Old Buildings in North Texas Book Blog Tour and #Giveaway #LoneStarLit

Author Interview with Jen Waldo

What did you enjoy most about writing Old Buildings in North Texas?

The humor. I cackled madly the whole time I was writing it. All the characters were so fun to have as guests in my head.

What do you think most characterizes your writing?

Easy to read, but also smart. Humorous and serious at the same time. I’ve been called a minimalist. I never use ten words when one will do. Also, I’ve been compared to Anne Tyler and there’s no higher honor than that.

Name a subject you would never write about.

Bodily functions. Years ago I came across an opening sentence that placed the main character on the toilet. Nope. Don’t want to go there.

Do you have a fixed routine or discipline for writing?

I get up every morning at five, check my emails and messages, and then write for two hours. Throughout the day, I mentally compose what comes next and type it up the next morning. It’s a fast way to work.

What did you find most difficult about writing Old Buildings in North Texas?

The hardest part was when I had to step away from it for one reason or another. Sometimes life demands participation.

Which character is most like you?

Like Olivia, I’m self-aware; and also like Olivia, I tend to indulge my flaws rather than fret over them.

Name some books you wish you hadn’t read because you’ll never be able to read them again for the first time.

Gone With the Wind, To Kill a Mockingbird, Far From the Madding Crowd, Beartown, and obviously Where’s Waldo? (Here I am!)

How did it happen that an American author was published in the UK before the US?

I wrote Old Buildings in North Texas when I was living in Singapore. The agent I met there was British—Helen Mangham with the Jacaranda Literary Agency—and her contacts and interests were in London.