Blog Hop Interview for KidLit/YA authors

I was invited by my friend, Margo Dill, to participate in a “blog hop interview.” Margo sent me some interview questions, which I will answer here on my blog. Following my answers, I tagged 3 other writers who will, in turn, answer questions on their blogs next week. It’s been fun checking out the Blog Hops to see what other authors have posted. Margo posted her answers to the questions last week. If you like, you can leave a comment on her blog and tell her that you connected to her through me.

Here are my answers to the questions I chose from the list:

1. What are you working on right now? I am in the middle of the Moonlit series, and just submitted the second book in the series to my publisher for acceptance. While I wait to hear back, I am drafting specific scenes for the third and final book. It’s going to be a huge challenge to write. I’m hoping to tell the final installment from many different perspectives, and I’m also waging a gigantic, supernatural war. So it’s a little intimidating. I’m going to take it piece by piece. I want to make sure I do it right, and give my readers something to remember long after they’ve read the last page.

2. How is it different than other books in its genre? Moonlit is very different from other books in the YA genre. For starters, there is a love story, but love is not THE story. My main character, Tanzy Hightower, is flawed, and is strong in her own right, even before she becomes supernatural. There’s a mystery element to each book, which readers either really get into, or it puts them off. I love a little mystery, and I wrote what I like to read. The first-person present perspective makes readers pick up clues along with Tanzy and piece them together as they go. One reviewer called Moonlit “an explosion in reverse,” which is a perfect description. The sequel is a tad more straight-forward, and it moves at breakneck speed from page one. I’m writing the third book from many different perspectives because I have several endings I’m deciding between, and I’m not yet sure who will be there to bow for the final curtain call.

3. How does your writing process work? My writing process is… chaotic and spontaneous. I have two other jobs and I’m a full-time mom of a two year old, so I write where I can, when I can. Usually it’s after she goes to sleep. I write notes to myself during the day. I don’t outline, but I really REALLY should. My brain does not operate in a straight line, and it makes revisions challenging. I’m going to attempt at outline with book three. I’m very comfortable with the reality that my outline will likely be in hundreds of tiny pieces thrown every which way by the time the true arc rises to the surface, but it’s a good place to start.

4. What scares you? The idea of bad reviews used to scare me. But now that I have a few to my name, they don’t bother me anymore. Some of them are actually helpful, and some of the make me laugh. After a reviewer literally said she hated me, I got over the hope of making everyone happy. What scares me more are the people who truly love Moonlit – who dove head first into the beginning of Tanzy’s journey and are eagerly awaiting the rest. I am terrified I’ll let them down. So many sequels fall flat in comparison to the first installment, and I really want to defeat that statistic.

 

Tag! I am tagging...

Kerri Cuevas, YA author of "Deadly Kisses." The sequel was just picked up by WiDo Publishing. Congrats, Kerri! Kerri's Blog: http://kerricuevas.blogspot.com/

Aviva Orr, YA author of "The Mist on Bronte Moor." I read this book a few weeks ago and was completely swept away in the time travel and Bronte history. Aviva's blog: http://www.avivaorr.com/blog.html

Charity Bradford, YA author of "The Magic Wakes." This book is at the very top of my TBR pile, and has scored rave reviews on Amazon and Goodreads. Charity's blog: http://charitywrites.blogspot.com/.

Kerri, Aviva, and Charity will choose four questions from the master list and answer on their blogs next week, and will tag three more kidlit/YA authors. It's like a never ending chain letter of goodness for book lovers. :)