Q: Why do you love writing?
I love creating characters and worlds that don’t exist in my real life. Writing allows me to explore and develop someone else’s motivation, emotions, moods, hang ups, quirks – there’s something almost voyeuristic about peeking into a character’s life and then deciding what she’ll do, how she’ll act, what she’ll find funny, sad, frightening. It’s also liberating to turn off my own hang ups and quirks, if only briefly; to get outside of myself and my own life for the time that I’m building someone else’s.
And those aha moments – many of which happen when I’m running – when you figure out a critical plot or character development are just incredible. For those few seconds, I feel like I hold the keys to the universe. Then I get home, sweaty and sticky from my run, and try to translate the moment to the page and sometimes it works and sometimes, well, not so much. But the times that it does sustain me through the (many more) times that it doesn’t!
Q: Your debut novel, Georgia’s Kitchen, is about a talented chef that escapes to Italy brokenhearted. Where did the inspiration for the plot and characters come from?
I’m a restaurant junkie. Or at least I was pre-kids, when I lived in Manhattan full-time. Having logged serious hours in all sorts of New York restaurants, I knew there was a story brewing back in those steamy, cramped kitchens that were off limits to us mere civilians. As my ideas about Georgia began to crystallize, I realized she had to be a chef and a head chef at that, but one who’s arrived at her destination after some struggle. Sending her to Italy made sense because it’s a foodie’s paradise and it’s also one of the most beautiful spots on earth. It was the perfect place for her to become reacquainted with her inner beliefs and her passion for cooking, and the option of throwing in a gorgeous Italian boyfriend didn’t hurt either!
Q: Since your novel revolves heavily around food, I have to wonder if you are talented in the kitchen? What is your favorite dish to make?
I’m not sure talent has anything to do with it, but I do like to cook. I love to read recipes and certain combos stick in my head, which makes it easy to improvise. I also have fairly simple taste and am all about letting fresh ingredients speak for themselves. I’m not a big meat eater and most of my dishes are vegetarian or fish. My favorite dish to make – and eat – is risotto. My husband swears my shrimp and asparagus risotto is the best he’s ever had!
Q: How important do you think writing classes or writing workshops are for aspiring writers?
I love writing classes! I think they’re terrific for connecting with other writers, for learning craft, for imposing deadlines. I’ve learned so much from every class I’ve ever taken. For any aspiring writers out there, find yourself a class at an extension university, a library, a community center, your local coffee shop, anywhere. You will not regret it, I promise!
Q: How long did it take you to find an agent?
A month or so. I’m not sure I’d recommend going this route, but I decided to send out lots and lots of query letters without waiting to hear back. For a while my inbox was very, very quiet and then I started getting tons of responses. In the end, I had to choose between several agents.
Q: Are you working on another novel?
Yes! In a nutshell, it’s about a thirtysomething woman who trades in her cosmopolitan city life for country living on a goat farm. Like Georgia’s Kitchen, it’s got a food motif running through it and it explores themes of love and family and renewal.
Q: How were you able to land editing jobs at Vogue.com and Style.com?
I’d been working at iVillage.com for several years so I had solid web editing and producing experience. A friend who worked at Conde Nast told me about an opening at Vogue.com, and I interviewed and got the job fairly quickly. A year or so later, Vogue.com grew into the much larger Style.com and I grew along with it.
Q: What is the best part about having twin daughters?
There are many amazing things about having twin daughters, but my favorite is how they interact with each other. They’re terrific pals and, as they’ll tell you, know each other better than anyone else. Though they’re similar in many respects, they have their own distinct personalities and it’s been fascinating watching them grow into the wonderful little people they are. Fortunately, they’re both happy, enthusiastic kids who love to laugh and love to learn. I feel so lucky to have them.
Q: What is your best advice for aspiring writers?
Write! Sit down at your computer and start getting down words. The greatest impediment to writing is not writing. And don’t think you need a huge chunk of time, either. If all you have is 30 minutes, grab it! You’ll be amazed at what you can crank out in half an hour when you really put your mind to it!
Q: Italy is number 1 on my list of places to visit. What are some of the must see sites you would recommend?
Oh, boy. The list is large. I’d start with Florence, because it’s my favorite city in all of Italy. The Ponte Vecchio, of course, because you’ve likely seen many photos of it and seeing it in real life is amazing, the Uffizi is an incredible museum and I also love the Pitti Palace, which offers sheer opulence on a grand scale. After, stroll through the Boboli Gardens, where I always imagine the aristocratic Medici family doing the same. Santa Maria Novella is a must for amazing beauty products based on ancient recipes, and the shop itself is gorgeous. They’re famous for their almond hand cream, but my husband loves their shaving cream and nothing beats their calendula cream for dry, sensitive skin. Moving on, I’d go to Rome where the Vatican never fails to impress, the Spanish Steps are a nice spot to take a rest, and the Piazza Navona offers great people watching. Trastevere is a really fun area to walk around. Walking is my favorite thing to do in Rome, in all of Italy, really, so bring good sneaks! And don’t forget the Colesseum, where you can imagine man versus lion duking it out. Venice is so mind-blowingly beautiful and romantic you’ve got to get there too, and though lots of tourists seem to skip Milan, I had a great trip there. The Museo Poldi Pezzoli is a wonderful house museum that allows you a glimpse into the life of a 19th-century aristocratic Milanese family, and Leonardo Da Vinci’s The Last Supper really is magnificent. If you’re tempted to go further afield, check out Sicily (Agrigento and Notto are incredible), Ravello and the Emiglia Romana region, home to some of the best food in the country.
Connect with Jenny!
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Jenny-Nelson-Georgias-Kitchen/122160801152068
