Ask the Author: Janet Chapman
Answered Questions (10)
Janet Chapman
I have always loved stories and hoped to write a novel someday! While researching Santa Fe for the biography of my great uncle (Kenneth Milton Chapman), I found the 1920s in Santa Fe to be so appealing. It was a small town at the time – maybe 8000 people. In the 1920s, writers and artists started to arrive, enlarging the already multicultural society. Their small town Fiestas sounded like a wonderful, crazy time! It would have been fascinating to live in Santa Fe during that time … writing about it as if I were living there was as close as I could get!
Janet Chapman
My favorite author is Jane Austen ... I am part of a big fan club, I know! My list of authors who have written books that have happily kept me under their spell for days would be long ... there are so many wonderful writers! I love A.S. Byatt, Margaret Atwood, David Mitchell, Alice Munro, Zadie Smith. And I truly enjoy authors of books in series, like Rhys Bowen, JK Rowling, Charles Todd, and Janet Evanovich! If an author writes a deeply felt story with characters I can relate to, a story that fills in a new piece of history for me, or a book that makes me laugh out loud ... i love them all.
Janet Chapman
My reading list has more light than dark, just like a summer day:
Lady Cop Makes Trouble by Amy Stewart
Romance Reader's Guide to Life by Sharon Pywell
Between Them: Remembering my Parents by Richard Ford
The Alice Network: A Novel by Kate Quinn
Conviction (3rd Rebekah Roberts novel) by Julia Dahl
Lock and Load: Armed Fiction, editors McAfee and Nash
American Philosophy: A Love Story by John Kaag
Exit West by Mohsin Hamid
Lady Cop Makes Trouble by Amy Stewart
Romance Reader's Guide to Life by Sharon Pywell
Between Them: Remembering my Parents by Richard Ford
The Alice Network: A Novel by Kate Quinn
Conviction (3rd Rebekah Roberts novel) by Julia Dahl
Lock and Load: Armed Fiction, editors McAfee and Nash
American Philosophy: A Love Story by John Kaag
Exit West by Mohsin Hamid
Janet Chapman
Elizabeth Bennett and Darcy! I love all the misunderstandings, especially because they are each afflicted with misjudging the other's intentions and situation. Every time I read Pride and Prejudice (yes, many times!), I find myself in suspense about whether they will end up together. It always seems like it rests on a hair ... so when they do, I am happy about it all over again!
Janet Chapman
I usually get ideas when I am out walking. I know I have a good idea when I keep coming back to it, enlarging it little by little.
Janet Chapman
Sometimes, it isn't inspiration at all. It is just sitting at my desk and forcing the words to come out. At the time, it doesn't feel like I am making much progress. Later, I find that I have actually created some pieces that work well. I find routine works best.
Janet Chapman
A light historical novel set in Santa Fe in the 1920s.
Janet Chapman
Take every opportunity to write, including volunteering.
Janet Chapman
The best part of being a writer is ... Writing! I am happiest when I me engrossed in my work. I especially love reworking passages to get them just right.
Janet Chapman
I keep to my writing routine. Eventually, the ideas kick back in.
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