An Interview with Christina Lauren

Contrary to popular belief, the author of Autoboyography, Love and Other Words, The Soulmate Equation, and many others, is not one person, but two! Christina Hobbs and Lauren Billings met while writing fanfiction in 2009. They admired each other's work, and their initial desire to collaborate morphed into seventeen New York Times bestsellers for adults and young adults. Prior to becoming writers, Christina Hobbs was a junior high counselor and Lauren Billings was a neuroscientist! Be sure to check out their new book, Something Wilder, released in May 2022.

1. The Unhoneymooners has become incredibly popular on platforms like TikTok. What has that experience been like for you as the author? Are you surprised by the breadth of community it has reached?

The Unhoneymooners hit the New York Times list the week it was released in 2019 and had strong sales ever since, but the TikTok boost has been really fun to witness. Of course, we love when new readers find it-it's such a fun and funny book, and we think that's something that people really need right now! The whole thing has been a joy for us to watch happen.

2. What is it like writing as a pair? How do you ensure that the tone remains consistent? What happens if you disagree on plot direction?

We started our writing careers together so for us, the process is natural and normal. We always outline in person, draft alternating chapters, build the book as we go and then spend a lot of time in revisions so that the tone and voice(s) of the characters feel consistent throughout. The key thing to remember regarding disagreement is we need to trust that the other has the best interest of the project in mind, and that feedback-especially critical feedback-is never personal. Also, we've learned how the other likes to receive feedback and so we know how to do it without bruising feelings. At the end of the day, though, it's rarely ever a problem. We don't often disagree about the direction a book should go in, we talk everything out as we draft, and if we had different opinions about something, it's solved easily through discussion. It helps that our personalities are complementary and the things that Lauren is intense about, Christina is pretty laid back about, and vice versa. We trust and respect each other deeply.

3. How do you select the names of your characters?

We have a note with names that we add to whenever we hear one we like or think of one we'd like to use for an upcoming character. Sometimes we'll use the name of someone we meet at a signing, or someone we know, or just a name we hear in the news or on a program that we like. But we want to make sure they always fit the characters' personalities.

4. Did you edit anything major out of The Unhoneymooners?

The boat bathroom scene had been a lot longer and sillier in the original version. We also had a one or two other couples' outings in Maui that we took out because they weren't necessary or slowed down the pacing, but for the most part, the book you've read is very similar to the original.

5. What was the hardest scene to write in The Unhoneymooners?

Drafting the conflict was hard because it's always a bummer to write your beloved characters going through conflict once they're fallen for each other. But we had set up the circumstances with Dane and Ami in a way that made the actual writing of that section pretty straightforward. Also, because Olive's family is so big, sometimes it was logistically tricky to keep track of everyone in a conversation or scene.

6. How do you come up with the ideas for your novels? Do they come to you fully fledged, or does a single element come to you first?

It's usually a trope or fun pitch (such as with Roomies, the marriage-of-convenience on Broadway), a plot (such as with The Soulmate Equation and the DNA dating technology that matches two people as soulmates but they don't like each other), or character-based (such as with Love and Other Words with Macy and Elliot being childhood best friends who were separated due to circumstances). The Unhoneymooners we came up with when we were together in Maui and thinking how funny it would be to be on a dream vacation with someone you hate.

7. As an author who writes in first and third person, how do you separate yourself from your main characters?

We talk a lot before we start drafting about who these characters are, what are their blind spots, their eccentricities, the things that their friends would say about them to describe them. We want to write people who feel unique and dimensional! But no matter how much we try to flesh them out at the beginning, we find that we get to know them so much better as we actually write them in their own voices. By the time we finish drafting the book, we know them inside and out, so then we go back and rewrite a lot of the beginning to capture what we've learned about these new characters in the process of writing them.

8. Is Ethan based on a real person?

He isn't! He's an amalgamation of many smart, funny, sarcastic, superstitious, loving, honest, and hot people we've known in our lives, haha!

An Interview with Sarah Morgenthaler

Sarah Morgenthaler's first book, The Tourist Attraction, was published earlier this year. It was quickly followed by its companion novel, Mistletoe and Mr. Wright, with a third book coming in early 2021. Together, these books make up the Moose Springs Alaska series, romantic books set in a quaint Alaskan town. When Morgenthaler isn't writing, she enjoys hiking, traveling, and spending time with her pitbull!

