JIANNA HEUER
"I am a former independent bookstore owner..."
Tell us about yourself:
"I am a former independent bookstore owner, I live in Rockaway Beach Queens, NYC, and I’ve been a psychotherapist for the past 15 years."
When do you typically write?
"After I go to the gym, take a quick beach walk and shower I write. I am an early riser so usually my writing time is somewhere between 7am-8:30am."
What three authors are on your bookshelf right now?
"Elizabeth Strout, Roxanne Gay, R. F. Kuang."
What is the most challenging part of your creative process at the moment?
"The last couple months I’ve had a period of writers block. I believe this is due to the myriad rejections I’ve gotten since I started querying my essay collection in August. I started with a really positive attitude about rejection but as time goes on I’m having trouble coming up with new ideas, at least for essays. I have had a couple of novel ideas but those have stalled out as well at the moment."
What part of the craft gives you the most enjoyment?
"Writing the first draft. As messy as they always are and sometimes a bit cringe I love the feeling of having a spark of creativity and needing to follow it through, getting lost in the story for an hour or more, there is nothing like it."
If you could get into a time machine and go back to an earlier version of yourself, what is one piece of advice you would give to yourself on writing?
"I noticed my love for writing in second grade. I won an award for a “book” I wrote and was like this, this is the feeling I want to keep having! In 9th grade when the bullying began, I stopped writing. I would go back and tell that 13 year old girl writing is healing. It will stave off the suicidal ideation and wish to disappear. Write! It will help."
What projects are you currently working on, if any?
"I am starting a fiction writing class next week and hope to make some progress on at least one of my novel ideas I mentioned before."
What do you like to do when you’re not writing?
"I hang out at beach, play acoustic guitar, and am perpetually trying to improve my tarot reading skills."
Give 2 truths and a lie:
"I have lived in 5 states over the course of my life. I own a dog. I love to travel."
Which is the lie?
"I don’t own a dog but a part of me always wishes for one."
Find Jianna:
Facebook/Instagram/Bluesky/Threads: @jiannaheuer, Website: Jianna Heuer Writes