s DNA with the more ‘screwball’ influences of the 80s — I’m thinking DON’T CARE HIGH by Gordon Korman or THE PRINCESS ROUTINE by Tonya Wood. Bud might have a streak of Andrew McCarthy’s Larry from Weekend at Bernie’s in him.
I have been lucky enough to get a sneak peek at WELCOME TO BLOOMS and I know your Instagram audience has been blessed with a few snippets in the writing challenges. What do you want readers to gain the most out of this story when it hits the shelves?
BLOOMS is a love letter to my children. It’s a story about how difficult it can be to overcome the patterns we set in our families (difficult, but not impossible).I hope readers feel that love, and enjoy the humor that comes with dealing with family members who are wired differently.
What has been your favorite moment in your publishing journey?
I think getting to tell my family that I’d signed my contract. That everything they’d watch me work for over 3 years had led to this point. I was so proud to tell them that my hard work paid off.
What is your go-to book recommendation?
It’s been the same for years - ELLA MINNOW PEA: A NOVEL IN LETTERS by Mark Dunn.
I also like to recommend THE ART OF HEARING HEARTBEATS by Jan-Philipp Sendker.
Both are unlike anything else I’ve ever read.
Dream Cast! When SOMETHING BETTER gets picked up by Hollywood, who plays your main 5?
Oooh – this is fun, because I always cast my books!
Corinne: Back in 2020, Melissa McCarthy and Abigail Spencer were both references for Corinne. Now, however, I think I would cast Melanie Lynskey. She’s an exceptional actress and I particularly love her in Yellowjackets, where she plays a mom who is perceived by her family to be ‘boring old Mom’ when secretly, she is anything but.
Sean: Patrick Wilson. He just seems the right guy to play the nice, even tempered, good-but-a-little-oblivious husband.
Nick: Bradley Cooper. Specifically Bradley Cooper in his Jackson Maine/A Star is Born era.
Beth: This is a big deal, because Beth is the clear reader favorite of the book. So I have to go with Olivia Colman, who is the perfect amount of eye rolling sarcasm and tough love. Plus, you know, she’s an Oscar winner (watch her acceptance speech, she is pure delight.) I’m sure she’s free and would love to do it.
Audra: In 2020, I had Julia Garner in mind, which is how Audra got her blond curls. Now I think I would choose Raegen Revord. She’s wonderful as the overlooked, rebelling-for-attention twin of Sheldon Cooper on Young Sheldon.
Thanks to Jen for interviewing me! It was great fun to sit on the other side of the Q&A!