Smashwords Interview with Judy Fitzwater
What is your writing process?
This question makes me laugh because the answer is haphazard. I love writing, but I have a hard time
getting myself to do it. Almost anything seems more appealing--until I actually
get in front of my computer and start putting down words. That's when I find
myself falling into a story, an adventure, a new world, that unfolds around me
and takes me somewhere completely different from my normal life. My ideal is to
write at least two good pages a day. I hate throwing out material, so when I get
stuck with a plot, I stop writing, and let the creative part of my brain mull
over the elements I've put in my story. I find my best ideas come when I'm doing
laundry or cooking or just before I go to sleep. I keep pads of paper next to my
bed because I never remember my "brilliant" revelation unless I write it down. I
never outline. I seldom know whodunit before I'm a good way through the book,
and I like it that way--being along for the ride with my characters. I hope that
makes my books fresh. If I don't enjoy writing them, I know people won't enjoy
reading them.
What do you read for pleasure?
I read in every genre--fiction of all types, true crime, history, biography--whatever strikes my
fancy. Mysteries have always been my favorite. While I still read them, they
have to be a really good read to keep me right in the moment of the story
because otherwise I find myself analyzing the construction of the plot or
picking out the villain right away. It's a hazard of my craft. But a really good
writer will pull me in so deeply, I can't turn the pages fast enough, and I
simply don't have time to think about all of that. All I want to know is what
will happen next. I also love to laugh, so books with great comedic elements are
high on my list. My Jennifer Marsh Mysteries make me laugh every time I read
them (which I have to do periodically for continuity), and they deliver a good
mystery at the same time, at least that's my goal. Murder is not funny, so it's
a delicate balance. My romantic comedy, VACATIONING WITH THE DEAD, is what I
consider all out fun. And my suspense novels, DROWNING IN AIR and NO SAFE PLACE,
neither of which are funny, are adventure stories, the sort I'd like to
experience but only from the safety of my armchair. I write the books I want to
read. I hope readers feel the same way.
Describe your desk .
My desk is a mess. I have one of those open, stacking file thingies in one corner filled with the
beginnings of books I have yet to finish, ideas for new projects jotted on
Post-Its and clipped from newspapers, and things I should have read and never
have. My current work in progress is spread about most of the writing surface
with edits and corrections waiting to be added or deleted on my computer. And I
have dozens of little notes for all the things I need to do or should be doing
in my personal life. I also have a ceramic mug filled with pens, pencils, and
bookmarks that a friend gave me. It reads "Agent's Ashes". (Rest in peace Penney
Richmond, the agent I killed off in DYING TO GET PUBLISHED.) I also have two
figurines of Snoopy, one in a Sherlock Holmes outfit, the other with him typing
away on his typewriter. One more thing is a paperweight a writer friend gave me
that has a quote from Winston Churchill that says, "Never, never, never quit".
Where did you grow up, and how did this influence your writing?
I grew up on Air Force bases before moving to Kentucky where I went to high school and college after my
dad retired from the service. Living in several different parts of the country,
having no real home town, and finding myself in new environments taught me a lot
about people and how we interact with one another. I learned that we determine
who we are, even when others are constantly trying to define us. I think that's
why I write about strong women. I'm more interested in how my characters react
to difficult situations than how their situations form their characters.
When did you first start writing?
I started writing in college, but it took me another ten years before I started writing my first
novel. And then another seven to finish it. I didn't know anyone who wrote
books, and writing that first one was like climbing a really tall mountain. It
seemed pretty impossible. I had gotten a freelance job writing for a weekly
newspaper because I could work at home while I took care of my kids. It didn't
pay much, but helped buy the groceries. It taught me discipline, how to meet
deadlines, and how to make a good story out of almost anything. I also got to
cover superior court for our county. I'd dabble with my book, put it away for
months at a time, and then pull it out again. One time I pulled it out and found
it was almost finished. So I did just that--finished it. Soon after we moved to
the D.C. area, and I found a slew of people who were writing fiction. That's
where I really learned my craft. I listened to every writer who was giving a
talk near where I lived, I joined a writers' group, went to retreats and
conventions, and was invited into a critique group. That's where I learned about
the business of publishing, in addition to how to make a good story really good.
What's the story behind your latest book?
VACATIONING WITH THE DEAD is my most recent release. It's my first foray into paranormal romantic
comedy. My husband and I have been going to a murder mystery weekend for a
number of years. It's something I look forward to because it's just so much fun.
