Ask the Author: Jennifer McMahon
Answered Questions (15)
Jennifer McMahon
Hi Mimi, my very first short story, written in third grade, was called "the Haunted Meatball" -- so I guess I've been drawn to writing about ghostly things (even if they're meatballs!) from a young age. I studied poetry in college and grad school, then wrote a couple of unpublished novels that were more character driven literary stories -- I was writing what I thought I should be writing, what I thought people would expect me to write. It was only when I sat down to write the book that became my debut, Promise Not to Tell, that I asked myself the question "What's the story I most want to read?" and the answer came back loud and clear: A ghost story. And I knew I wanted a little girl ghost. And when I asked myself the question, "But how did she die?" I knew I was also writing a murder mystery. I've been following my heart and writing psychological suspense novels, often with a touch of the supernatural, ever since.
Jennifer McMahon
Wow, that boarding school experience sounds amazing! I'm so happy you've enjoyed the books (and I love that you had to wake your husband up at 4am!). If you liked The Winter People and The Drowning Kind, you might enjoy The Night Sister or The Invited. My debut novel, Promise Not to Tell, is a lot of people's favorites. Happy reading!
Jennifer McMahon
Gosh, this is a good question! I think I've known I was a writer since I wrote my first short story way back in third grade. I've been writing ever since. Did I ever imagine I'd be able to make a living from it? No. I feel incredibly lucky and grateful to be able to go to work every day doing the thing I love doing most. But honestly, even if I'd never been published, I'd still think of myself as a writer. It's who I am and what I do. It's the thing I do that makes me feel most like me, if that makes sense.
Jennifer McMahon
I hear what you're saying , but it actually doesn't annoy me. I feel totally honored. I'm a huge Stephen King fan. Pet Sematary is one of my all time favorite books. Thanks for your question!
Jennifer McMahon
Hi Amy, I LOVE this question! Yes, I scare myself all the time when I'm writing. The truth is, that despite the fact that I make my living writing creepy stories, I'm a big scaredy-cat! There definitely were times when I was writing scenes with the pool that I actually went around turning on lights -- and no way was I going near dark water! When I wrote The Winter People, I was afraid of my own closet. I think that for me, the writing is best when I find a way to tap into my fears and get them down on paper.
Jennifer McMahon
Hi Elyse, I'm so happy you've been enjoying my books! I love Maine and have even been to a Reny's! I have family and friends there and love camping near the beach. One day, when things are more back to normal and I'm able to do a proper book tour again, I would LOVE to come do an event in Maine. Let's keep our fingers crossed!
Jennifer McMahon
My very best advice is to write the book or stories you’d most want to read.
My first three (unpublished!) attempts at novel writing were all about me finding my voice and bearings as a writer. I made the mistake of writing what I thought other people would expect me to write. When it came time to write book four, I asked myself the question I should have asked back at the beginning: “What’s the book I most want to read?” The answer that came back to me, loud and clear: A ghost story. It made complete sense. As a reader, I was drawn to the dark and creepy, to strange tales that made me want to sleep with the lights on. So I sat down to write my ghost story, which became my first published novel, Promise Not To Tell.
My first three (unpublished!) attempts at novel writing were all about me finding my voice and bearings as a writer. I made the mistake of writing what I thought other people would expect me to write. When it came time to write book four, I asked myself the question I should have asked back at the beginning: “What’s the book I most want to read?” The answer that came back to me, loud and clear: A ghost story. It made complete sense. As a reader, I was drawn to the dark and creepy, to strange tales that made me want to sleep with the lights on. So I sat down to write my ghost story, which became my first published novel, Promise Not To Tell.
Jennifer McMahon
Thanks for the question, Lisa! The research I do depends on the book. Some research I’ve done for past books: calling the Vermont State Police to ask particulars on how they’d handle a certain crime, exploring the bogs of Vermont, visiting old New England mills and mill towns, and interviewing a friend who grew up in a family run hotel. I definitely take advantage of my beloved local libraries, too, looking at old newspapers on microfiche, finding collections of old letters and diaries, and reading tons of books and articles on everything from early Vermont farming to necromancy. For my next book, The Drowning Kind, I did a lot of research on Vermont in the late 20s and early 30s and on early hotels and spas in New England. I find research very inspiring – when I start down the research path I never know what I’ll find or where I’ll end up (very much like the process of writing!) and it always helps to expand and shape the story in sometimes unexpected ways.
Jennifer McMahon
Thanks for the question, Pam! I'm so happy you enjoyed The Winter People! My next book, The Drowning Kind, will be out on April 6th! It's available for pre-order now. And I'm hard at work on the next one! Thanks for your support!
Jennifer McMahon
First, I’m so happy to hear you’re reading again and that you go so sucked into The Winter People, Melissa! Second, gosh, what a great question! I’ve written about ghosts, bringing people back from the dead, evil fairies, shape shifting monsters… all kinds of spooky and fascinating stuff. But, one thing I’ve always wanted to write about but have been too scared so far… demons. They freak me out bigtime. I actually have an idea for a demon possession book, but it hasn’t gone anywhere because even doing the research scares me! But, my writing motto has always been “write what scares you” so maybe it’s time for me to face my fears and open that particular door (I just hope nothing too, too frightening comes out!).
