We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Jane Delury. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Jane below.

Alright, Jane thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What do you think matters most in terms of achieving success?

Being an author requires perseverance and dedication to the practice of writing. Save the benighted few, every author will experience regular rejection, whether for a book manuscript, a prize, a newspaper review–the list goes on and the stings keep smarting. I have been writing short stories and novels for decades and the only thing that keeps me going through the ups and downs of publishing is the writing itself. Watching a character come to life in ways I never expected. Seeing a messy draft start to shape itself around a plot. Letting the language of a paragraph lead me to a deeper, more interesting place than a first sentence suggested. I never tire of that magic. I try to set aside the question of publishing until I have a story that I believe in. And I’ve found that if I believe in my story, eventually I’ll find a publisher who does too.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I started writing shorts stories while living in France in my twenties, publishing them in literary journals in the USA. Those stories became my first book, The Balcony, which was published in 2018 by Little, Brown. The Balcony tells the story of a manor house and a servants’ cottage over the course of the 20th century. My second book, Hedge, just came out in June. It’s a novel about a landscape historian who leaves her unhappy marriage to restore the garden of a 19th-century Hudson Valley estate, taking her young daughters with her to disastrous results. I also teach creative writing at The University of Baltimore, where I direct the BA in English.

Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?

We all start out with superb imaginations as children, capable of looking at a swimming pool and seeing a lake filled with crocodiles or convincing ourselves that there’s a fairy living in the neighbor’s treehouse. That imaginary power remains within us as adults, and it can be harnessed to solve practical problems like organizing a work meeting or putting together a presentation. I’d encourage everyone to get in touch with that power whether through an art class (or simply doodling), trying an instrument, playing outside with your kids, letting yourself daydream. We’re all so results oriented and focussed on efficiency. It’s important to make time for play. For one thing, it’s fun! But it also keeps the brain agile.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

I hope that readers connect to the stories I write. I know not all of them will and have learned to accept this, even though I’m programmed to want to please everyone. Although it’s the writing itself that keeps me going as an author, there’s nothing like hearing from a reader who was moved by my work. Hedge, for instance, deals with some difficult topics in parenting and mental health, and I’ve been incredibly touched by the private messages I’ve received from readers.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.janedelury.com
• Instagram: Jane.delury
• Twitter: @Jane.Delury

Image Credits
Zibby Books