I’m delighted to have as a guest today on the Writing Room Inspiration series, PJ Sharon. I first got to know PJ through the Young Adult Romance Writers of America (YARWA) group. She’s an accomplished author, blogger, and woman of many talents, who always seems to have time to support her fellow writers.
PJ Sharon is author of several independently published, contemporary young adult novels, including HEAVEN IS FOR HEROES. Her stories have garnered several contest finals, including two awards for ON THIN ICE, and a place in the prestigious Valley Forge Romance Writers and the Florida Romance Writers Golden Palm contest for SAVAGE CINDERELLA.
Writing romantic fiction for the past six years, and following her destiny to write Extraordinary stories of an average teenage life, PJ is a member of RWA, CTRWA, and YARWA. She is mother to two grown sons and lives with her husband and her dog in the Berkshire Hills of Western MA.
Please tell us a little about yourself. What types of things do you write?
I’m writing young adult fiction these days. My stories are about real teens with real issues who have some serious obstacles to overcome and who learn valuable life lessons to find their “hopefully ever after” ending.
Your stories are truly unique and inspiring. Do you have a schedule for writing?
Oh, I wish I did! These days, I spend far more time on the business end of writing than I do on the actual writing. I’m hoping this is a temporary condition while I’m learning the ropes of Indie-publishing and getting the ball rolling on creating a solid backlist of books. Although I don’t write towards manuscript completion every day, I do consider all the blog writing to be good practice. I creatively write in spurts. If I have a few hours to dedicate to adding to my manuscript, I can easily get a chapter or two written. I don’t have word count goals or anything like that, but once the flood gates are opened, I’m unstoppable, LOL. I do get to the point after a few days where I HAVE to do some writing or I’ll start resenting the “job” of being a published author. I’m just about there this week, and plan to add a few chapters to my WIP on Friday.
Do you have any writing rituals, such as music, food, clothes, or anything else to help you?
I’m not superstitious and I’m more of a roll-up-your-sleeves-and-dig-in kind of girl. It does help me if I get organized first and clear away the extraneous to-do’s on my list so I can stay focused. I try to eliminate distractions and avoid the Internet when I’m in a groove. A cup of English Breakfast tea is always nice, and I’m highly motivated by chocolate.
Ah, you’re a highly organized tea lover. Who or what is your inspiration?
I guess “life” in general is my inspiration. I’ve had such an amazing journey filled with highs and lows that could rival the Andes. I’ve come so far from where I was in life that I now feel compelled to share the lessons I’ve learned along the way. I’ve often wished I’d had books like the ones I’m writing available to me when I was a teenager. If I can save teens from experiencing half of what I went through, it is effort well spent. At the same time, I think the themes in my books are universal and can hopefully be an inspiration to adult readers as well. I believe that fulfillment comes from giving back and spreading the love. I choose to do that through sharing a message of hope with readers.
Could you tell us about your writer’s space?
I’d love to! Up until recently, I was sitting on my couch working on a laptop. I had pillows behind me, under me, and around me trying to create some semblance of ergonomics. I know! Crazy, right? Being a former PT person and currently a Massage Therapist, I should have known better. My body was paying for it, believe me. I had a dedicated office space upstairs in a corner room, but it was terribly isolating and inconvenient—and not very ergonomically designed either.
So, for Christmas, my husband surprised me. I came home from work one day and he had brought all of my office equipment down from the cubbyhole upstairs, rearranged our living room, and created a fabulous office space right where my old couch used to be! I now have the perfect setup, including dual screens that are interactive, so I can work on multiple projects and move pages around easily. He added track lighting that works great for adding illumination and soft light, which is better for the eyes than fluorescents. For my birthday, I bought myself a new office chair to complete my ergonomic makeover! The couch? It’s now out on our front porch. I suspect I’ll find my husband napping there on occasion once the weather gets warm. 
What a great guy he is! Off the topic of writing, what is the zaniest, craziest thing you’ve ever done?
Oh, boy! Do you want a list? I’m a risk taker and I love a challenge. I’m afraid I’ve become a little more conservative (smarter) about physical challenges as I’ve gotten older, but I manage to keep exploring exciting new paths that keep me juiced up about life—such as indie-publishing. As far as zany/crazy endeavors, I once picked up an alligator, had my picture taken with three boa constrictors-one around my neck and one in each hand, and stuck my arm in the mouth of a jaguar. No, I’m not kidding!
And you have the pictures to prove it! You’re obviously not afraid of anything! Do you have anything else you’d like to tell us?
So glad you asked! My latest release, SAVAGE CINDERELLA, is available now on Amazon, and early reviews have been great. Now that I’ve completed that project, and my baby is out in the world, I can dedicate more time to writing the next book. I’m about a quarter of the way through my current work in progress, the first book in a dystopian trilogy, THE CHRONICLES OF LILY CARMICHAEL, due out in July. If I can manage it, I’ll have the second book out in December. In between that, I have a CHRONICLES companion short story that will be part of the October WG2E anthology.
I love the cover for SAVAGE CINDERELLA. Last of all, PJ, what advice would you give to other writers?
Write what you love, believe in yourself, and be bold! You can do anything you set your mind to, and with practice, you can become the writer you were meant to be.
You’re living proof that writing what you love pays off. Thanks so much, PJ.
If you’d like to contact PJ Sharon, here are places to find her and connect with her.
Contact Information for PJ Sharon:
Books by PJ Sharon:
Your turn:
What do you think? Would you be as daring as PJ Sharon and put your arm in a jaguar’s mouth?
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