Interview With Jonna Ivin

I am happy to have Jonna Ivin, author of Will Love For Crumbs, with me on the blog today. She talks about her latest release, her process, and what motivates her to be a writer. Let's hear what she had to say. 

Me: Tell us about Will Love For Crumbs.

Jonna: My memoir mostly depicts a two-year period in my life where I was involved in a relationship with a man who I believed to be my “knight in shining armor.” Although there was a whispering in my gut telling me things were off, I didn’t listen. I was too wrapped up in the fairytale of it all. I wanted to be rescued from my life and willingly jumped into this relationship. As I wrote the memoir a bigger question kept nagging the back of my mind, “Why was I the kind of person who was so willing to drop everything and run off with a man I barely knew?” In order to answer that question, I started writing about my childhood growing up with an alcoholic mother and an absent father. I simultaneously move the story forward as I look back into my past.

Me: What sets your most recent release, Will Love For Crumbs, from other books of the same genre?

Jonna: Well I think in the genre of memoir every book is going to be different. Even if there are similarities in the main theme our experiences as writers who have lived these stories will naturally be different as people are different. As far as my book goes, I really tried to see the humor in the situations and incorporate that into the book. At the end of the day, every choice I made (and there were lots of stupid ones!) were my own and I stand by those choices. When I was first working on the book I was part of a writers group that was made up entirely of fiction writers. I was the only one working on a memoir so it made for an interesting dynamic. At first, the other writers were hesitant to critique my writing knowing that what was on the page had actually happened. It was suggested at one point I turn the book into fiction. One of the writers said to me, not to be mean but to genuinely pose a question, “Who is going to buy your book? You’re not famous. No one knows who you are so why would they care about your story?” I knew then that absolutely I would publish my story as memoir. In my opinion the best part about my story is that I am not extraordinary. I am an every-woman, and if I had lived through this experience and felt the way I did, then I knew for sure someone else out there had, too.

Me: Looking at the reviews on Amazon, it seems like the novel has been well-received. How do you feel the book is doing so far?

Jonna: The book has far exceeded any expectations I had for it and the response has been incredible. I’m really accessible on the internet and through social media (I think I am the only Jonna Ivin on the planet) so readers were able to contact me quite easily. I began getting messages from people, mostly women, telling me how much they related to my book. Again the circumstances were different but the feelings were the same. That was the most fulfilling part for me. Sure the sales are amazing, but knowing that I had told the truth about my life and that I wasn't alone felt incredible. I always feel deeply touched that anyone would take the time out of their day to reach out to me and share the most personal aspects of their life.

Me: Any future releases reader should be aware of?

Jonna: After hearing from readers about their stories, I became more and more interested in this idea of being willing to love for crumbs. So many of us give everything we have to family, friends, relationships, even our jobs and for some crazy reason accept little crumbs in return. Why do we do that? And more importantly when and how do we learn to stop? With this is mind I decided to edit and publish an anthology on the topic of Loving For Crumbs. I have been collecting submissions for that book and will be releasing the anthology by the fall/winter 2012.

Me: Are you reading anything right now, or have you read anything recently that is worth mentioning?

Jonna: Hippie Boy by Ingrid Ricks. This is a great memoir about finding your own strength and voice, and about staying true to who you are when others are trying to force you to be different. I love a gal who is willing to march to the beat of her own drum and Ingrid does that in this inspiring memoir.

Me: Does music inspire or motivate you to write? If so, what kind of music?

Jonna: I can’t imagine writing without music. I love it all. Often, I won’t even begin to write until I find the perfect song to set the tone of how I am feeling.

Me: Who are some of your favorite authors?

Jonna: David Sedaris is my hero.

Me: Are you one of those people who don’t own a TV? Do you have any favorite TV Shows?

Jonna: I am completely addicted to bad reality television, and then hate myself for watching it.

Me: At what point in your life did you realize you wanted to be a writer?

Jonna: As a child my favorite pastime to entertain myself was to make up stories in my head. I never talked about them but I lived in kind of a fantasy world in my mind. It wasn't until I was in my mid-twenties that I ever thought about writing them down. I still don’t really consider myself a writer. That sounds too formal for me. I prefer storyteller.

Me: Tell us about your writing process.

Jonna: The process hasn't changed much since I was a kid. I will still “write” most of my stories in my head before I ever sit down to type. Of course with the memoir I had already lived the story so I didn't need to think about it as much, but when I've written plays or scripts in the past I’ve known the whole story before I started writing. I don’t write every day like a lot of other writers. I’ll think about a story for months, writing, writing and rewriting in my head and then I’ll sit down and start putting it on the computer when I’m satisfied I know the whole story inside and out. Once that process starts, then I become obsessed and will write up to ten hours a day until it’s done.

Me: How do you define success as a writer? Have you been successful?

Jonna: As long as I can answer yes to the following, “Am I having fun? Am I happy? Do I love what I do?” then in my book that is success. So yes, I’m more successful than I ever dreamed possible.

Me: Do you have words of wisdom about writing that you want to pass on to novelists and writers out there who are starting out?

Jonna: Have fun! If you want to write then write. If you want to publish then publish. If you find that you are filled with angst and banging your head against the wall, then stop doing it. Don’t take yourself so seriously. The single greatest piece of advice I ever received was from a well-known actress I highly respected. I was fretting over some project I was working on and she patiently waited for me to stop complaining then said, “Jonna, you’re not that important. Other people aren't walking around thinking about you and your life; they are too busy thinking about themselves.” I realized she was right. No one cared if I stayed up nights crying and cursing the blank page on my computer. No one cared if I moped around feeling sorry for myself. I have one life and whether or not I enjoy it is entirely up to me. I love writing so I write and if it brings you joy so should you.

Me: What should readers walk away from your books knowing? How should they feel?

Jonna: My hope in writing the memoir was to really stress how important it is to listen to your intuition. It’s always right.

Me: Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers?

Jonna: I feel such a tremendous amount of gratitude to anyone who has read my book that “Thank you” doesn't seem sufficient, but that is what I would say.


More about the author: 

Bio: Jonna Ivin currently lives in the Ozark Mountains of Arkansas. She is busy working on the film adaptation of Will Love For Crumbs and editing Loving For Crumbs - An Anthology. The audio version of Will Love For Crumbs will be available Summer/Fall 2012 Jonna also contributes a weekly advice column to the online magazine MsBehaved.com

Links: 


Will Love For Crumbs on Amazon 
Jonna's Website 
Find Jonna on Facebook
Follow Jonna on Twitter 
Weekly advice column on MsBehaved.com 








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