Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Writers' Wednesday: An Interview with Jennifer Shirk


Welcome to Writers' Wednesday! I had the pleasure of meeting today's featured author, fellow Samhain author Jennifer Shirk, at a conference last fall. She's agreed to let us peek into her world today, so enjoy!

Welcome, Jennifer! Can you tell us a little about your background?

Sure! Gee, I’d love to say I’ve been writing since I could pick up a pen, but I only started writing about 4 or 5 years ago when my daughter was a toddler. Up until then, I was your average friendly neighborhood retail pharmacist.

When did you first begin writing? Was there an event or moment in your life that triggered your desire to write?


Well, I guess like any writer, I first started out as a reader. I started reading when I became first became pregnant. After my daughter turned a year old, I decided to try my hand at it—in between diaper changing, and naps, and cooking and cleaning. LOL!

Tell us about your latest writing project or published title.


My latest—and only right now—The Role of a Lifetime just came out in print this past March. It’s a romantic comedy about an actor, Ben Capshaw, who does some “training” at a preschool for an upcoming movie role. He becomes enamored by a young teacher and starts to question the objective he’d originally laid out for his life. But this woman’s been burned by an actor before, so Ben has his talent cut out for him convincing her he’s not just looking for a temporary part in her life—but one for a lifetime.

Sounds like a winner! Now, how do you go about developing your characters?


When I have a story idea, I already have a vague sense of what my characters will be like to fit with the plot. Then once I name them and start writing, they kind of develop on their own.

What advice would you give to new writers just starting out?


I totally feel like a broken record saying this but… KEEP WRITING. The more you write, the more your style changes, the more you learn, and your voice really begins to develop and grow. I’m living proof!

Do you ever suffer from writer's block?


If so, what do you do about it? Heck, YES!! But it’s not really writer’s block. If I get “stuck”, then I know I just made a mistake somewhere in my story and I either can’t figure it out or am too lazy to figure it out. But realizing that is half the battle. So I make myself step back and look at my story from beginning. Then I know it’s time to outline to come up with some possible solutions to the problem.

What do you like to do when you're not writing?


Eat—er, I mean, cook, hang out at the beach, read. (Sometimes in that order!)

Jennifer, thanks so much for being here today. Anything else you’d like to mention?


I just wanted to thank, Allie, so much for interviewing me! Also, readers can check out my website: http://www.jennifershirk.com/ or my blog: http://www.jennifershirk.blogspot.com/

I love hearing from readers, so if you’ve read my book (and liked it) please feel free to e-mail me and tell me. (Even if you didn’t like it, you can e-mail me) LOL!

Thank you!

4 comments:

Jennifer Shirk said...

Thanks, Allie! :)

Jessica Nelson said...

Great interview! Very cute. :-) I like to eat too. LOL

Diane Craver said...

Hi Jennifer,

I read your book. I loved it! I felt like I knew the characters because you made that seem very real to me! I also loved that Sandra had her own preschool business. I did that once upon a time, but I didn't have a hot visiting actor! :)

If you haven't read "The Role of a Lifetime", get it this summer. Jennifer definitely knows how to write a romantic comedy.

And no, Jennifer, didn't pay me to say this. lol

Jennifer Shirk said...

Diane:
Your check is in the mail...

Kidding!

Thank you! That's so sweet of you to say. :)