Objects of My Affection (45 page)

Lucy loves the freeing feeling of driving her convertible Mustang. Do you have any possessions that make you feel similarly liberated, or that you especially love?

My ex-husband used to joke that if there was a house fire, I'd crawl to freedom only once I'd strapped my armoire to my back. I loved that thing—in part because it looked like the one Julie Andrews had in
The Sound of Music
. Plus it was my first piece of “real” furniture (that is, it didn't need to be assembled). When I was in the midst of my downsizing, I finally realized that it was horribly out of style and included it with what I donated to charity. Love must have made me blind, because it was in such shabby condition that I had to
beg
the Goodwill truck drivers to take it once they came to pick it up.

Did you invent the N-Three checklist, and is it a formula you employ in your own life? How do you stay organized?

Although I made up the N-Three Checklist, it is a variation on what's often advised by organizational experts—to evaluate whether to keep or toss an item based on whether you truly need and use it. Personally, I live more by the “a place for everything and everything in its place” dictum, and that's mostly because if I don't, I'm a total slob. If there's not an easily accessible hanger waiting in the closet for me to hang my sweater on, that sweater is going to wind up on the floor (and half the time does anyway).

Hoarding has recently become a frequently profiled subject on reality TV. What additional research did you do to find out more about hoarding?

All I did was informally put out word to friends that I wanted to talk to a hoarder, and I was astounded how many people knew of someone that struggled with too much clutter. Talking to these people (who shared their stories on promise of anonymity) helped me to better understand their attachment to things, but I still wanted to walk through a hoarded home. I had my chance—quite by accident—when I agreed to dog-sit for an acquaintance at the home of her grandmother, who had recently passed away. While the house wasn't as bad as Marva's, I still had to shimmy sideways to get down the hallway, and there were entire rooms off-limits due to clutter. I spent the entirety of my three days there mentally throwing things away. It's hard for me to comprehend actually living that way day in and day out, but it was a good exercise in understanding Lucy's struggles to live amongst Marva's stuff.

What books were on your bedside table while you were writing
Objects of My Affection?

As much as I'm a bookworm, I can't read when I'm writing—it distracts me too much from the story I'm trying to create. The moment I sent my finished manuscript to my editor, I couldn't wait to dive into my “to read” pile of books, which by that point was stacked about a mile high.

You have written magazine articles, nonfiction, short stories, and novels. What are some of the challenges unique to novel writing? Can you explain your novel writing process?

My biggest challenge in writing novels is coming up with what I want to write about. I can spend months tossing ideas around in my head, waiting for one to “stick.” You'd think I'd know by now that it doesn't work that way for me—I actually have to sit down and start writing to see if an idea works or not. Once I finally do give in and park myself at the computer, I eventually wind my way to my story. At that point, you can hardly tear me away from my writing it's so fun to be in this other world I've created—far more so than the cooking or cleaning I need to be doing in my real life.

In writing this book, what did you learn about the hardships of drug abuse and addiction? What kinds of research did you do in preparation?

I had a chance to talk with some local drug counselors, and I sat in with a group of parents who had teenage and adult children with drug problems. As a parent, I wasn't surprised to see how they'd be willing to do anything to help their kids—and they were—but before meeting them, I hadn't thought about how frustrating it must be to not know
what
to do. The world doesn't stop because your son or daughter is into drugs. You still have to report to work and pay the bills and take care of the other family members. Their struggles to save their addicted children while still going ahead with their lives was a huge influence on how I depicted Lucy's relationship with Ash.

You blogged about writing your own Life List around the time you wrote your last novel,
The Next Thing on My List.
Did this experiment inspire Marva's bucket list?

When I did my life list, I didn't know anyone else who had one. Since my book has come out, I've had a chance to talk to so many people doing lists. The term “bucket list” has become well known enough that I could imagine Marva having one—or at least having a few things she wanted to do before she died.

On your website,
www.jillsmolinski.com
, you have a special section for reading groups. Are you in a book club? Can you share an experience of when you visited a book club to discuss one of your novels?

Yes, I'm in a book club that's been together 22 years, and we are possibly the worst one ever—there's always far more wine drinking than book discussing happening at our meetings. That's why I so enjoy calling in to other book clubs that actually talk about books! I've called literally hundreds of them. Recently a reader gave me a life list challenge to try Skyping, so I do that now, too—which is great because I can see everyone I'm talking with, (and not so great because there goes my trick of making these calls in my pajamas). I was also able to join in on a book club that was meeting at a coffee shop near where I live. When I got there, the members all surprised me by wearing sexy shoes, in honor of one of the items on my character's “to do” list.

What message do you hope readers will take from
Objects of My Affection?

That life is not so much about the stuff you have (or don't have) but about knowing what it is you truly value.