Jessica Strawser On Finding Inspiration... Accidentally

Inspiration is a funny thing. It can come to us like a lightning bolt, through the lyrics of a song, or in the fog of a dream. Ask any writer where their stories come from and you’ll get a myriad of answers, and in that vein I created the WHAT (What the Hell Are you Thinking?) interview. Always including in the WHAT is one random question to really dig down into the interviewees mind, and probably supply some illumination into my own as well.

Today’s guest is Jessica Strawser (jessicastrawser.com) editor-at-large for Writer’s Digest and the author of five book club favorite novels: Almost Missed You; Not That I Could Tell (a Book of the Month bestseller); Forget You Know Me; A Million Reasons Why (named to Most Anticipated lists from Goodreads, SheReads, Frolic & E! News); and her latest, The Next Thing You Know (March 2022), a People Magazine Pick for Best New Novel (all from St. Martin’s Press). She has written for The New York Times Modern Love, Publishers Weekly, and others, and is a popular speaker at writing conferences. She lives with her husband and two children in Cincinnati, where she was named 2019 Writer-in-Residence for the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County. Follow her on Facebook & Instagram @jessicastrawserauthor.

 Ideas for our books can come from just about anywhere, and sometimes even we can’t pinpoint exactly how or why. Did you have a specific origin point for your book?

I was doing research for an entirely different book when I stumbled upon a reference to a death doula. I’d never heard of that before—someone who is trained to be with people and their families in the final stage of their lives—and was instantly fascinated by what it would take to do that job. Because it’s not medical: It’s all about finding peace, whatever that means to you. I instantly thought a death doula would be a fascinating protagonist.

Once the original concept existed, how did you build a plot around it?

I brainstormed reasons someone might be drawn to this profession and hit on a compelling backstory—one that would also be the character’s deepest secret. (I love a character with a secret!) I made her a motorcycle-riding free spirit who plays loose with the rules, and paired her with a client who would be her biggest challenge yet: A handsome yet prickly fallen rock star, Mason Shaylor. I decided on dual timelines, with a mystery at the center: In the present day, she’s being accused of mishandling Mason’s case, and he’s no longer there to defend her. In the past, we see their relationship unfold from day one and slowly learn what really happened between them.

Have you ever had the plot firmly in place, only to find it changing as the story moved from your mind to paper?

All. The. Time! Although really, I’m not sure the plot is ever firmly in place before I start writing—I usually know where I’m going but not how I’m going to get there.

Do story ideas come to you often, or is fresh material hard to come by?

Whenever it comes time to write a new novel, I usually have an idea or two already marinating in the back of the fridge, but I definitely don’t have a pantry full of extras.

How do you choose which story to write next, if you’ve got more than one percolating?

I usually start with a concept or theme, so if I have more than one, whichever starts bringing actual characters to mind first usually wins. But sometimes it’s about timing—what might seem topical or more right for the moment.

I have 6 cats and a Dalmatian (seriously, check my Instagram feed) and I usually have at least one or two snuggling with me when I write. Do you have a writing buddy, or do you find it distracting?

I find it distracting—which made this book a challenge to write during lockdown! I have two elementary-school aged kids who were home with me full time for six months (remote school, the whole works) in the time leading up to this deadline.

Harper St. George on Inspiration & Romance in the Gilded Age

Inspiration is a funny thing. It can come to us like a lightning bolt, through the lyrics of a song, or in the fog of a dream. Ask any writer where their stories come from and you’ll get a myriad of answers, and in that vein I created the WHAT (What the Hell Are you Thinking?) interview. Always including in the WHAT is one random question to really dig down into the interviewees mind, and probably supply some illumination into my own as well.

Today’s guest for the WHAT is Harper St. George, author of The Lady Tempts An Heir, which is perfect for anyone craving the swoony fake-dating romance and betrothal intrigue of Netflix’s hit show Bridgerton.

Ideas for our books can come from just about anywhere, and sometimes even we can’t pinpoint exactly how or why. Did you have a specific origin point for your book?

The Lady Tempts An Heir, is book three in The Gilded Age Heiresses series. My series follows the “new money” Crenshaw family from New York who go to London to try to find titled husbands for their two daughters. These marriages really happened in the Gilded Age and were called “cash for class.” The families had recently gained their wealth through industrialization and were excluded from old society and titled noblemen into the family was one way to circumvent this barrier.

Max Crenshaw, the hero, is the brother of the American heiresses from the two previous books, and Lady Helena, the heroine, has also featured as a family friend in those books. Each book has been slowly building to the stage where Max has to step in and become the patriarch of his family, so I needed to show that happening with his own book. I also wanted to explore the effects of industrialization, both good and bad, which is really at the heart of the Gilded Age.

Once the original concept existed, how did you build a plot around it?