That suggested the setting for VACATIONING WITH THE DEAD, but the real idea
behind it came to me one day while I was sorting the laundry. What if ghosts
were actors. What if they refused to go into the light because they knew they'd
never be able to act again, and, as one of my characters put it, that would be
as bad as being in hell. The idea had me scrambling to make notes. Then I had to
decide if the book was going to be a mystery or a comedy. The comedic
possibilities were just too strong. And so was the idea of ghosts who were in
love, but who suffered from just as many romantic problems and complications as
the living. The living romantic male lead inherits the ghosts along with a large
mansion. To make enough money to maintain the mansion, he decides to let the
ghosts do what they do best--act. So they put on mystery weekends with
extraordinary special effects that aren't really special effects at all. Throw
in a nosy writer for a travel magazine (the living female romantic lead), a
medium, a spirit guide, a former suitor, and a wicked hotel critic, and I found
myself writing an all out fun story.
What motivated you to become an indie author?
The publishing industry is changing rapidly. Traditional publishing houses are going away or cutting
back. I was fortunate to get all the rights back to THE JENNIFER MARSH MYSTERIES
and was able to put them up as ebooks where they've found new fans. I'm very
happy with how that's turned out. Indie publishing also allowed me to put up two
other books, DROWNING IN AIR and VACATIONING WITH THE DEAD, exactly as I wanted
them. DROWNING IN AIR had been purchased by a large publishing company, but the
line it was to be published under (which featured strong women) was pulled
before my book came out. I love that book and wanted it available. It's a great
adventure. And when I tried to market VACATIONING WITH THE DEAD to traditional
publishers, they wanted me to make the romance between the living characters a
bigger part of the story. There are three romances in that book, one with a
living couple, two with ghost couples. All are emotional, loving, dysfunctional
relationships that have to be resolved. Just because two of the couples are dead
doesn't make them any less important--at least that's the story I wanted to
tell. Indie publishing allowed me to do just that. And now I'm currently working
on a 7th Jennifer Marsh Mystery because fans have let me know they want more.
How has Smashwords contributed to your success?
Smashwords has changed my way of thinking about books. It's made me look at words/information/stories
as streams, not stagnant words printed on a particular page in a particular
bound book. It's helped me learn how to format for this new age of streaming
words, and it's given me a distribution platform for my books to outlets that
would be hard for me to manage as an independent author. It's helped me
tremendously.
What is the greatest joy of writing for you?
Writing is having a conversation with your readers. A writer doesn't get to hear the other half of
the conversation, but I, as a writer, get to at least present mine. My values,
my ideals, my sense of humor, all go into my books. I love that conversation. I
also love the creative process itself. I love waking up with an idea that makes
a difficult scene work. I love exercising that part of my brain that, in many
ways, I never get to see work, if that makes any sense. I love meshing the
creative, nonverbal side with the verbal. I love writing that the phone rings in
a scene, not knowing who's on the other end of the line, until my fingers type
the answer. I just love knowing that when I think I have no more stories to
tell, another one will suddenly come to me.
What do your fans mean to you?
The people who are fans of my work are the people I'm doing this for. Art is not art if it's not shared.
(I got that quote in a fortune cookie and kept it tacked to my wall for years.)
I appreciate that fans understand what I'm trying to say and the way I'm saying
it. I love that they love my characters, that they consider Jennifer Marsh an
old friend, just like I do. I hope that I can offer them someone they can relate
to in all of my books: Eva Keller in DROWNING IN AIR, who could have been any of
us if our boyfriend had been shot dead and died in our arms when we were 17;
Elizabeth LaRocca in NO SAFE PLACE, who married a man who kept secrets from her,
secrets that could kill her.
Not everyone who reads my work "gets" it. That's okay. If they don't, I obviously wasn't writing for them. But for those of you who do "get" it, I thank you. I thank you for reading, I thank you for
appreciating my work, and I hope you will continue to follow me along this journey.
What are you working on next?
My next book is the 7th in THE JENNIFER MARSH MYSTERIES. I've had a number of people ask me to continue the series, and it's been great being back in Jennifer's world with her crazy
gang of friends. It's titled DYING BEFORE"I DO". Jennifer and Sam are finally
ready to get married, but life is never simple for Jennifer. One of Sam's
mentors, now disgraced, has turned up dead. The police think it's natural
causes, but Sam and Teague McAfee suspect otherwise. It all has to do with an
unsolved kidnapping....That's all I'm going to say right now. It's a work in
progress.
Published 2013-09-22.
