Shirley Jump: On Writing, Research, and Chocolate

I’m very pleased to welcome my good friend, New York Times/USA Today bestselling author Shirley Jump, to The Graveyard Shift.  A few weeks ago, I asked Shirley if she’d mind sharing a few of her writing tips and she said yes without hesitating. In fact, she immediately put down her box of chocolates and answered my questions in a manner that was so…well, so Shirley Jumpish. You’ll see what I mean. Shirley will also be available today to answer your questions.

First, a little about Shirley Jump:

Award-winning New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Shirley Jump spends her days writing romantic comedies (Doorstep Daddy, May 2009) to feed her shoe addiction and avoid cleaning the toilets. She cleverly finds writing time by feeding her kids junk food, allowing them to dress in the clothes they find on the floor and encouraging the dogs to double as vacuum cleaners. Visit her website at www.shirleyjump.com or read recipes and life adventures at www.shirleyjump.blogspot.com.

She also writes horror young adult under the pen name AJ Whitten with her teen daughter.

The first of these books, The Well, will be released in fall of 2009 under Houghton Mifflin Harcourt’s Graphia imprint. When Shirley’s daughter first read the premise for The Well, the story of a boy whose mother is trying to kill him, she asked her mother if there was anything she should know. Shirley claims it’s all fiction. Learn more about AJ Whitten at www.ajwhitten.com

The Interview:

Shirley, what time of day you prefer to write?

Whenever no one is going to bother me. But honestly, I have kids and just when I think I’m going to get two or three uninterrupted hours to write, someone calls home with a dire emergency, like a forgotten trombone or misplaced lunch money, and before I know it, my writing day is sucked into the ether. So I write whenever I can grab uninterrupted time 😉

Your daily word count?

Ha. Did you read the above? 😉 I don’t strive for any kind of daily word count. The pressure would mean I’d have some goal I’d have to meet, and then if I didn’t meet it, I’d feel like a failure, which would necessitate massive amounts of chocolate. Eventually, the sugar high would wear off and I’d need a nap, meaning more hours would be wasted…and I’d really be missing my goal. Back to the chocolate bowl again. It’s a vicious cycle. Better to not set a goal at all and reward myself with chocolate when I accomplish anything more than hit POWER.

Do you listen to music when you write (what kind)?

I’d love to tell you I’m so disciplined and intellectual that I throw some Bach into the CD player and hum along with a concerto, but honestly, I usually have the TV going because when you’re writing all day, you’re usually missing something good, so why not try and do both? ;-). I got used to writing with kids around, and actually missed the noise, which is why I turn on the TV-for company.

Do you conduct a lot of research before you write the first word?

I write the first three chapters before I start researching. I’d like to know what I need to know, if that makes sense, before I start digging for facts. Otherwise, I’ll spend all day reading and not a moment writing.

How long does it take you write a 100,000 word novel?

As long as they give me ;-). If I have a year to write it, it takes a year. If I have six months, it takes six months. I aim to please-and make my deadlines.

Finally, what is your favorite food and drink?

I have to pick one?

If I HAD to choose, my favorite food is macaroni and cheese (I know, but who said I had to eat healthy?) and my favorite drink is a mojito. Or a margarita. Or a martini. If it has alcohol in it, and it doesn’t taste like battery acid, it’s usually on my favorites list 😉

Shirley picks up a few forensics facts from Butler County Ohio coroner’s investigator, Andy Willis and Butler County coroner, Dr. Richard Burkhardt during the Writers Police Academy.

*Shirley’s latest book is The Well, which is scheduled for release in September 2009.