Jeanne Guy has been a member of Writers’ League of Texas since 2007. She makes her home in Austin, Texas. She will be attending the Agents & Editors Conference in June.
Scribe: In what genre(s) do you write?
Jeanne Guy: Usually in my non-fiction PJs.
Scribe: What authors would you like to have coffee or a beer with and which beverage?
JG: I’d ply Janet Evanovich, Liz Gilbert and Jodi Picoult with some really good red wine in hopes they’d share all their writing secrets with me. If nothing else, we’d at least have a good time.
Scribe: If you were stranded on a deserted island, what book would you want to have with you to keep you sane?
JG: Mark Nepo’s Book of Awakening: Having the Life You Want by Being Present to the Life You Have, hands down.
Scribe: What have you learned from your association with the Writers League?
JG: They’re there for me. I am not alone, help is available and, published or not, I am a writer because that’s what I do–I write.
Scribe: Where do you see your writing taking you (or you taking it) in the future?
JG: Since I’ve been working on my memoir for eight years, it’s too late to give up. I’m going for broke and finishing it sometime before 2019. I think that’s reasonable, don’t you?
Scribe: Is there anything else about you that you would like to share with the world?
JG: Find your tribe! And if you’re lucky, you’ll get hooked up with an outstanding critique group like mine–The Wednesdivas (we meet every other Wednesday. Get it?). They’ve taught me to ask for help and be open to their inimitable words of wisdom and critiques. They’ve been a lifeline for me and helped me move forward with my memoir, Gone, — the story of how my children were stolen from me and how I stole them back.
Their support informs my other work–writing a monthly blog (http://www.jeanneguy.com/blog/) and facilitating self-discovery gatherings (http://www.jeanneguy.com/what-i-do/sessions/). I offer “Re-Story” retreats, workshops and classes, helping people reframe and rewrite the inner narrative that defines them, through reflective writing and story-sharing. We can change our self-interpretation from one that doesn’t help us to one that does; we can course-correct our own story. What’s your inner story? What do you want it to be? A Re-Story Circle may be in order. www.jeanneguy.com
I’m also funny unless I’m in a bad mood, then I don’t suggest hiring me. By the way, I’m in a really good mood today…