Smashwords Interviews are created by the profiled
author, publisher or reader
This question makes me laugh because the answer is haphazard. I love writing, but I have a hard time
getting myself to do it. Almost anything seems more appealing--until I actually
get in front of my computer and start putting down words. That's when I find
myself falling into a story, an adventure, a new world, that unfolds around me
and takes me somewhere completely different from my normal life. My ideal is to
write at least two good pages a day. I hate throwing out material, so when I get
stuck with a plot, I stop writing, and let the creative part of my brain mull
over the elements I've put in my story. I find my best ideas come when I'm doing
laundry or cooking or just before I go to sleep. I keep pads of paper next to my
bed because I never remember my "brilliant" revelation unless I write it down. I
never outline. I seldom know whodunit before I'm a good way through the book,
and I like it that way--being along for the ride with my characters. I hope that
makes my books fresh. If I don't enjoy writing them, I know people won't enjoy
reading them.
What do you read for pleasure?
I read in every genre--fiction of all types, true crime, history, biography--whatever strikes my
fancy. Mysteries have always been my favorite. While I still read them, they
have to be a really good read to keep me right in the moment of the story
because otherwise I find myself analyzing the construction of the plot or
picking out the villain right away. It's a hazard of my craft. But a really good
writer will pull me in so deeply, I can't turn the pages fast enough, and I
simply don't have time to think about all of that. All I want to know is what
will happen next. I also love to laugh, so books with great comedic elements are
high on my list. My Jennifer Marsh Mysteries make me laugh every time I read
them (which I have to do periodically for continuity), and they deliver a good
mystery at the same time, at least that's my goal. Murder is not funny, so it's
a delicate balance. My romantic comedy, VACATIONING WITH THE DEAD, is what I
consider all out fun. And my suspense novels, DROWNING IN AIR and NO SAFE PLACE,
neither of which are funny, are adventure stories, the sort I'd like to
experience but only from the safety of my armchair. I write the books I want to
read. I hope readers feel the same way.
Describe your desk .
My desk is a mess. I have one of those open, stacking file thingies in one corner filled with the
beginnings of books I have yet to finish, ideas for new projects jotted on
Post-Its and clipped from newspapers, and things I should have read and never
have. My current work in progress is spread about most of the writing surface
with edits and corrections waiting to be added or deleted on my computer. And I
have dozens of little notes for all the things I need to do or should be doing
in my personal life. I also have a ceramic mug filled with pens, pencils, and
bookmarks that a friend gave me. It reads "Agent's Ashes". (Rest in peace Penney
Richmond, the agent I killed off in DYING TO GET PUBLISHED.) I also have two
figurines of Snoopy, one in a Sherlock Holmes outfit, the other with him typing
away on his typewriter. One more thing is a paperweight a writer friend gave me
that has a quote from Winston Churchill that says, "Never, never, never quit".
Where did you grow up, and how did this influence your writing?
I grew up on Air Force bases before moving to Kentucky where I went to high school and college after my
dad retired from the service. Living in several different parts of the country,
having no real home town, and finding myself in new environments taught me a lot
about people and how we interact with one another. I learned that we determine
who we are, even when others are constantly trying to define us. I think that's
why I write about strong women. I'm more interested in how my characters react
to difficult situations than how their situations form their characters.
When did you first start writing?
I started writing in college, but it took me another ten years before I started writing my first
novel. And then another seven to finish it. I didn't know anyone who wrote
books, and writing that first one was like climbing a really tall mountain. It
seemed pretty impossible. I had gotten a freelance job writing for a weekly
newspaper because I could work at home while I took care of my kids. It didn't
pay much, but helped buy the groceries. It taught me discipline, how to meet
deadlines, and how to make a good story out of almost anything. I also got to
cover superior court for our county. I'd dabble with my book, put it away for
months at a time, and then pull it out again. One time I pulled it out and found
it was almost finished. So I did just that--finished it. Soon after we moved to
the D.C. area, and I found a slew of people who were writing fiction. That's
where I really learned my craft. I listened to every writer who was giving a
talk near where I lived, I joined a writers' group, went to retreats and
conventions, and was invited into a critique group. That's where I learned about
the business of publishing, in addition to how to make a good story really good.
What's the story behind your latest book?
VACATIONING WITH THE DEAD is my most recent release. It's my first foray into paranormal romantic
comedy. My husband and I have been going to a murder mystery weekend for a
number of years. It's something I look forward to because it's just so much fun.
