PJ Tracy’s Writing Journey

On The Table Read Magazine, “the best arts and entertainment magazine UK“, discover the thrilling world of PJ Tracy, the pseudonym of the award-winning mother-daughter duo P.J. and Traci Lambrecht, whose bestselling MONKEEWRENCH series and captivating Detective Margaret Nolan novels weave gripping tales born from passion, discipline, and a touch of fairy dust.

Written by PJ Tracy

https://pjtracy.com

People often ask me about my journey as a writer and what it takes to do it for a living. I tell them it’s a combination of passion, determination, and stamina. Maybe a little masochism too, because you’re constantly accessing powerful emotions that tie you up in knots. Because I write thrillers, I spend an inordinate amount of time terrifying myself. It sounds unhealthy, but so far, I’ve managed to get over it every time. There is also a whole lot of fairy dust involved and we all know fairy dust defies explanation and can’t be quantified. That’s the magic of books.

Early Inspirations

I found my true path very early in life. I come from a long line of voracious readers and marvelous storytellers, and as a child, I would lose myself in books for hours. And it wasn’t just the stories that captivated me, it was the whole experience — the soft creak of the spine when I opened it, the smell of the paper, the way words felt on my tongue when I read aloud. So many of those early books left an indelible impression on me and I can still recite The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats by heart.

A Creative Partnership

PJ, my dearly departed mother and writing partner, was equally obsessed with the written word and she encouraged my creativity with robust enthusiasm. We would write our own plays and act them out with my stuffed animals (the genesis of our long career together.) By the age of five, I was pecking away at our old Olivetti manual typewriter every day. I knew exactly what I wanted to be when I grew up. Three years later, PJ was published in The Saturday Evening Post and my conviction was galvanized. At that age, I never considered whether or not I could make a career out of it, I just knew I needed to write like I needed oxygen, food, and water.

Collaborative Growth

I worked hard at my chosen craft with PJ by my side. We inspired each other with our different perspectives, grew as writers together, learned military-grade discipline, and the ability to bounce back after rejection. We wrote short stories, romance novels, screenplays, and did contract work for various publishers. We never gave much thought to the creative process because it was instinctive. We were writers and we wrote, simple as that.

The Monkeewrench Breakthrough

But when Monkeewrench (Want to Play? in the U.K.) was released and became a New York Times and international bestseller, there were book tours and interviews and everyone wanted to know how a brain full of untamed ideas becomes a manuscript. I’ve written almost thirty novels, and honestly, I still struggle for an answer.

The Creative Process

What I can tell you is that it begins with inspiration, and that comes from anywhere and everywhere if you have an overactive imagination. I can see gum on the bottom of someone’s shoe and hatch an idea that has nothing to do with gum or shoes. Then it’s off to the races. This is the foundation of the novel and I begin to develop a story around it, which is always in flux because I’m a “pantster”, meaning I write by the seat of my pants and don’t outline. But the plot is only a third of the work to be done – characters and setting are equally important and therefore must be given equal attention. I call plot, setting, and characters the Sacred Triad. A three-legged stool inevitably collapses if one leg is shorter than the other and it’s the same with a novel.

The Power of Observation

Observation and situational awareness are other key components. It’s coded into a writer’s DNA to be a sponge and absorb everything, and it’s where authenticity and finesse originates. I watch people and my surroundings wherever I am with an eagle eye and make up stories. At an airport gate, I’m one of the few people who doesn’t have their face buried in something electronic. Human interactions are far more interesting than anything you read on your phone or computer. I’m sure some fellow passengers – the ones who actually noticed me noticing them — wondered if I was a sky marshal or a stalker. I guess I am a bit of a stalker, but in the most benign way. I also strike up conversations with strangers at every opportunity. I am gregarious and a great listener and you would be surprised by how many secrets I’ve been privy to. And in my line of work, that’s like finding buried treasure when you aren’t even digging for it.

Building the Story

These accumulated experiences are how I add flesh to the skeleton of a book. The rest is just hard work, discipline, and devotion to my craft. I write 365 days a year, not because I have to, but because I want to. Some days I’ll write a measly paragraph or page, other days I can write for hours. We all have our rituals and mine begins early in the morning with coffee, a banana, and a review of what I’ve written the day and/or night before. I play some word games to get my brain fired up, then dive into whatever new drama I’ve created. It’s like Christmas morning every day. Will I get a lump of coal or a diamond?

Rituals and Memories

I also always keep a bowl of cashews on my desk for protein, and also because that was PJ’s and my favorite snack when we wrote together for thirty years at her big oak desk. The wonderful memories of our time together laughing and creating are embedded in the wood, they ooze from it, which is another powerful inspiration. It brings her back to life and I am never closer to her than when I sit at that desk and write. We also indulged in a glass or two of wine on occasion, and I continue that tradition. I’m no Faulkner, who once said: ‘A writer without whiskey is like a goddamned chicken without a head.’ But a little tipple never hurt anyone. Just remember there is a point of diminishing returns, so unless your goal is to write like Faulkner or Hemingway or Joyce, limit yourself to two of whatever you’re drinking.

The Magic of Writing

I can’t elucidate everything that happens from alpha to omega because much of it is still remains a magical mystery tour to me. But this is my life and experience as a writer in a nutshell, and while it is constantly evolving, it will never fundamentally change. Hard work and a bit of fairy dust, that’s the ticket.

Find more from PJ Tracy now:

https://pjtracy.com

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