This month, I had the pleasure of getting to know one of Carteret Writers most loyal members, Jessi Waugh. Jessi writes a variety of genres and reading about her unique view of the world is always a pleasure. Do yourself a favor and subscribe to her blog https://reader-writer.com, I promise you will not regret it!

Favorite book as a child and why?

I loved C.S. Lewis’ Narnia series. Although the first few books are the most well known, The Horse and His Boy was my favorite, with its exotic city and talking horse. Fantasies are still my indulge reads of choice; send me your reading recommendations!

Favorite way to spend a Saturday afternoon?

On a hike – a slow, meandering hike, and by hike, I mean walk, doodling around until I find a place to sit and read a book. We have many wonderful trails in Carteret County, with many perfect spots to sit and do nothing.

What would you like readers to know about you?

I enjoy reading as much as writing. Please share interesting articles, authors, etc. with me (including your own writing), though my to-read list is towering high enough to be deemed a safety hazard. Book hoarder? I prefer the term “overly ambitious reader.”

When did you discover your love of writing?

I’ve always loved writing but hadn’t written creatively since I was a child, until two years ago, when I had an idea for a novel. I persuaded my husband to take the kids for a few hours, sat at the kitchen table, and typed out the first chapter. That initial hit of writing was instantly addictive, and I’ve been taking daily doses since then, of poetry, short stories, novellas, novels, and creative nonfiction. I even started a blog!

What is your favorite writing genre?

“If you can’t be with the one you love, honey, love the one you’re with.” – Stephen Stills

If writing was like relationships, I’d be polyamorous. I fall in love with whatever piece of writing I’m working on, from poems to essays, fantasy to historical novels, horror to children’s stories. I dabble in it all. Maybe someday I’ll meet the right genre and settle down, or maybe I’ll continue to have a piece on the side. Only time will tell.

What have you learned since becoming involved with CW?

I’ve learned that writers are all around us, lurking in the shadows, creeping through the bushes, watching us and recording our habits and dialogue. Your neighbor could be a novelist, your mom a secret memoirist, your husband could be writing illicit poetry after you go to bed. Writers appear normal, but underneath, they’re always listening and thinking and writing. Beware.

Favorite underappreciated novel?

Now you’ve done it; most of my favorite novels are underappreciated. My mom loved Tell Me That You Love Me, Junie Moon, and I, too, adore its compassion for human nature. I’ve read John Crowley’s Little, Big a dozen times – his writing is like baklava, layered and decadent. I’ve also read Clive Barker’s Imajica repeatedly, along with his other works, enamored by his multi-level fantasy worlds. And The Treasure of the Isle of Mist, which I liberated from an English department bookshelf when I was an undergrad. Please accept my belated apologies.

How many unfinished writing pieces do you have in the works?

Ten? Twenty? Is anything ever finished? Most pressingly, there’s a chapbook of poems I’m assembling, a collection of short stories, my memoirs (which must be published under an alias), my weekly blog post, and that historical novel that needs a deep dive edit.

NOW HIRING: Time Management Specialist

What surprised you the most about writing?

Fred (Mr.) Rogers said “Love seems to be something that keeps filling up within us. The more we give away, the more we have to give.” Like love, creativity is a bottomless well (though sometimes our dipstick is a little short), and the more often you draw from it, the more there is to share.

Best money spent as a writer?

My Trapper Keeper.