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poetry in college and for a year in an MFA program before turning to fiction. Poetry taught me a lot about language, word choice, imagery and sound. When I sat down struggling with my first novel, I knew nothing about plot and that's been the thing I've ad to work hardest at. 

LG: How did you tackle that problem?

JM: The more you practice, the better you get. Books like The Hero With a Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell, The Writer's Journey by Christopher Vogler, and Story by Robert McKee really taught me a lot about structure. 

LG: What is the difference between a YA novel and a coming of age novel? Do you think of Island of Lost Girls as coming of age mry? 

JM: I've been told that a YA novel is told entirely from the point of view of a young narrator, where a coming of age novel is often told from an adult looking back. That said, there are many books out there that don't fit that rule. I think it's a blurry line. I don't write books with any particular audience in mind, I just write the best story I can manage and hope it will appeal to readers. Like my first novel, Promise Not to Tell, Island of Lost Girls has elements of both mystery and coming of age novels. Because of this mix, it's reaching a wider audience. 

LG: Both Island of Lost Girls and Promise Not To Tell blend stories from the past and the present. What inspired this style?

JM: Trial and error. When I was working on both books, I came to a point where I had a lot of the story down, but wasn't sure the way to tell it. I laid the book down, chapter-by-chapter, on my living room floor and rearranged until things felt right. To be honest, I fought with myself over doing the same back and forth structure with Island of Lost Girls -- I didn't want readers to think I could only write in one cookie-cutter style. But in the end, I had to do what was best for the book.

LG: How did you find your unique voice?

JM: Honestly, I'm not sure. It's not something I've ever really consciously worked on. I think it's probably the result of years of practice and learning to just let things flow naturally.

 LG: You build tension very effectively. Any hints for doing that? 

JM: You can write a book full of very compelling characters, but if nothing interesting happens, the book is doomed. My rule of thumb is that I try to make sure something interesting happens, something that moves the story along or increases tension, every ten pages or so. I do a lot to build on tension when I'm revising, when I know the ending.

LG: How long did Island of the Lost Girls percolate before you knew you had a story that was ready to tell?

JM: I tend to start a book with a single image or character or idea, then just start writing and see where it takes me. With Island, I began with the kidnapping and went from there, letting the story build itself and allowing the characters to develop as they seemed to nt to. 

LG:What preparation is required to blend two stories as you did?

JM: I find that when I'm fighting with a book and things just aren't working, that means I'm doing something wrong. This is what happened with Island of Lost Girls until I played around with it and got the back and forth structure in place -- then it flowed very naturally. I'm not sure that for me it required any anything more than giving myself permission to experiment with a wide range of ways to tell the story.

LG: How do you know the right sequence for adding clues?

JM: Because I often don't have key elements of the plot worked out beforehand, I end up going back to add clues when I'm revising. I don't want to hit readers over the head, but at the same time, I want everything to make sense in the end. I tend to play around with where and when to add clues until it feels right. 

LG: What does a writing week look like? 

JM: I write in the mornings when my daughter is in preschool. 

LG: How long did it take you to write the first draft? 

JM: The first draft of Island was a long, rambling mess. It probably took about six months to write, but it was so bad, that even after I revised, I shoved it in a drawer and considered it a lost cause. Finally, after we got the deal for Promise Not to Tell, I gathered up the courage to show it to my agent and he had some wonderful ideas for ways to save it. I ended up throwing about half of the original story away. 

LG: Your book is living proof that rambling messes can be salvaged. When did you know you were ready for readers? 

JM: My general rule is that when I've done all I can think of to do, then I share it with a small circle of trusted readers, including my agent. I listen to the feedback I get from those folks, revise again, then it goes to my editor who is absolutely wonderful and always brings fresh insight to the book. 

LG: What did you look for as you revised? 

JM: I focused on making sure the plot worked, adding the little details and clues that would make the mystery make sense. I also worked on character development. In the early drafts, Lizzy, Rhonda's childhood friend, was not fully developed. She was an important character and deserved a stronger role. 

LG: On your webpage, www.jennifer-mcmahon.com , an article from the Baltimore Sun calls you the new Laura Lippman. How do she and other writers influence your work?

JM: I love Laura Lippman and was honored by the comparison. I try to read a wide range of stuff when I'm writing -- poetry, non-fiction, literary fiction, YA, as well as mysteries. I think I have my own style and voice and while I'm inspired by writers like Lippman, I wouldn't say I'm influenced (at least not on a conscious level). 

LG: How did you find your agent and when did you know you were ready for an agent? 

JM: I found my first agent after finishing my first, as yet unpublished, novel. I did the usual thing -- researched agents who'd represented books I felt were similar to mine, wrote the best query letter I could and crossed my fingers. 

An agent from the first batch of query letters I sent out wanted to represent me, to my amazement. That first agent eventually dumped me after reading an early draft of Promise Not to Tell and after a short period of feeling very sorry for myself, I revised the book and started sending out queries again. 

I lucked into finding an amazing agent, Dan Lazar of Writers House. He's brilliant. I wouldn't be where I am today without him. 

LG: What are you working on now and when will we be able to read it? 

JM: I'm finishing up edits on my next novel, Dismantled, due out in May 2009.  It's about a group of college students who form an outlaw art collective called the Compassionate Dismantlers. Their passion for taking things apart spirals out of control, culminating in a terrible event one summer night. Ten years later, each of them has done their best to move on with their lives, but someone seems intent on reminding them of their crimes.

LG: So the past and present will meet up again. I love the way you explore characters at two times in their lives. Thanks for sharing so much with us.

If you like coming of age stories, check out Jennifer McMahon’s work. When I finished Island of the Lost Girls, I went looking for other books by her, found Promise Not To Tell, and hurried out to pick up a copy. It’s another great read. Her honesty and deepening tension keep me turning pages. I can’t wait for Dismantled to come out.

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