The following is an interview with writer Rachel Jitsawat regarding her work in the emerging genre of creative non-fiction, as well as with the series, The Crush Chronicles. In this interview, Fanbase Press Editor-in-Chief Barbra Dillon chats with Jitsawat about her creative process in crafting new works, what she hopes that readers may take away from her stories, and more!
Barbra Dillon, Fanbase Press Editor-in-Chief: Creative non-fiction is an emerging genre that can encapsulate memoirs, essays, poetry, and so much more. As a creative non-fiction writer, what can you share with us about your creative process in crafting new works and your preferred format(s) for its delivery?
Rachel Jitsawat: My creative process is not very glamorous. I’m currently a full-time Stay-at-Home Mom, so many times my process is simply setting an intention to get my butt in my desk chair while the kids are at school, the husband is at work, the cat has been fed, and the minimum daily chores have been done.
Sometimes, I’m lucky enough to be able to write “when inspiration strikes,” like when I began writing again last year while waiting in the car during my daughter’s karate class, but, most times, I’ll get an inspiration and lose it, because other things have to come first, like picking my kids up from school or making sure everyone has clean underwear.
The best thing I was able to acquire to my writing process is finding a writing buddy. We met at WonderCon in 2023, and they suggested meeting up to hold our writing selves accountable. We began meeting once a month, but now we meet once a week, and it’s one of the most valuable things I do with my time. A lot of my personal process is reading, editing, then re-reading what I’ve written over and over again, so, sometimes, I may not even get much of a word count in, but that’s how I do things.
As far as my preferred format, I’m currently residing on Substack, which I discovered sometime last year. It is very user friendly, there is already a great writer/reader community there, and it is one of the simplest platforms to get paid for your writing that I’ve found so far. I’m currently serializing my memoir in essays there, though I am considering getting it published into a book one day.
BD: In addition to your work within creative non-fiction, you have a new series, The Crush Chronicles, which you are currently developing. To pique readers’ interest, what can you share with us about the premise of this upcoming series?
RJ: The simplest way to explain it is a kind of To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before, but all true, based completely on my experiences of having feelings for someone, from a young age until I met my husband. Each essay focuses on a different crush I’ve had in my youth and what I learned from them. I was a military brat and averaged a different school every year, so I met a lot of people all over the United States. It’s also very nostalgic, exploring what it was like growing up in the ’90s and 2000s. I’m also Asian-American, so that is an additional lens that is added to my perspective.
BD: You also host the podcast, The Jitsie Jots Podcast. What can you tell readers about the overall premise of the show and its focus, and how would you describe a typical episode?
RJ: The Jitsie Jots Podcast just had its finale in April, and it was a mix of readings of The Crush Chronicles essays that were already published on my Substack, and a small series I had begun called Why Do We Do That? in which I would research holidays and their traditions and explain why we still do certain things today, like eating turkey at Thanksgiving or putting up Christmas trees in December. Though these were very fun to research and produce, I’m dropping the series to focus on The Crush Chronicles.
The Jitsie Jots Podcast is likely going to be renamed to The Crush Chronicles and return this fall, in late August or early September. I will continue with the readings for the first part of each episode, but I will be adding short interviews with others about their own experiences with crushes for the second half. A lot of the human experience is interacting with each other, and I know I am not the only one with fun, unique, or impactful stories to tell in this regard. I’m even hoping to book a therapist and/or psychologist to help us understand why the crush is such a big deal to us at such a young age, or any age for that matter.
BD: Likewise, how can readers find new and previously released episodes?
RJ: Everything will always be on my Substack: Jitsie.substack.com. The Jitsie Jots Podcast is also fully released on Spotify and Apple Podcasts, and when I come back with my revamped podcast this fall, all episodes will still be released on all of these platforms.
BD: Are there any other projects on which you are working that you’re able to share with readers?
RJ: The Crush Chronicles is my main focus, but I did celebrate my first publication in a short anthology titled Royal Blood.Magic Wand back in February of this year. You may also go to my website (racheljitsawat.com) and check out The 9 Lives of Rachel Jitsawat, which teases future writings I plan serialize once The Crush Chronicles has been completed.
BD: Lastly, what would you like to tell fans who want to learn more about your work and follow you on social media?
RJ: You can visit me on any of my platforms. My website has samples of my work and what I plan on writing in the future. My Substack is the best place to keep up with my work, because if you subscribe it gets delivered straight to your inbox as soon as I publish, which I do bi-weekly. You can also find me on Instagram (@racheljitsawat). I also have a Linktree which has all of these plus any miscellaneous links, like Buy Me A Coffee and Linkedin.
