Meet Jeanette Cheezum

This will come as a shock to you, I'm sure.   But I have friends. Yeah! Friends!   All walks of life--all kinds of political beliefs--all ages.  From all over the world. 
 (Gee Eunice!  Ain't the World Wide Web a spiffy thing!?) 

It amazes the hell out of me as well.

Jeanette Cheezum is one of those critters I call 'friend.'  Jeanette, as it turns out, is a lot like me;  she is a writer and a blogger.  In both, I readily admit, a little more talented than me.  But I won't hold that against her. 

She writes mysteries and children's stories.  The mysteries are along the lines of romantic-cozy-chic lit-whodunits.  (hope that's an accurate description of her work.)  Her blogging efforts can be found in her calvacadeofstars.

We met in Facebook. (Gee, that kinda sounds familiar!)  From there we've discussed some topics, made some comments--you know;  the things you do to get to know someone.   And she's been gracious enough to write a review on something of mine.

So it came to me one day;  why not interview Jeanette?  She has things to say.  She has an audience out there interested in her work.  So . . . why not?

With that thought in mind--here we go.  Questions I popped up for her to answer;

You write. What genres? And what is out there now?

 I write fiction, anything that comes to mind from six words to full length novels. Romance, murder mystery, noir and believe it or not children’s stories. I’ve written some non fiction but, it’s not my favorite. I feel I’m cheating, after all life presented it first.

How much of your novel is fiction and/or fiction based off your own experiences?

I’ve actually written four novels and only one (Fish Wife) has events/experiences taken from my life. But everything else is fiction. Well I take that back, my latest novel shows some knowledge of my background in the ophthalmic world. I was involved in that for thirty years.

When you write, how does the process begin and how do you keep that process going?

 I’m a prolific writer, sometimes I write a novel and a hundred short stories or poems within a year. I don’t need anything to keep me going at this time? I write on tablecloths, napkins and bits of paper wherever I am. I dread the day when this ability ends. Life inspires me to jot it down. Then I stack it up or tuck it in a drawer until I’m ready to give it the attention it requires.

What are those traps and pitfalls which keep you from writing? Or to put it another way, what traps and pitfalls suddenly crop up?

 The only thing that stops me is our family. I love each one of them and feel the need to be there whenever they need me.

I could have asked more questions--and did, as a matter of fact.  But I'm trying to judge his too many questions/not enough questions thing when it comes to interviewing others.  I plan to do some more interviews of other writers--and interesting people I snag in traps set out surreptitiously--in the next few weeks.

Who knows?  I might even get the hang of it.  Eventually.