Janae is a New York Times bestselling author who received her M.F.A. in Writing for Children from The New School (2010). Earlier in her professional career, she got an inside look at the publishing world while spending seven years working for Simon & Schuster. In 2020, she published her debut middle-grade novel, From the Desk of Zoe Washington, which received critical acclaim and was named Best Book of the Year by publications such as Parents Magazine, Booklist, Chicago Public Library, and the Boston Globe. She’s since published three additional novels for middle grade readers (On Air with Zoe Washington, A Soft Place to Land, A Split Second), with more on the way. Janae grew up in the NYC suburbs and now lives in Connecticut with her husband, daughter, and miniature schnauzer named Cookie.
When did you know you wanted to be a writer?
I’ve always enjoyed writing. Since I was a young child, I wrote stories for fun. But I didn’t think about becoming a published author until many years later, as a college student. While earning my undergraduate English degree, I rediscovered my love of creative writing. I also took a literature class called “Girls’ Books,” where we read Little Women, Harriet the Spy, Weetzie Bat, The Golden Compass, and others. That class reminded me how much I love children’s stories and how I still connect with them, even as an adult. I went on to get my MFA in Writing for Children from The New School. A few years after that, I finally got my first children’s book deal!
What do you love most about the writing process?
I love brainstorming ideas before starting a project. At that stage, the possibilities seem endless and it’s fun to imagine what the story will be like once it’s complete. Writing the first draft is usually my least favorite part, because the blank page can feel intimidating. But once I finish the first draft, and can start revising what I’ve written, I get excited again.
What are you reading right now?
I’m currently listening to the audiobook of the memoir Dogs, Boys, and Other Things I’ve Cried About by Isabel Klee. If you love dogs and beautiful writing, it’s a must-read. I’m also reading Corey Ann Haydu’s Mothers and Other Strangers, which is also excellent.
What do you love most about being around other writers?
When I get together with other writers, I love that we share an understanding of storytelling and publishing. I don’t have to explain the process to them, and we can talk and vent about our experiences. We can read or critique each other’s work, give advice, or just encourage one another. Writing is such a solitary activity, so finding a community of other writers is so important.
What’s your favorite writing quote?
It’s a long one, but I love this passage from Ira Glass about the writing journey. I found this really helpful and inspiring early in my career. If you’re just starting out, it’s a reminder to keep going!“Nobody tells this to people who are beginners, I wish someone told me. All of us who do creative work, we get into it because we have good taste. But there is this gap. For the first couple years you make stuff, it’s just not that good. It’s trying to be good, it has potential, but it’s not. But your taste, the thing that got you into the game, is still killer. And your taste is why your work disappoints you. A lot of people never get past this phase, they quit. Most people I know who do interesting, creative work went through years of this. We know our work doesn’t have this special thing that we want it to have. We all go through this. And if you are just starting out or you are still in this phase, you gotta know its normal and the most important thing you can do is do a lot of work. Put yourself on a deadline so that every week you will finish one story. It is only by going through a volume of work that you will close that gap, and your work will be as good as your ambitions. And I took longer to figure out how to do this than anyone I’ve ever met. It’s gonna take awhile. It’s normal to take awhile. You’ve just gotta fight your way through.” ― Ira Glass
Libby Waterford is the author of over two dozen contemporary romance novels and novellas under two pen names, including the Never a Bride and Sawyer’s Cove: The Reboot series. The former President of the Connecticut Chapter of Romance Writers of America®, Libby teaches classes on genre fiction, romance writing, and self-publishing. When did you know you wanted to
Madelin Parsley grew up in the panhandle of Nebraska. She holds an M.F.A. in fiction from Vanderbilt University, and her short stories have appeared in Ploughshares and Narrative Magazine. She’s currently working on a novel about five siblings, two small towns, and a family dynamic that is shaped and reshaped
