Ask the Author: Jeannette Ronson
Answered Questions (6)
Jeannette Ronson
While pursuing my graduate degree in American Studies at Fairfield University, my thesis advisor suggested that I publish my thesis on women who fought in the American wars from the Revolution through WWI. Dr. Leo O'Connor was the first person who suggested that I could write something worthy of publication. It was like a switch turned on in my head and I haven't turned it off yet. At that time, I was 49, so like so many things in my life, writing came much later in my career.
Jeannette Ronson
I am working on a novel that is partially based on an American solider and a Japanese young woman who meet during the Occupation of Japan just after WWII.
Jeannette Ronson
If you have a piece, whether it's a novel, essay, short story, or poem, that gets rejected, you may want to consider leaving it aside for a while and then taking another look at it for re-organization or trimming. It may not be that your work is no good, it's just not fully baked yet. Think of your idea as the ingredients that you can add spice to or mix with other ingredients for the final outcome.
Jeannette Ronson
The best thing about being a writer is not having to explain why I sit for hours "zoning out" or why I talk to myself. Now I don't look like I'm crazy but rather like I'm working on a new book.
Jeannette Ronson
When I can't sit down to write, I tend to take walks with my dog or play golf. Both allow me meditative space and quiet to reflect.
Jeannette Ronson
Cinderella Borscht Belt is based loosely on my experience as a naive working class eighteen-year-old from Upstate New York working at a Jewish resort in the Catskills in the 1970s. I knew nothing of the Jewish culture and less about the world, yet I was trying to make it on my own. When I look back, I realize that I must have been out of my mind taking the risks I did but fearless. These are the qualities that I try to instill in the main character, Samantha.
About Goodreads Q&A
Ask and answer questions about books!
You can pose questions to the Goodreads community with Reader Q&A, or ask your favorite author a question with Ask the Author.
See Featured Authors Answering Questions
Learn more