Media

Wisconsin Author Series - Interview with Denise Jendusa

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September 1, 2024

Moderated by Lynn Duvall, Co-Founder of Duvall Productions & former adjunct faculty member at the University of Wisconsin

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Moderator: Welcome everyone. Today we are interviewing Denise Jendusa, author, educator, and consultant who just completed her new crime novel, Needle of Deception. Denise, the opening to your new book took my breath away. A naked man is running for his life from an assassin in a remote jungle. And then the second scene in the first chapter switches to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where your protagonist, Cate McCall, is jogging joyfully with her daughter Maggie, unaware how their lives are already entangled with the murder in the jungle. The opening scenes are gripping and real page-turners. Why did you use such different scenes to kick off your story?

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Denise: Thanks, Lynn. I love to grab the reader's attention on the first page. The two scenes of running people – one in a jungle with Tony Bautista racing for his life, followed by the scene of Cate McCall jogging with her fourteen-year-old daughter Maggie in a placid park, are visual contrasts that beg the question: how are their lives intertwined with each other? What mystery lies ahead? And when the assassin says, “First down,” after he kills Tony, the reader wants to know: who’s next and why?

 

Moderator: The reader hopes it’s not Cate or her daughter Maggie, but suspects they both might be in danger.

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Denise: Yes, exactly. The scenes set the stage for the pending peril ahead.

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Moderator: Your stories are always so vivid and suspenseful, they almost read like an Alfred Hitchcock film script. And your characters are often imperfect people just trying to get by. Then suddenly their ordinary lives are changed by extraordinary circumstances.

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Denise: I love to write about and celebrate marginal, often underrepresented people who turn danger into self-discovery. My characters are innocent people caught in gripping webs of murder, intrigue, and betrayal. I like to think the stories showcase the power of human resilience in conquering evil.

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Moderator: Your book’s locations are also hauntingly beautiful.

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Denise: Thank you. I try to use the story’s surroundings like another character in the book. They should help build the tension, but at the same time, not stall the action. I grew up in Milwaukee and chose it as the backdrop for my story since it is a renaissance city rich with a tapestry of diverse cultures and people.

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Moderator: So, what drives you to write?

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Denise: I love the power of the written word and the beauty of a well-written story. 

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Moderator: When did you know you wanted to be a writer?

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Denise: In the third grade. As my fellow students rolled their eyes when told to write a two-page essay about their summer vacation, I wrote four pages. And when the bell rang for recess, I asked my teacher Sister Labaree if I could stay in for recess to complete my story. Granted the request, I eagerly wrote five pages more. Later that afternoon, Sister Labaree summoned me to her desk, a moment all students dreaded. I forgot to breathe as I approached her desk, and she reached for my paper. I remember inhaling in her words as she looked up and simply said, “I read your story. It’s very good. Keep writing and don’t stop.” Since then, I never have...

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Moderator: I understand you also wrote stand-up monologues in your 7th and 8th grades?

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Denise: Yes. I was a nerdy, soft-spoken kid, the “perfect candidate” my Catholic school teachers mentored for years to become a fellow nun. But when I performed two comic monologues at the school’s talent shows, the good sisters almost fell off their folding chairs. And our pastor’s jaw dropped to his heels. My future career as a nun was over, but my love for theatre was ignited. On stage, I wasn’t little miss two shoes anymore; I was just me.

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Moderator: And your passion for writing and theatre continued in high school?

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Denise: Yes. And grew deeper. I co-wrote two movie scripts and acted in the films that my high school Latin teacher, Anita Steiger, sponsored. She believed in us, promoted our films, and even facilitated a tour to other high schools in the area so that we could share our films and writing journey with students throughout the school system. A year later, serving as the feature editor of our school’s newspaper further cemented my destiny as a writer. Under the guidance of my journalism teacher, I was awarded a scholarship to intern at the Chicago Tribune. It was a transformative experience. A war protest broke into a riot on Michigan Avenue in Chicago during my internship. I remember watching the Tribune reporters and editors rush around the newsroom to record the stories unfolding on the streets below. I knew then, I wanted to be like them.

 

Moderator: And that passion continued through college?

