Have you always been a writer?
Yes and no.
I’ve worked in lots of jobs, and I used writing in most of them. Here’s all the jobs I’ve had:
- School Teacher
- Bookstore Assistant-Manager
- Blockbuster Clerk (You’ll have to ask your parents about that one!)
- Roller Hockey Manager
- Recreation Center Director
- Camp Counselor
- Waitress
- Grocery Store Clerk
All along, through all those crazy jobs, I continued to dream about writing books. So much so, I decided to make it a full-time job.
Where do you get your ideas?
Everywhere! Ideas are seriously everywhere- all you have to do is look around and pay attention. As a writer, you notice things like conversations and people around you. Sometimes all it takes is a few words to get a story going in my mind.
For instance, I was walking in my neighborhood one morning, and I heard a girl shout to her mother, “Ready when you are, Mom!” The rest of my walk was spent daydreaming about where they were going, and that was one of the events that led to the story of Maggie in “The Secrets of Shadywoods.” You’ll see that she uses those exact words in the book.
Besides noticing things, writers remember things, too.
I recall so much about being a kid and all the adventures my friends and I had. We were always playing in the woods, riding bikes, pretending we were on make-believe quests. Children have such imagination, and isn’t it wonderful that you can hold on to that imagination as an adult?
What are your favorite things to do?
When I’m not writing, I love to go hiking, motorcycle riding and exploring new places. I also love to read, do yoga and hang out with my family and friends. We spend a lot of time with our thirteen rescue cats.
And I really love being outside in nature!
Do you really have 13 cats? Why?
Yes, I do! Two of them were rescued from the shelter, and the other eleven found their way to us through the years. They’re an awesome part of our family!
Their names are Lilly, Walter, Thomas, Chloe, Munchy, Negan, Jitterbug, Braveheart, Baby Girl, Rosey, Fenn, Nixie, and Christopher.
What do you plan to do next?
Keep writing, of course!
And probably not get any more cats.
What advice do you have for kids who want to write?
Practice noticing everything around you, and keep a notebook or a document on your computer where you write all kinds of things down.
Pay attention to the moments or places or people that feel like magic. Write about them.
Always ask yourself, “What could happen next?” Write about it.
If you want to be a writer, then write and write some more.
Be courageous and tell your stories.
Jill Hovis 