You are a geologist and lover of science. How did you go from geology to writing?

Hi Juniper! Thanks for having me! I was naturally drawn to the sciences when in school, but I've always loved reading and writing. For a long time, I just wrote for fun every day. Four years ago, I decided to try to get published (a lifelong dream of mine).

The next two books in the series, Mistletoe and Mr. Right and Enjoy The View come out in October and January respectively. Luckily for us, this is a very quick turn around!! How long does it take you to write and edit a single book?

It definitely feels quick! I usually take about three to four months to write my first draft, and then I have several rounds of edits with my publisher over another couple months. It's about a year-long process, and usually I'll be drafting one book while working on edits for another.

The beautiful covers of your books are designed by Kristen Solecki. How involved were you in the artwork? Did you have an idea of wanted the cover to look like ahead of time?

Kristen is amazing! I adore my covers! I wasn't involved very much in the design, but I did say that it would be fun to have Jake the dog on the cover, and I really wanted a moose somewhere too. With Enjoy the View, I asked for a coiled rope to be added to Easton's hip and for a minor change to his hair. Small things like that. The genius is all Kristen and the Sourcebooks design team!

The Tourist Attraction's sequel, Mistletoe and Mr. Right, follows Zoey's friend Lana. Did you know Lana would have her own story while writing The Tourist Attraction, or did that come to you later?

Actually, I had planned on writing a different story than Lana's book. But when I started working on a Lana/Rick Christmas short story, the publisher liked the idea. We ended up making book two a full Christmas story! I'm so glad, because Mistletoe was a ton of fun to write!

How similar would you say you are to Zoey?

I'm absolutely in love with Alaska the way Zoey is, and we both tend to get shy in crowds of people. I love the outdoors and reading, like she does. I also love dogs and I care a lot about wildlife, so we're similar in those aspects. But I was a terrible waitress and she's great at it, so she's got me there!

What was the first story you ever wrote? How old were you?

Technically, I wrote my first book in first grade. It was about barnyard animals riding a bus...lol. But I really started regularly writing fiction in high school. I also wrote and read a ton of fanfiction in college. Fanfiction was my first true writing "love".

Do you ever have trouble being motivated to write? Do you stick to a schedule, or write when you are inspired?

Writing during a pandemic is definitely tough! I've been lucky because I was working on edits for most of 2020, with very little drafting. I'm starting a new project now, and it helps to write first thing in the morning right after I wake up or for a short sprint during the late afternoon. Those two times of the day are when I get the most words in the quickest. If I was struggling with a scene when writing Mistletoe and Mr. Right, I would go to a nearby park with a river running through it. Listening to the water was a great inspiration.

How do you select the names of your characters?

Usually, I google popular names for that year, so that the names of the characters are current. The fun thing is that when I pick a name, that name actually creates the personality of the character, instead of the other way around. I also try not to use names of people I know, so that I'm not going into the story influenced by association.

Did you edit anything major out of The Tourist Attraction?

Graham was initially a bartender, but we edited him to a diner owner, which I think worked a lot better for the lighthearted tone of the story. Zoey originally traveled more, but it changed to Alaska being her first big trip somewhere. But Alaska was always her favorite bucket list place to go!

What was the hardest scene to write in The Tourist Attraction?

Definitely the beginning! I tend to write out of order, then combine all my scenes later for editing. I like to write the first chapters last of all, but with Tourist, I had to write the first chapters first for my publisher. So, it was definitely more difficult than normal!

What are some books that influenced you as a teenager?

I read a lot of fantasy novels in middle school and high school (Tolkien, Raymond E. Feist, Terry Brooks, etc.). Epic sword & sorcery type stories were my favorites. I also loved reading novels about TV shows/movies I was into. Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, and X-Files, plus some Star Wars stories. I started reading romance when those stories didn't focus on the love interests as much as I wanted. I've always been a fan of happily ever afters!

What does a typical day in quarantine look like to you?

I like to get my writing done in the morning, if possible. Then I spend a little time on social media and go for walks with my dog in the afternoon. I like to cook, so I'm usually cooking dinner in the evenings, and then Hulu or Netflix! And on weekends, my family will go for drives to nearby state/national parks if we can. We love the outdoors and hiking!

