#ThisorThatThursday Author Interview with JM Shaw

I’d like to welcome JM Shaw to the blog for #ThisorThatThursday!

Things you never want to run out of: Coffee. It is the fuel of dreams.

Things you wish you’d never bought: Every journal I’ve ever bought. There is something compelling about those empty pages, but I have so many partially completed journals that it might qualify as an addiction.

Hardest thing about being a writer: Finding the time to write and dealing with the guilt of investing in a solo hobby that takes me away from my family.

Easiest thing about being a writer: Having the desire to write and finding inspiration in the unlikeliest of places. My “what if” mentality is a wellspring of creative ideas.

Things you need for your writing sessions: A hot cup of coffee and a clean workspace. Clutter is very distracting, and I am not fond of cold coffee.

Things that hamper your writing: I cannot write when my children are around. I love them to death, but they have no concept of personal boundaries, and they always seem to need copious snacks the instant I open my computer.

Something you’re really good at: I have an innate ability to think outside the box and imagine solutions or problems that others had not considered.

Something you’re really bad at: A frustrating side effect of autism and ADHD in my inability to manage my time effectively. Sometimes I struggle to get myself moving.

Favorite smell: I relish the smell of coffee in the morning. If only it tasted as good as it smells.

Something that makes you hold your nose: I can’t stand tea tree oil. If its strong enough, it will trigger me to have an asthma attack.

Last best thing you ate: I have a powerful sweet-tooth and a weakness for anything chocolate. I am particularly fond of mint aero bars.

Last thing you regret eating: I regret the donut I ate for breakfast this morning because I now must work off those calories.

The last thing you ordered online: I recently ordered a fancy looking office bag big enough to carry my laptop, agenda, wallet, and anything else I might.

The last thing you regret buying: I bought an expensive jacket in a size too small, hoping to motivate myself to lose weight. It’s been a year, and said garment hangs, used, in my closet, taunting me for my failure to reach my goal.

Things you always put in your books: I like to sprinkle wholesome life-lesson into my stories, weaving them throughout without making it too obvious. I also like slapstick comedy.

Things you never put in your books: While some of my stories contain romance elements, I will never write lovemaking scenes. The truth is far less entertaining and there is enough of that out there confusing a whole generation of young people, why would I add to that.

Things to say to an author: A simple, “I’ve read your book” is enough to encourage an author, regardless of whether you liked the story or not.

Things to say to an author if you want to be fictionally killed off in their next book: For those who have said to me, “writing’s not that hard”, there is a place waiting for your inspired character in my fictional graveyard.

Favorite places you’ve been: I recently visited Muir Wood in California and loved it.

Places you never want to go to again: I never want to step foot in my old high school. The buzz of those fluorescent lights still makes me shudder.

Favorite books (or genre): I am partial to any genre if the story has a thought-provoking narrative, in-depth characters with good moral standings, and is rife with action and adventure. I get bored easily.

Books you wouldn’t buy: I do not enjoy spicy romance. Reading about characters falling in love is fine, but I don’t need to know what happens in the boudoir. No one has three chapters worth of stamina.

Most daring thing you’ve ever done: My first book signing was a huge step outside my comfort zone. As an introvert, I prefer to avoid peopling wherever possible, but I pushed myself and discovered that I enjoy telling the world I exist.

Something you chickened out from doing: I could never bungee jump or skydive. I am too petrified of heights.

The funniest thing to happen to you: I was working as a cashier and opened my register to count out my customers change. When I close the till, the spring lever that holds down the bills caught the edge of a pen. The pen flipped twice before hitting my right between the eyes, painting a blue dot on the bridge of my nose. My customer and coworkers, assuming I’d done it intentionally, were impressed enough to applaud. Rather than correct their presumption, I simple accepted their adulation.

The most embarrassing thing to happen to you: I face planted on a frosted glass door in front of a waiting room full of people. When I looked back, everyone was trying not to laugh. Hoping to turn the situation around, I said, “You all saw nothing”. The laughter that erupted was heard from two offices away, but at least they weren’t laughing at my misstep.

About JM:

J.M. Shaw lives in Airdrie, Alberta, with her husband and two young children. She and her family embarked upon a journey of understanding, acceptance, and life-long learning when they discovered their shared diagnosis of autism and ADHD. Writing is her passion and, with experience and interests in healthcare, psychology, martial arts, and personal training, she pours her unique insights and knowledge into all her creative fictions.

Let’s Be Social:

Website: www.jmshawauthor.com.