Author
of the Month Off to an impressive start in her writing career, Joshilyn Jackson is the author of two best-selling novels: gods in Alabama (2005) and Between, Georgia (2006). Her newest novel, The Girl Who Stopped Swimming will be released March 2008. Jackson’s novel gods in Alabama, SIBA's 2005 Novel of the Year Award winner, was a #1 BookSense pick. Between, Georgia, also became a #1 BookSense pick, pushing Jackson into the unprecedented position as the first author in BookSense history to earn #1 status in back- to- back years. Jackson read the audio book version of Between, which won Publisher’s Week’s Listen Up award and made Audiofile's Best of 2006 list. Both gods and Between were chosen for the Books-A-Million Book Club. I first read Jackson’s work after hearing rave reviews in my writers’ group, MomWriters. Don’t we all want to read a good story rather than just another book? Jackson hooked me from page one of Between, Georgia. After finding gods, I discovered her blog Faster than Kudzu, and the life musings to her “Best Beloveds” filled my between-novel withdrawals. I chose Jackson for MyShelf’s author of the month for a single reason: She is a gifted storyteller. She creates a virtual story circle for rich tales of love, family, abandonment, and the South. Her descriptive narrative and dialogue unwraps eccentric, well-developed characters that jump off the pages. Readers will talk about her vivid stories, just like a recent traveler does about newly made friends. Jackson’s characters will linger in your heart and mind so long, you’ll write them in your address book. Interview Joshilyn Jackson graciously answered questions for MyShelf via email. Joshilyn
Jackson: I live in quasi-rural
Jen:
You started in theatre before graduating with honors in English Lit at
Joshilyn: Hugely and in several ways. If, for
example, I have a fight scene or a big group scene, I'll use my husband
(who also has a theatre background --- we met doing summer stock) or my
friends and physically block the scene out, so I can get a good sense
of everyone's place in the room. At a recent writer's retreat, novelists
Sara Gruen and Renee Rosen walked into the den and found non-fiction author
Karen Abbott pinning me to the wall by my head and pretending to hit me,
so I could see exactly where my character would be bruised after a fight
scene. They are used to me; they just said hey and went on through to
the kitchen, leaving me to take the beating. Jen:
Your books are described as Southern Gothic. What authors of that genre
have influenced your writing? Flannery O'Connor is probably my favorite author. I don't dare to touch the hem of her garment, much less say she influenced me, but my admiration for her is boundless and I hope a little of that admiration is reflected in my work. Jen:
It’s obvious you do a lot of research for your books. How do you balance
your energies between research and writing? Joshilyn: I don't think of myself as doing a lot
of research. Research to me means musty tomes chock of full of dry information
and meticulous note taking and boredom. I do very little of that. I prefer
to research by finding people who do the things I want to write about
and then asking them if I can tag along on their lives for a little. It's
fun, not work. And revising is fun. The only part I have to physically
MAKE myself do is the drafting. Researching Between, Jen:
Your books deal with similar themes of family ties, nature versus nurture,
and class dynamics, to name a few. Do you begin your stories with a theme
in mind? How do your story nuggets begin? Joshilyn: No, I never know what the books are about when I start them. I think if I did, I might get heavy handed. I start with a character, and then I build up all that character’s family and relationships, and then when I know the people really well, I metaphorically set one of them on fire and see what happens. After a bit, I see themes emerging, and I realize these things are what drew me to write about this person or family in the first place. Jen:
I’ve read you downplayed some of your characters’ behaviors in your first
novel, gods in Alabama, before you allowed your characters to blossom
in their own words or scenes that could be described as “unladylike”.
Do you still struggle with the internal push-pull with your characters? Joshilyn: Yes, the first draft of gods
was a much more LADYLIKE book than the finished animal. I think I was
scared people wouldn't think I was "a nice girl" if I let Arlene
be Arlene and do and say all the things she needed to do and say to make
that story work. Jen:
Your characters are quirky and believable with secrets masked by deep-down
southern charm – warts and sunshine. As a nod to 3Qs on your FTK blog,
do you think location plays a vital role to your stories? Or could your
characters live in Joshilyn: If I had grown up in Jen:
You have a gift for describing heart-breaking, heart-pumping scenes, like
in The Girl Who Stopped Swimming when Laura races downstairs and
prays that her child is not the child in the bottom of her pool. Do you
find those scenes difficult to write? Joshilyn: Yes. Hugely. I'm a mother. Every time one of my kids trit-trots out the door to play, I pray that all the drivers will be sober and paying attention when my children inevitably go gamboling like mindless goats into the road after a ball. I think I write those scenes because I, like every mother, live constantly with the fear that comes with huge, unwavering love. From the moment you birth them, they are themselves, and separate from you, and in peril. Jen:
Describe your favorite character that is the most unlike you, from your
third book, The Girl Who Stopped Swimming. Joshilyn: My favorite may well be Thalia, my erstwhile actress with a capitol A, who has no filter on her mouth --- or her behavior. I'd like to say that she is also the least like me, because she is the devil in pants and I, of course, am a blameless lambkin, chock full of delightful virtues. *cough* Okay. I may have a little Thalia in me. Tiny piece. Hardly worth mentioning. Jen:
You have a wonderful sense of humor as readers know from your stories
and your FTK blog. What has been something unexpected you’ve experienced
as an author-blogger? Joshilyn: How amazing it would be to have readers write to me, and to hear from people who talk about my characters with the same fondness and interest that I feel. It's such a pleasure. Jen: Thank you for your time. Is there anything else you’d
like to share with our readers?
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2008's Honorary List
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