An Interview with Frank Portman

Frank Portman, or as he is better known, Dr. Frank, started his career as a singer, guitar player, and songwriter for the band The Mr. T Experience. The Mr. T Experience was formed in 1985 and is still around today, with songs like Ba Ba Ba Ba Ba and More Than Toast. In 2006, Portman decided that after many years of songwriting, he should try his hand at novel writing. What resulted was King Dork, Andromeda Klein, and King Dork Approximately. Here's what Portman had to say about his first young adult book.

You started out your music career in high school, and have been playing ever since. How did an interest in music translate into an interest in writing?

It was only after I'd been writing songs for many years that I started writing the books. The way that happened was, a literary agent who was a fan of the songs suggested that I try to write a novel with similar sensibilities to some of the songs. I was skeptical, but gave it a shot and King Dork was the result. I realized in the process that several of my songs did in fact have a particular narrator-character, and I imagined what that narrator might be like telling a story in the form of narrative fiction rather than song lyrics, resulting in Tom Henderson. It was all a bit of a surprise really.

Both your books King Dork and King Dork Approximately feature songs written by the main character, Tom. In fact, when King Dork Approximately came out, so did an album that includes many of the songs featured in the books. Did writing the books inspire you to write the songs, or did writing the songs inspire you to write the books?

The title King Dork was the title of a song already that preceded the book, and it seemed only natural to try to flesh out and actually write the songs mentioned in the books. I suppose you could say they both inspired and influenced each other.

Like Tom, you were in a band in high school. How similar is Tom to your high school self?

Tom is far more severely alienated than I ever was, but, having said that, I basically was that kind of kid. I didn't have a lot of friends and wasn't very interested in "high school stuff," and I was pretty cynical, but I kept it all to myself and I doubt many of my classmates had any idea. As for the band(s), most of mine were largely imaginary like Tom's and just as accident prone when I tried to make them 'real." In that, we were precisely similar.

You have written three books, King Dork, King Dork Approximately, and Andromeda Klein. Walk us through how your writing and writing habits have changed between the three books.

The first time around I really didn't know what I was doing. I just typed like a madman with very little "filter" or plan and then was left with a big pile of chaotic text to sort through. I had to do four drafts before it was presentable as a novel. Subsequently, I got a little more efficient, but it was still a matter of editing a free-for-all "voice" down to a more or less manageable novel-like thing. Of the three, King Dork Approximately had the most coherent plan from the beginning, but was actually quite a bit more difficult to produce because of that somehow.

What were the books that influenced you as a teenager?

I was a big fan of Raymond Chandler, initially for the stories and "style," only later for perfectly-cast sentences, which I still find thrilling. (Ditto P. G. Wodehouse.) I read a lot of fantasy and sci fi as well, but crime fiction was always my main line. I also read what was then the "young adult" corpus pretty comprehensively, because I worked in the children's room at a public library and set myself the task of reading all the books in the room in order, as a sort of stunt. The best of them all was Robert Cormier, but I also really liked Ellen Raskin and the Scott Corbett "scary" stories.

What bands influenced you as a teenager?

I was immersed in rock and roll music through underground radio and record collecting and everything influenced me, but I'll answer with: the Kinks, Elvis Costello, Thin Lizzy.

Did you edit anything major out of King Dork?

In early drafts there was quite a bit more stuff about family life and Tom's relationship with Amanda. Also several lengthy bits of Tom ranting about philosophical stuff had to be let go, because they were repetitive. To be honest, I expected a lot of censorship from the publisher but that didn't happen at all to speak of. The main concern with chopping stuff out was to get out of the way of the jokes. My goal was at least one "laugh" per page.. .not sure I quite got there but it was close.

An Interview With Susin Nielsen

Canadian author Susin Nielsen started out her career in the television industry, where she wrote for the award-winning television series Degrassi Junior High. Since then, she has written on many other shows, including Ready or Not, Braceface, and Heartland. Although Nielsen began her writing career later in life, she has always dreamed of writing. Her first book, Word Nerd, came out in 2008 and has since been followed by Dear George Clooney: Please Marry My Mom, We Are All Made Of Molecules and many others. Nielsen's novels have been translated into many languages, and I recommend heading over to her website to see the beautiful overseas covers. Here's what she had to say about her 2015 novel, We Are All Made of Molecules;

Did you edit anything major out of We Are All Made Of Molecules?