Jennifer McMahon
I don’t know that I’ve ever had true “writer’s block”, but I’ve definitely been stuck and gone through times of low productivity. I’ve got a bunch of tricks and techniques I rely on when that happens!
To begin with, I’ve always got more than one project going at a time. I compare it to cooking: I’ve got my main project, the next book, on the front burner and I’m giving that the majority of my attention. But I’ve got several other stories in various stages simmering away on the back burners. If I hit a wall with my main project, or if I just decide I need a little time away so I can return with fresh eyes, or if it’s off with my editor, I’ll pull another project forward and focus on that for a bit. I’ve always got something (sometimes several things!) to work on at any given time. In addition to this, I’m constantly generating new ideas. Some are good, some are not so good, but I make sure to capture each and every one by writing them down. I think this one practice alone keeps the creative juices flowing and helps to prevent writer’s block.
If I’m totally frustrated by a particular story and out of ideas, some of my favorite ways of getting unstuck are: freewriting, mindmapping on huge sheets of newsprint with colored pens, brainstorming with index cards, writing the scenes I have a clear vision of and am most excited about first, and trying another point of view. I’m also a big believer in long walks with no distractions other than my little notebook (in case I have an idea!). Long walks in the Vermont woods have solved many, many book problems for me!
To begin with, I’ve always got more than one project going at a time. I compare it to cooking: I’ve got my main project, the next book, on the front burner and I’m giving that the majority of my attention. But I’ve got several other stories in various stages simmering away on the back burners. If I hit a wall with my main project, or if I just decide I need a little time away so I can return with fresh eyes, or if it’s off with my editor, I’ll pull another project forward and focus on that for a bit. I’ve always got something (sometimes several things!) to work on at any given time. In addition to this, I’m constantly generating new ideas. Some are good, some are not so good, but I make sure to capture each and every one by writing them down. I think this one practice alone keeps the creative juices flowing and helps to prevent writer’s block.
If I’m totally frustrated by a particular story and out of ideas, some of my favorite ways of getting unstuck are: freewriting, mindmapping on huge sheets of newsprint with colored pens, brainstorming with index cards, writing the scenes I have a clear vision of and am most excited about first, and trying another point of view. I’m also a big believer in long walks with no distractions other than my little notebook (in case I have an idea!). Long walks in the Vermont woods have solved many, many book problems for me!
Jennifer McMahon
Oh my gosh, that’s such a hard question to answer! I think I’d have to say Promise Not To Tell, not because I think it’s my very best, top of my game writing, but because it was my first published novel. That book began my writing career – it opened doors and took me places I never dreamed it would. Although it was my first published book, it was actually the fourth novel I wrote. My earlier novels were great learning experiences, but I was kind of floundering and trying to find my voice. I was also writing what I thought other people expected me to write. Promise began when I asked myself a super important question, a question I recommend all aspiring writers ask – “What’s the book I most want to read?” The answer came back loud and clear – a ghost story. So I sat down and started writing the story of Del, the Potato Girl, who is still one my all time favorite characters.
Jennifer McMahon
I’m an easily distracted person and can’t really focus on writing if I’m listening to music. I’ve recently started putting on noise cancelling headphones and listening to white noise or recordings of thunderstorms while I’m working. This is particularly helpful if my daughter is home (which she often is these days, because… Pandemic!) and I need to drown out all other household noise to concentrate.
Jennifer McMahon
Thanks for the question, Shanda! I have a new book coming out in April – it’s called The Drowning Kind. I'll be sharing more details here soon, so stay tuned! Right now, I'm hard at work on the book that will follow that, which is a story about monsters and monstrousness which moves back and forth between the present day and the 1970s. That one's still in very early stages so I'm not ready to say much yet (mostly because so much is likely to change!). I’m also playing around with a couple of other story ideas. For me, writing is a little like cooking – I’ve got the next book on the front burner and I’m giving it most of my attention, but there are always other things simmering away on back burners! It’s also great because when I get stuck, or when a book is with my editor, I’ve always got something else to work on for a while.
Jennifer McMahon
The concept for my most recent book, The Invited, came about when my agent called me to say he’d just had a conversation with my editor and they said, “Wouldn’t it be great if Jennifer wrote a haunted house story?” It was something I’d never tried, even though I’ve had a lifelong obsession with haunted places and hauntings, so it piqued my interest! I thought about some of my favorite haunted house books -- The Haunting of Hill House, The Shining, The Little Stranger -- and wondered how I could take this idea that had been handled so brilliantly by some of my favorite writers and make it my own. The idea I came up with was: what if I have a couple who don’t move into a haunted house, but somehow, they build one -- this was especially intriguing because my partner and I actually built a house in the 90s, so I’d have some real-life experience to work from. But the next question was: how do you build a haunted house?? I brainstormed a bit, and decided -- by incorporating haunted objects into the building. But what would those objects be and what story would they tell? I had to write the book to find the answers!
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