Welcome to TOW bi-monthly feature Thursday’s Thoughts. On the second and fourth Thursday in the month, I share the thoughts of a featured author in the form of answers to questions posed to them.

One of October’s featured authors is Nath Jones.

How long have you been writing?

I’ve been writing my whole life. I made a real commitment to the work in 2007. On New Year’s Eve of that year I had invitations to five parties and thought, “I don’t want to go to any of these. I want to write a book.” So I stayed home and wrote one.

What is your favorite style of music and why?

When I’m writing I listen to Downtempo, Psychill, Ambient or Electro House. It’s difficult to work with words if I’m listening to music that has a focus on lyrics. Rhythmic music works very well.

I listen to Chicago radio in the car, B96 or 104.3. I tend to put a great deal of pressure on myself so fun upbeat music is important. I listen to whatever’s light and happy, K-Pop even, or sometimes Polish morning radio. I do appreciate quality sound though. I grew up surrounded by classical music. On a recent drive back from New York I ran across 91.1 The Globe. [http://www.globeradio.org]

If you could be a bird, which one would you choose and why?

My dad was an avid ornithologist so I could be here all day: African Grey Parrot (entertainer, gorgeous), Red Knot (world traveler), maybe one of the kites (so dramatic). But if I have to choose one, then I’d be a black-bellied plover, which is all of that and more.

What do you like to do when you are not writing?

I enjoy coffee with friends, usually one-on-one. Right now I’m listening to the cicadas and traffic. I go for walks, read, text a lot, mess around on Facebook a lot a lot.

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Who is Nath Jones? Born in Rensselaer, Indiana, a small farming community with a Catholic college, Nath Jones was raised by East Coast parents who made their home in a cornfield town. Best New American Voices nominee Nath Jones received an MFA in creative writing from Northwestern University. Her writing compilations include both fiction and nonfiction. Her publishing credits include PANK Magazine, There Are No Rules, and Sailing World. She lives and writes in Chicago.

Radar Road: the Best of On Impulse highlights an exploration of twenty-first century narrative. In four collections that move from raw to refined, the On Impulse series invites the reader to contemplate how we use language now: online, in full-length books, and with each other. Morgan Kiger arranged this fifth collection to stand on its own while showcasing the series’s original trajectory from catharsis to craft.