Interview with Jenny Schwartz, Author of Salvage
28 Jun 2023
What’s the story behind the story? What inspired you to write Salvage?
You know when a character taps you on the shoulder and sing-songs, “I’ve been keeping secrets”? Or maybe that only happens to authors? Yeah. Cherry, the heroine, was so vividly real in my mind that I had to tell her story…and then I found that the whole darned universe had been keeping secrets! I love writing about aliens and AIs and how humans interact with them. It’s found family taken to the extreme. So much fun!
What’s your favorite genre to read? Is it the same as your favorite genre to write?
I write what I love reading – sci-fi and fantasy – but I also read mysteries, a wide range of non-fiction (for ideas!), and romance. I like my stories to have a happy-ever-after.
What books are on your TBR pile right now?
Agatha Christie’s “They Came to Baghdad” (love that many of her books are in Kindle Unlimited), a re-read of TA White’s Firebird Chronicles, and “The Archaeology of Iran” by Roger Matthews and Hassan Fazeli Nashli.
What scene in your book was your favorite to write?
How do I pick a favorite? I can say that the opening scene haunted me for ages before I actually had time to sit down and write the book. The eeriness of an abandoned space station makes it the ultimate haunted house for Halloween.
Do you have any quirky writing habits? (lucky mugs, cats on laps, etc.)
I have a finger-length high stone carving of an owl. Minerva sits near me and oversees my writing. Less quirky is my obsession with to-do lists while writing. Everything goes on a list. Steal my lists, derail my life – and the book! Don’t do it 😉
Do you have a motto, quote, or philosophy you live by?
Honor your own limits. I have this as a digital sticky note on my laptop homescreen. It reminds me to think about where I’m investing my energy.
If you could choose one thing for readers to remember after reading your book, what would it be?
Not so much to remember, as to feel. I want people to finish “Salvage” with a sense of satisfaction and a nod of the head that yeah, life is tricky and maddening at times, but it’s also wonderful.
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