Q. Where do you write? Do you have a special room, shed, barn, special space for your writing? Or tell us about your ‘dream’ work space.
LJ. I write on a laptop in a chaise lounge with coffee near me and my dogs at my feet. The space is my bedroom, though I’m moving and will actually have a dedicated office within the year. But this works for now. I just need the place to be relatively quiet where I can get away from the distractions of life. You know, that nagging laundry or beckoning cross word puzzle or enticing walk?
Q. Do you have any special rituals when you sit down to write? (a neat work space, sharpened #2 pencils, legal pad, cup of tea, glass of brandy, favorite pajamas, etc.)
LJ. No real rituals, but I have my synopsis of the current story close at hand and usually a cup of coffee. As stated above, the dogs (three—two pugs and a beagle) are usually close by and snoring as they’ve already been fed and walked. I don’t like a mess around me, but at the latter stages of the book my work area becomes a disaster. Also, I really hate to admit this, but when I’m late with a book, at the tail end, when my stress level is in the stratosphere, I eat sugary things to stay awake and keep at it. I recommend Hot Tamales candy and M&M peanuts. But be wary, extra pounds do appear!
Q. Could you tell us something about yourself that we might not already know? 
LJ. Wow. Hmmm. If only I had some deep dark secret that made me so much more interesting. I’m a “glass is half full” kind of person and can usually see the silver lining in a situation long before it appears. I’m a Taurus, for what that’s worth as I don’t take much stock in it, and I work very closely with my sister, author Nancy Bush. (She’s an Ares.) We’ve been at this gig for around thirty-five years. Also, I’m a morning person and pretty much useless after lunch. I never watch TV during the day and I have five grandchildren which are the loves of my life. I absolutely adore animals, nature and biology. School wasn’t hard for me, but man, oh, man, I sure didn’t “get” algebra.
Q. Do you have a set time each day (or night) to write?
LJ. Nope. I try to write in the mornings, but life gets in the way—there’s always a ton of email and social media to work out. I only work at night when
I’m pushing up against a deadline. I used to be able to work around the clock, now, not so much. When I’m finishing I will stay up late and get up extremely early (3am) but that’s only for the last week of writing. Then, of course, I’m messed up and it takes me a week or so to get back to my normal routine. In my perfect world I would walk the dogs, exercise, do the crossword puzzle, and write ten pages before 10am. Uh, but no, I can’t do all of that.
Q. What’s your best advice to other writers for overcoming procrastination?
LJ. Sit down and write. No matter what. Just put your butt into the chair, turn on your computer and get down to it. Don’t be distracted. A book is written one word, paragraph and page at a time. My sister says its “like eating an elephant, one bite at a time.” If you’re uninspired, just write anyway. I do find that if I’m blocked in a scene, that I can’t go forward, the problem with the scene usually is something that has happened earlier in the book and needs to be corrected.
Part 2 with Lisa Jackson, October 24th. Click here
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