That suggested the setting for VACATIONING WITH THE DEAD, but the real idea
behind it came to me one day while I was sorting the laundry. What if ghosts
were actors. What if they refused to go into the light because they knew they'd
never be able to act again, and, as one of my characters put it, that would be
as bad as being in hell. The idea had me scrambling to make notes. Then I had to
decide if the book was going to be a mystery or a comedy. The comedic
possibilities were just too strong. And so was the idea of ghosts who were in
love, but who suffered from just as many romantic problems and complications as
the living. The living romantic male lead inherits the ghosts along with a large
mansion. To make enough money to maintain the mansion, he decides to let the
ghosts do what they do best--act. So they put on mystery weekends with
extraordinary special effects that aren't really special effects at all. Throw
in a nosy writer for a travel magazine (the living female romantic lead), a
medium, a spirit guide, a former suitor, and a wicked hotel critic, and I found
myself writing an all out fun story.
What motivated you to become an indie author?
The publishing industry is changing rapidly. Traditional publishing houses are going away or cutting
back. I was fortunate to get all the rights back to THE JENNIFER MARSH MYSTERIES
and was able to put them up as ebooks where they've found new fans. I'm very
happy with how that's turned out. Indie publishing also allowed me to put up two
other books, DROWNING IN AIR and VACATIONING WITH THE DEAD, exactly as I wanted
them. DROWNING IN AIR had been purchased by a large publishing company, but the
line it was to be published under (which featured strong women) was pulled
before my book came out. I love that book and wanted it available. It's a great
adventure. And when I tried to market VACATIONING WITH THE DEAD to traditional
publishers, they wanted me to make the romance between the living characters a
bigger part of the story. There are three romances in that book, one with a
living couple, two with ghost couples. All are emotional, loving, dysfunctional
relationships that have to be resolved. Just because two of the couples are dead
doesn't make them any less important--at least that's the story I wanted to
tell. Indie publishing allowed me to do just that. And now I'm currently working
on a 7th Jennifer Marsh Mystery because fans have let me know they want more.
How has Smashwords contributed to your success?
Smashwords has changed my way of thinking about books. It's made me look at words/information/stories
as streams, not stagnant words printed on a particular page in a particular
bound book. It's helped me learn how to format for this new age of streaming
words, and it's given me a distribution platform for my books to outlets that
would be hard for me to manage as an independent author. It's helped me
tremendously.
What is the greatest joy of writing for you?
Writing is having a conversation with your readers. A writer doesn't get to hear the other half of
the conversation, but I, as a writer, get to at least present mine. My values,
my ideals, my sense of humor, all go into my books. I love that conversation. I
also love the creative process itself. I love waking up with an idea that makes
a difficult scene work. I love exercising that part of my brain that, in many
ways, I never get to see work, if that makes any sense. I love meshing the
creative, nonverbal side with the verbal. I love writing that the phone rings in
a scene, not knowing who's on the other end of the line, until my fingers type
the answer. I just love knowing that when I think I have no more stories to
tell, another one will suddenly come to me.
What do your fans mean to you?
The people who are fans of my work are the people I'm doing this for. Art is not art if it's not shared.
(I got that quote in a fortune cookie and kept it tacked to my wall for years.)
I appreciate that fans understand what I'm trying to say and the way I'm saying
it. I love that they love my characters, that they consider Jennifer Marsh an
old friend, just like I do. I hope that I can offer them someone they can relate
to in all of my books: Eva Keller in DROWNING IN AIR, who could have been any of
us if our boyfriend had been shot dead and died in our arms when we were 17;
Elizabeth LaRocca in NO SAFE PLACE, who married a man who kept secrets from her,
secrets that could kill her.
Not everyone who reads my work "gets" it. That's okay. If they don't, I obviously wasn't writing for them. But for those of you who do "get" it, I thank you. I thank you for reading, I thank you for
appreciating my work, and I hope you will continue to follow me along this journey.
What are you working on next?
My next book is the 7th in THE JENNIFER MARSH MYSTERIES. I've had a number of people ask me to continue the series, and it's been great being back in Jennifer's world with her crazy
gang of friends. It's titled DYING BEFORE"I DO". Jennifer and Sam are finally
ready to get married, but life is never simple for Jennifer. One of Sam's
mentors, now disgraced, has turned up dead. The police think it's natural
causes, but Sam and Teague McAfee suspect otherwise. It all has to do with an
unsolved kidnapping....That's all I'm going to say right now. It's a work in
progress.
Published 2013-09-22.
Smashwords Interviews are created by the profiled
author, publisher or reader