I needed to have a reason to bring Max and Helena together. It only seemed fitting that, since Max’s sisters had been pushed by their parents to marry in the previous books, that Max himself would have to deal with the same sort of parental pressure. His pressure was different in that a title didn’t matter for his spouse, but instead it was to secure the family legacy after his father had a health scare. Of course, he has no intention of marrying just to satisfy his father’s demand, so he comes up with the idea of a fake betrothal with Lady Helena.

Also, I am fascinated at the extremes created by industrialization. On one end of the spectrum you had tremendous wealth, but on the other end it was absolute poverty. I was able to show this by having Lady Helena run a charity that gives aid to women and children adversely effected by industry, while Max is leading his family’s company through a tumultuous time as workers demand greater rights.

They work together to navigate these outside challenges (his father is against Max’s more progressive views in dealing with the employees, and Helena’s society is against her associating with what that believe are “fallen” women). Through this they start to fall in love.

Have you ever had the plot firmly in place, only to find it changing as the story moved from your mind to paper?

Yes, and that absolutely happened in this book. Originally, I had planned for Max to pretend to capitulate to his father’s demand that he find a wife by going through the motions of courting several eligible women. Helena would work as an intermediary and introduce him to the young women. As he did this, he would have looked for and found a way to go around the ultimatum his father gave him, so that he wouldn’t need to marry in the end.

Instead, I was a few chapters into the book when Max decided that Lady Helena would do as a fake fiancée, and he came up with the scheme to pretend to ask her to marry him for their parents’ benefit. This changed the entire course of the book, but it worked out great and became a much stronger story.

Do story ideas come to you often, or is fresh material hard to come by?

I tend to have one idea and focus on it until I get to the end. That’s why I usually take a couple of weeks for a break between books, so that I can allow fresh ideas to percolate. I also do a lot of research for my books, and frequently find some nugget of information that sparks an idea. I’ll usually write it down in an idea file and go back to it while I’m on break to try to develop it a little bit more.

How do you choose which story to write next, if you’ve got more than one percolating?

Usually I sign multi-book contracts, so that really helps to decide what I write next, lol. It’s the next book in the contract. Writing in a series also helps, because usually I’ve set up a next character’s story in the book that I’m currently writing so that I can move right on to that book. I’m as eager as any reader would be to find out what happens to them in their book. If I’m at the end of a contract and series, then it’s usually whatever I’m researching at the moment that pulls me in a certain direction for writing.

I have 6 cats and a Dalmatian (seriously, check my Instagram feed) and I usually have at least one or two snuggling with me when I write. Do you have a writing buddy, or do you find it distracting?

I have a three-year-old miniature Australian shepherd named Silver. He’s a big snuggler, but he wants your full attention when it comes to snuggling. There is no writing and snuggling at the same time. So we usually get the love out of the way and then he moves to lay at my feet while I’m working. He likes to have a paw or a part of his rump under my foot so that he can get in a good snooze while I work.

Hawke Smith and An American Odyssey of True Love

Inspiration is a funny thing. It can come to us like a lightning bolt, through the lyrics of a song, or in the fog of a dream. Ask any writer where their stories come from and you’ll get a myriad of answers, and in that vein I created the WHAT (What the Hell Are you Thinking?) interview.

Today’s guest for the WHAT is Hawke Smith author of 29 Palms: An American Odyssey for True Love, in which he recounts his personal experiences on a journey of a lifetime that he took across the United States in the summer of 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic. At the beginning of the trip he makes a promise to a beautiful girl to go as far as his heart will carry him; only it all begins leading to her. It’s a tale of an outsider trying to find his place in the world, dealing with loss and self-doubt, all while on a quest to find out what love truly is.

Ideas for our books can come from just about anywhere, and sometimes even we can’t pinpoint exactly how or why. Did you have a specific origin point for your book?

Well, I’ve always wanted to write a book, but I felt like I didn’t have a story to tell. When I hit the road and took my journey across the country in the summer of 2020 that all changed. It felt like fate carved out the tale itself and it all clicked into place when someone special inspired me to do it all.

Once the original concept existed, how did you build a plot around it?

I didn’t have to build a plot; that’s the funny part about it all. All I had to do was write the story as it occurred through memories and text messages. The rest just flowed along. 

Have you ever had the plot firmly in place, only to find it changing as the story moved from your mind to paper?

No, it never felt that way to me. I began writing the book to win over a girls heart. I wanted her to truly love and understand me; flaws and all, but as the story went on it grew to being more about my legacy.

Do story ideas come to you often, or is fresh material hard to come by?

I can’t write a fiction story. I have to base all of what I write off of actual events. I do that because I get very personal and deep within my emotions so I can put my whole heart into it. They say write what you know; so that’s what I do.

How do you choose which story to write next, if you’ve got more than one percolating?

Well, I was a teenage runaway at one point in my life, so my next book will be about that. Of course, there will be a sequel to 29 Palms as well. It all depends what country I want to travel next.

I have 4 cats and a Dalmatian (seriously, check my Instagram feed) and I usually have at least one or two snuggling with me when I write. Do you have a writing buddy, or do you find it distracting?

No writing buddies for me. Maybe my leather recliner if that counts.