Ask the Author: Jaime Townzen
Answered Questions (6)
Jaime Townzen
I take long walks, listening to podcasts and books, to get my blood pumping and curiosity peeked. I also often take pictures of beautiful things while I walk that I may want to paint or that help me see colors/shadows/shapes in a new way. Then when I get home I turn off anything with words, and listen to classical versions of pop music while I paint, draw, or do some sort of creative project. While my hands are busy, my mind can work through the scene or dialogue I was struggling with.
Jaime Townzen
That I can escape into another world, and I get to determine how things turn out. That's the beauty of fiction, at least. But even in my nonfiction writing, I can see the throughlines that help me understand the value of even the toughest circumstances. I use that knowledge to illustrate the silver-lining in any story I share, and it helps me make sense of this often chaotic world we live in.
Jaime Townzen
My advice is to find different ways to be creative every day. Art. Photography. Music. Dance. Decorating something. Anything. And make time--even twenty minutes--to write something, anything, every day. Plus, expect that writing and publishing take longer than you think. The initial draft of Absorbed took 5 months to write. The main rewrite/revision took a full year. Additional more minor revisions went on for a few months as I figured out the best path for publishing. From the initial idea to the publishing date, Stacey's story took 29 months, and that was fast for a debut novel.
Jaime Townzen
I have a few things bubbling in my mind. One is a modern story about a catfish scammer and their victims. Another is a historical fiction novel about an immigrant family after World War 2, and the generational trauma carried through that family. I also think it would be fun to see where Stacey lands in college, and how she evolves as an artist and person.
Jaime Townzen
I have two teen daughters, and regularly engage with them and their friends about what high school drama is like. All too often I think--despite nearly three decades in between--not that much has really changed. So I was inspired to really show these how so many of their challenges were the same for us back then, and empathize with them as well by letting my mind truly go back to what it felt like to be a teenage girl.
Jaime Townzen
I was a teen in the 90s, and a lifeguard at a community pool for several summers. Plus, I loved MTV, 90210, Clueless... When I decided to begin writing my first novel, and I was told to write what I know, I took it to heart. I combined my own experiences and people I knew with the humor and drama of so many of my favorite pop culture growing up.
About Goodreads Q&A
Ask and answer questions about books!
You can pose questions to the Goodreads community with Reader Q&A, or ask your favorite author a question with Ask the Author.
See Featured Authors Answering Questions
Learn more