Not that I can remember. I can tell you that one of the US publishers who bid on the book wanted me to tone down or take out a lot of the harder-hitting content. I did not go with that publisher. :-)

What was the first book that ever made you cry?

"The Chronicles of Narnia." I believe it was the first book in the series. My mom read it to me when I was around 8, and when Aslan died, I sobbed and sobbed ... then I was so overjoyed when he was resurrected.

What was the first story you ever wrote? How old were you?

It was called "The Smallest Snippet of Snipeton." I did all of the illustrations (it was a picture book) and bound it in red duct tape, and they put it in our school library. Four kids took it out! I was ten.

Do you ever have trouble being motivated to write? Do you stick to a schedule, or write when you are inspired?

Oh yes, I have many days when I have trouble with motivation. I do try to stick to a schedule, and write even when I'm not inspired, because if I only wrote when I was inspired, nothing would get completed! And sometimes, those days when you feel the least inspired, become really good writing days, because something clicks along the way.

How do you select the names of your characters?

I try not to spend too much time agonizing over character names because it can be a really good procrastination tool. That said, I also know when I land on the right name. I have a dog eared baby-naming book that I often use, and Google is also my best friend.

What was the hardest scene to write in We Are All Made Of Molecules?

Some of the stuff with Jared. And some of the stuff with Stewart, thinking about his mom.

If you didn't write, what would your profession be?

Well, I'm really glad I'm a writer because honestly, I stink at almost everything else! I used to think I might have been a teacher, but now, after many school visits, seeing how hard teachers work, I'm not sure I could do it!

An Interview with Jen Doll

Jen Doll's first young adult novel, Unclaimed Baggage, became available to the public on September 18th, 2018. Doll moved around a lot as a kid, and Unclaimed Baggage follows a main character who is similarly going through a move, to Alabama. Although Unclaimed Baggage is Doll's first young adult book, her 2014 novel, Save The Date, is a memoir about relationships and marriage. Currently, Doll is splitting her time between Brooklyn and Upstate New York and is a contributing writer at The Week.

What was the first book that ever made you cry?

Oh my gosh. Toss-up between Bridge to Terabithia (which still makes me cry!) and Old Yeller (also still makes me cry!) and maybe Where the Red Fern grows (again, tears, so many sad dog books!) and ... A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, which is one of my all-time favorites and I re-read pretty much every year (and cry!). To be clear, I cry a lot while reading and sometimes even while writing my own books, and I definitely don't mind crying while reading. I think it's a sign of a book well done.

What was the first story you ever wrote? How old were you?

I have been writing stories my whole life, starting in kindergarten! I have notebooks full of silly stories about furry creatures that could talk and people who suddenly shrank to thimble-sized and had all kinds of adventures. (I was very influenced by The Littles and The Borrowers.) As a kid, I used to tell my younger brother a series of bedtime stories about a hamster (I think he was a hamster! Something very fluffy, anyway) named Humphrey who was extremely wise and had lots of strange things happen to him. We still talk about those "Humphrey stories."

Do you ever have trouble being motivated to write? Do you stick to a schedule, or write when you are inspired?

When I'm IN a story, like chugging along and going, I am very motivated to keep doing it. I just write every day or as often as I can and get it done. But in the beginning of working on a project when I'm figuring things out, it can be hard to commit to stories, plot points, or even characters. (Also, when I'm juggling a lot of different projects, it's sometimes challenging to figure out which to work on, and I get pulled in a lot of different directions.) I am a person for whom the schedule no longer works when it starts to feel too much like a chore, so I don't really have set times I have to write, it's more like doing so many words a day or just making sure I'm sitting down and working when I've got something due. (But the closer to deadline, the easier it is to work!)

How do you select the names of your characters?

I just sort of feel them. When I think of characters, they usually come with names. And sometimes they come from reality. In the case of Unclaimed Baggage, I had a really good childhood friend named Doris and I wanted to pay homage to her influence in my life.

Did you edit anything major out of Unclaimed Baggage?

