Stephanie Plum has been charming her way into the lives and hearts of readers everywhere since One for the Money was first published in 1994. The sassy, occasionally vulnerable, and always brassy Plum always gets her man, woman, or whatever skip she is on the trail of. A Jersey girl with a heart of gold and nose for trouble, she’s the most unorthodox and compelling bounty hunter ever to hit the mean streets of Trenton.
Janet Evanovich’s fourteen Stephanie Plum novels consistently top the New York Times bestseller list, and for good reason. Evanovich is a masterful wordsmith, able to breathe life into any scene, character or plot. Once you pick up one of her stories, for the other novels written by Evanovich are equally as enticing, you won’t be able to stop reading until either forced by sheer exhaustion or you’ve reached the end of the magical Plum mystery tour.
Janet EvanovichEvanovich took time from her busy writing schedule to answer a few questions:
Paige Crutcher: Do you have any "writing quirks?" If not, what do you think would be Grandma Mazur's, were she an author? (I personally picture her acting out all the scenes in her stockings, bra and Bermuda shorts).
Janet Evanovich: None really, unless you consider it quirky that I spend all my waking hours at the computer being supervised (and sometimes verbally harassed) by Ida, my big green bird.
PC: Are your characters real to you? Do you hear them when you aren't writing about them? (Does Mooner bug you for Pringles and chocolate syrup in your dreams?)
JE: The characters are very real, but not so real as to be confused with members of my family. When I'm working, I'm on a full court press and I often hear them. But when I'm away from the desk, so are they.
PC: In your opinion, what are the most important elements of a story? Why?
JE: You've got to have a swiftly moving plot. But you also have to have well defined characters and good, spare dialog so you can tell the story in an expository way. (Are you impressed that I know how to spell expository?)
PC: Do you feel the economy is affecting book sales, the publishing industry, and new writers?
JE: To a degree, I suppose so. However, I just learned a couple of facts the other day which gave me a reason to be encouraged. Just as we've been experiencing a jump in unemployment and so much economic uncertainty, the book business is only down about 1.2% in the past year. When I go into stores and ask the sales staffs how business is, they tend to say thinks like "not too bad" or "I would've thought things would be much worse." Some genres are down (like mystery), but others (like romance and certain kinds of non-fiction) are up.
PC: Are you a "pantser" or a "plotter"- do you outline or let the characters go and see where they take you?
JE: I used to outline much more extensively than I do now, but I still do a skeleton outline. I break the plot down by chapter and write a one sentence scenario for what I need to accomplish in that chapter.
PC: Will you share advice for writers who are struggling and trying to succeed?
JE: You've got to get a writing discipline. I tell prospective writers that the most important thing they need to do is to get a writing routine. It could be an hour a day before going to work, or two hours at night after the kids go to bed. You just have to set a time and stick with it. Also, many people would like to be a writer, but don't want to do the work to become one. If you want to write, you've got to first put your seat in that chair and start.
PC: What dreams are still out there for you that are yet to be fulfilled?
JE: Of course we'd like to see a movie version of Stephanie Plum, but that's not in our hands. That's up to the movie company that bought the rights.
PC: The more that you write… does it ever lose any of the magic, or does it keep getting better?
JE: It's not better or worse. It's just different. I get up at 5AM and the magic lasts until around 10:30AM. After that it's work.
PC: Why write? Is it innate, or a choice?
JE: For me, it's innate to make things. Writing is a choice.
To learn more about Janet Evanovich visit her website: http://www.evanovich.com/
where she answers questions, talks Stephanie Plum and gang, and offers insight into her wonderful world. And if you’re ready for the first Stephanie Plum movie…
Her website states: “Tri Star Pictures is owned by Sony Pictures. The President of Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group is Jeff Blake and his address is: c/o TriStar Pictures, 10202 Washington Blvd., Culver City, CA 90232. Their phone number is (310) 244-7700. This can be verified at Sony Pictures' website: www.sonypictures.com. (I got the address and phone number from www.switchboard.com.)”
Write to them and let them know it’s time – let your voice be heard!!
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