Jeanne Skartsiaris Penned Novel One Page at a Time
When Jeanne Skartsiaris started writing The Magdalenes more than 20 years ago, she didn’t know how to write a book.
Her finished novel “was a mess,” Skartsiaris said. “But I was never a good student, English-wise. I just like to tell stories.”
The Magdalenes got so many rejections that Skartsiaris shelved it.
It wasn’t until about 13 years later, after she had found a publisher for a different novel and written two young adult books, that she gave it another look.
She decided that The Magdalenes was a good book, so she refined it, and, as it turns out, she was right. Even before its publication, the novel started earning accolades. In 2019, the San Antonio Writers Guild awarded The Magdalenes first-place in fiction in its 27th annual writing contest.
The praise has kept coming since publication in August 2023. The Magdalenes was a 2023 Page Turner Awards finalist, received a five-star review with Reader Favorites, and is a finalist for the 2024 American Fiction Awards and the 2024 Book Bloggers’ Novel of the Year Award.
“I’m so proud of this because I love this book,” Skartsiaris said. “And I can’t take credit. The characters, they’re the ones who wrote it. I just sit down and write, and they just come through.”
The Magdalenes tells the story of Jude Madigan, a Park Cities based plaintiff’s attorney with a painful past. Jude’s law firm is given a commission to handle an estate with the condition that Jude must act as trustee, which means overseeing the construction and finances of a Catholic halfway house for prostitutes. Jude is puzzled by the requirement, but reluctantly complies, and begins healing through the process.
For Skartsiaris, writing is a journey, and one she takes each page at a time. She didn’t initially pursue a career as an author, and published her first book in her 50s.
“I didn’t even think I was going to go to college, because I wasn’t smart enough,” she said.
Skartsiaris started her career in medical legal photography for a plaintiff’s law firm. She has worked as a sonographer since 2003.
Her formal writing training is limited to SMU’s The Writers Path creative writing program, though she has connected with other authors and has worked with two critique groups over the years.
Skartsiaris doesn’t outline her books. She listens to her characters, and once they start talking, writes down what they say.
Skartsiaris describes herself as introverted and not crazy about being the center of attention at book signings. But she loves getting her book to readers who give it rave reviews, as well as the feeling of accomplishment that comes from seeing her work in print.
“You just keep trying, and trying,” she said. “Eventually, if it’s good enough, it’ll be picked up.”
