Novelist Madeline Cash credits her copywriting job at Jack in the Box with providing her significant writing experience, akin to an MFA program. She recalls, “I would sometimes have to write 500 headlines over a weekend that somehow incorporated the food and the Super Bowl,” highlighting the gamified nature of the job and her affinity for puns. This experience laid a foundation for her novel, "Lost Lambs," which follows the Flynn sisters as they navigate their parents’ deteriorating marriage, infused with humorous elements such as a local Italian restaurant called “Lucky Penne.”

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Cash emphasized that while some writers prefer a free-flowing creative process, she benefits from restriction and formula. “It actually leads to more creativity, having more confinement,” she said. She also created a detailed map of the fictional town for her book, intending to have it included in the publication, although her publisher did not share her vision.

The constraints she imposed on her writing allowed her to create a rich family narrative that resonates with the complexities found in the works of authors like Jonathan Franzen and Jeffrey Eugenides. Reflecting on her shift from her previous work, she noted, “It’s a complete pendulum swing in the opposite direction.” Her earlier work, a short story collection titled "Earth Angel," lacked proper nouns and avoided modern technology to achieve a sense of timelessness.

In addition to her writing process, Cash shared her personal writing habits, including a New Year’s resolution to read a page from each galley she receives. She mentioned reading Avigayl Sharp’s upcoming book, "Offseason," and described it as “smart, weird, and eerie.”

For tactile comfort while writing, Cash relies on a rubber snake, a childhood gift. She also reminisced about her past smoking routine, stating, “In the past in Chinatown, I would go smoke a Turkish Royal cigarette on my fire escape.” With her shift away from alcohol, she now prefers fine dinners over bar writing sessions.

Finally, Cash spoke fondly of her Writing desk, acquired from Heywood Wakefield, which took considerable effort to bring into her apartment. She plans to pass it on to her child.