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Denise: Yes. After graduating with a BFA and teaching certification, I was privileged to be offered an adjunct faculty position at the University of Wisconsin. I taught creative dramatics, story theatre, acting, etc. While there, I also co-directed and co-wrote plays performed by The Milwaukee Theatre and the Universal Playground Company. With grants from numerous funding sources (including the National Endowment for the Arts and the Wisconsin Arts Board), the musical productions toured throughout school systems in southeastern Wisconsin showcasing the topics of self-discovery, resilience, and redemption.

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Moderator: As a teacher, you also developed educational resources. Tell us about them.

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Denise: Among the tools I developed include the book, Inspiring Students: A Teacher's Guide to Imagination and Self-Expression. It’s a teacher’s manual demonstrating the use of creative dramatics and creative writing in the classroom to stir children’s imagination and promote self-confidence. Through creative drama and writing, students can explore who they are, who they might be, and reach a deeper understanding of their emotional, physical, and social environments. When so many children felt isolated through the pandemic, creative dramatics and related creative writing exercises can help bridge their road back to a sense of normalcy. The book is currently being revised and is expected to be available for publication in late 2025. I also wrote the children’s picture book series, Just Imagine with Jake and Jenna. The series depicts two siblings who learn about caring and sharing while imagining adventures that transport them around the world. Each book also includes teacher and parent guidelines to inspire young readers’ creativity and individuality.

 

Moderator: As an advocate for kids and literacy, what advice do you have for young writers?

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Denise: Read, read, and read more. If you don’t find something that interests you or characters that don’t resemble or represent you, take action. Grab a notebook and record your thoughts and your perspectives in your own voice. Keep imagining the “what ifs.” Then write your own story, memoir, poem, or essay, and never stop.

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Moderator: Denise, let’s next explore your career shift from teaching to becoming a successful healthcare executive. How did that happen?

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Denise: I loved teaching and developing educational programming while working at the University of Wisconsin. It was my dream vocation. But when my husband Joe was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in his twenties, our world tilted. His career aspirations shifted and for many years, so did mine. Decades ago, multiple sclerosis or MS had little treatment options available. Today there are dozens of effective treatments that impact the course of the disease. So, I want to stress MS is not the disease it once was. I encourage people to visit the National MS Society at nationalmssociety.org to learn more about MS research and the many treatment options now available, as well as to find valuable resources in their own communities.

 

Moderator: So, you spent the next two decades in healthcare programming and advocacy as you reinvented yourself, building a career in management. First, as a manager helping to facilitate the first hospital merger in the state of Wisconsin, followed by the development of The Milwaukee County Healthcare Plan that provided healthcare to uninsured Milwaukee residents, and later as the president of your own management firm with Fortune 500 clients. Then you were invited to join the National MS Society – Wisconsin Chapter as its VP of Programs and Development. How did your years and experience in healthcare further shape your writing?

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Denise: Thank you for that recap, Lynn. Those years were amazing and humbling. Serving the more than 13,000 families in Wisconsin and another 500,000+ nationwide living with MS like my own family, was a passion with purpose. And that experience did frame my writing. How could it not? My stories are about the power of human resilience.

 

Moderator: Back to your new book and your theme of resilience. There seems to be some familiar characters that mirror your own life. For instance, your husband Joe was a young human resource manager climbing up the corporate ladder when he, like your protagonist Cate McCall, was first diagnosed with MS, which resulted in a derailment of both their careers. And your daughter was an accomplished Irish dancer like the character Maggie McCall in your book. I know the story is fictional, but were your characters influenced by members of your own family?

 

Denise: While the book is pure fiction, I think most writers draw upon people they have known, as a writer breathes life into a new character. 

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Moderator: And lastly, I know I want to read more about your characters in the future. Is Needle of Deception a stand-alone book, or will we see a sequel in the future, or maybe even a film or streaming series?

 

Denise: Thank you, Lynn. That would be wonderful! Although the book can be read as a stand-alone suspense thriller, the sequel is in process. I even have more ideas for additional books on my trusty yellow legal pads that will continue to bring the characters back to life for future adventures. So, if readers, agents, and publishers want more and a series, I’m ready and willing. Stay tuned…

 

Moderator: I am looking forward to that! Thanks again for sharing your work and your dedication in inspiring young writers. Until next time, this is Lynn Duvall.

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