Summary of Jan Underwood’s presentation: Jan began writing at age six, when she wrote a story about Winnie the Pooh characters, and her father told her she could actually make up her own characters. For Jan that idea was the spark that enlightened her creative energy, and she has been writing ever since. Jan is also a Spanish teacher and loves to use flavors of foreign languages in her writing.

Jan’s debut novel was Dayshift Werewolf. This short novel, containing linked short stories, began as an entry into the International 3-Day Novel Contest in 2005. Entrants start from scratch and write for 72 hours over Labor Day weekend. Jan won first prize, which was the publication of her novel. (The book is now out of print and can be bought only through Jan. Contact her by email from her website, www.funnylittlenovels.com.)

Jan donated copies of her novels to the library and offered some copies for sale to meeting attendees. Her books (other than mentioned above) are available online. Utterly Heartless, 2013, is self-published, a “fun, supernatural” story. The Bell Lap, 2016 is “darker, about climate change.”

Fault Lines, 2021, is “playful, supernatural.” Jan said she had begun working on this book in the 1990s. Jan’s cover artist for her three self-published novels is Anna Magruder of Portland, who was serendipitously found when Jan dropped into the artist’s studio. This artist has also formatted Jan’s books. As in her books, Jan’s real-life writing background has involved some magic realism.

Jan read a chapter of Fault Lines to the group; her main character and the opening premise of the story generated questions. On what psychological basis did Jan form the personality of this character? Is the Latin American country real or imagined? Which country and revolution is it based on? What was Jan’s writing process? Was research involved? What is the time period of this novel? (It is roughly 1985; Jan wanted to make sure it was prior to the technological advantages of the internet, smart phones, etc.)

Jan responded to the questions. She based the psychological drama of the main character on what she knows about social anxiety. She created the setting of the story based loosely on her knowledge and experiences of Latin America, but being careful not to specify a real country so as not to do it injustice. The setting is fictitious, even to the map Jan presents in the book. She has made the political situation plausible, but not factual, making use of known “universal power dynamics.”

As for Jan’s writing methods, Jan enjoys being in a writing group in order to be accountable, to keep writing regularly. And she has done much of her writing at retreats—away from distractions and out of town. She has self-published her books, but has employed professional eyes on her work to “catch mistakes and provide other perspectives.” Marketing, art work, editing, and formatting has been hired professionally. Jan cautions that “writers don’t make money,” but hopefully gain readers. Dayshift Werewolf, a funny monster book, is her best-selling book. She said it’s not a children’s book but might be rated PG.

Jan briefly described magic realism, a style she loves to use. It is a literary style out of Latin America in which “normal life” happens but with something odd or whimsical taking place that is accepted. With magic realism it is not necessary to create an entire other-world of fantasy. A new genre “curio fiction” was recently described in The Writer magazine that sounds the same as magic realism.

Jan is now working on another novel, which she described as “darker” than her previous works. The story centers on childhood abuse of Native American children in the 1950s by priests. She is doing intense research and describes the 1950s as a time of “confusion, navigating.”

Online links: Jan Underwood’s website: www.funnylittlenovels.com

Helpful writing software and community of writers: www.fictionary.co

3-day writing contest over Labor Day weekend:  www.3daynovel.com.