#sparkchamber 071320 — Judy Penz Sheluk
We have no favorites in #sparkchamber, but there is a certain kind of story that always gives us a happy shiver. The one where someone goes for it and never looks back. The leaping without a net that doesn’t end with a splat. The pull so strong it can no longer be resisted or denied. The exact story of our guest today, author Judy Penz Sheluk. In her own words:
“I’ve been writing stories “inside my head” since I was a young kid walking to elementary school. Some of those stories were as short as the length of the trip, some would take several days to finish. When one was done, I’d start another, but I never wrote them down, not even as an adult.
In 2002, I took the plunge and signed up for a 10-week Creative Writing Workshop. That decision changed my life. In 2003, I left the comfort of corporate life to become a full-time freelance writer and editor. It hasn’t always been easy, but I’ve never looked back. Today, I’m the author of two mystery series and five novels [with another to release late 2020], several short stories, the editor and publisher of two anthologies, and more Works in Progress than I care to admit.“
Her website is full of amazing material. Her blog offers reviews of other people’s books — as long as we’re still inside most of the time, here’s some great suggestions to get to [after finishing all of Judy’s ;-) ]. The Facts in Fiction section gives behind-the-scenes, real-life origins of factual elements that she writes into her fictional works. And the best of the best, a Food and Drink section!! “While my books don’t include recipes, food and drink definitely plays a role in the story.” I’ll have the Treasontini, please, and Callie’s brie & asparagus quiche. And I’ll take a dozen of Anneliese’s Best Ever Peanut Butter Cookies to go.
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1.] Where do ideas come from?
Although my stories are fictional, the underlying theme or plot is always inspired by real life. For example, my latest novel, A Fool’s Journey was inspired by a newspaper article I read about a young man who’d left home to “find himself” 15 years earlier. No one, not friends or family, had seen him since. There was a photo with the article, attributed to missingadults.ca. I contacted the founder, had several long conversations with her, and started to write my story. Along the way, I relied on my three nieces: one for her expertise in tattoos and tattoo parlours, one for her knowledge of Burlington, Ont., and one who is a social worker, for her knowledge of parenting styles. When it was done, I had the founder of MissingAdults.ca read it to ensure I was accurately representing what “could have” happened, while being respectful to anyone who may have experienced this situation personally.
2.] What is the itch you are scratching?
While there are days when I don’t write — I’m busy with marketing and promotion, or just feeling a bit burned out — but I can’t imagine a life where I don’t write, create stories. I’m a storyteller.
3.] Early bird or night owl? Tortoise or hare?
When I’m working on a project, I try to write every day, seven days a week, holidays included. I may only have 15 spare minutes, but I won’t waste a second of those minutes. My best time to write is in the morning, but it doesn’t always work out that way, especially in the summer [I golf!]. I always have a notebook and pen with me in my purse, one on my bedside table [with an LED pen so I can write in the dark].
4.] How do you know when you are done?
When I write THE END. Ha! It varies by story, but I try to tie up all the loose ends [though not necessarily in a tidy bow]. My current WIP is book 3 in the Glass Dolphin series. It’s the final book and I want all the main characters to be in a good place in their lives. Once I am sure that they are indeed in a good place, the book will be complete, go on to editing, beta reads, proofreading, and ARCs. There’s a lot that goes on after THE END.