Books tend to go through a lot of rounds of revision and there are definitely things that get eliminated in the end. One storyline that got cut was about a long-lost relative of Doris! (Maybe I'll save that for another book.)

What was the hardest scene to write in Unclaimed Baggage?

Probably the one where Nell and Ashton finally talk about the racist attack against him. I went through a lot of revisions on that, trying to get the scene right.

If you didn't write, what would your profession be?

I have no idea. That's why I have to keep being a writer!

Unclaimed Baggage is a real store! Check out the website, I found it fascinating!

An Interview With E.D. Baker

E.D Baker's book, Wings was one of the first chapter books I ever read. I was in love with it, and I immediately devoured everything else the author had to offer. E.D. Baker published her first book in 2002, once her sons were already out of the house. Since then, Baker has written 25 books, including two books in the Wings series. Her first book, The Frog Princess, is Disney's inspiration for The Princess and The Frog! I was thrilled to get a chance to speak with her about her 2008 novel, Wings. Here's what she had to say;

What was the first book that ever made you cry?

The first book that ever made me cry was The Little Princess. My aunt had given the book to me. When I reached the point where bad things happened to Sarah, it made me so sad that I stopped reading it. My aunt assured me that it got better, so I finally finished it. The Little Princess became one of my favorite books.

What was the first story you ever wrote? How old were you?

The first story I remember writing was a play for a Girl Scout badge. My friends and I performed it for our troop. I think I might have been twelve at the time. However, I enjoyed writing long before that and often wrote short stories for my elementary school classes.

Do you ever have trouble being motivated to write? Do you stick to a schedule, or write when you are inspired?

I love writing and I've never had trouble feeling motivated. However, sometimes life gets in the way and I have to do other things. If I don't write for a few days, I go through writing withdrawal and don't feel right again until I've returned to my stories. I don't have a rigid schedule, but usually write for at least a few hours every day.

How do you select the names of your characters?

I make up some of the names. Others are just names that feel right for the characters. I've also found names in an atlas, a character naming source book and the phone book.

Did you edit anything major out of Wings?

I wrote one version of Wings, didn't like it, and rewrote the entire thing. I don't believe I edited anything major out of the second version of Wings.

What was the hardest scene to write in Wings?

I used to find that the first and last paragraphs in my books were the hardest to write. I don't remember any part of Wings that was particularly difficult. It all just seemed to fit.

How long did it take you to write Wings?

I believe it took me about a year to write Wings.

An Interview with Heather Vogel Frederick

Growing up, Heather Vogel Frederick was constantly surrounded by books. In her family's home in New Hampshire she would spend hours reading, putting on plays with her sisters, and listening to her mother and grandmother's captivating stories. In fact, her mother would often say that "if Heather had her nose in a book, the house would have to burn down around her before she'd sit up and take notice!"

Now, Heather Vogel Frederick has written nineteen books, ranging from picture books to novels. Her book The Mother-Daughter Book Club was one of the first book series I ever read entirely by myself. I was in love with the character's world and even tried to form my own entirely unsuccessful Mother-Daughter Book Club. All of the books written by Heather Vogel Frederick intrigued me (Check out her new book Really Truly-the third book in the Pumpkin Falls Mystery series!!) and I was thrilled to get a chance to talk with her. Here's what she had to say about The Mother-Daughter Book Club;

JS: What was the first book that ever made you cry?

HVF: Charlotte's Web. I was in second or third grade, and my teacher was reading it aloud to the class, and I just totally lost it when Charlotte died! We all did!

JS: What was the first story you ever wrote? How old were you?

HVF: I was eight, and it was called The Clever Giant. It wasn't very clever, but it was all mine, and I was ridiculously proud of it. (I still have that story, too.)

JS: Do you ever have trouble being motivated to write?

HVF: Of course. All the time. It's human nature to want to slide. But writing is my job, and I get myself in gear and I do it!

JS: Do you stick to a schedule, or write when you are inspired?

HVF: If I waited to write until I was inspired I would never write a word. The act of writing itself often jumpstarts inspiration, I find, so I remind myself that writing is my job, and I write.

JS: How do you select the names of your characters?

HVF: Oh wow, so many different ways. I've kept a notebook for years with names that I like and want to use someday. Clementine came from that notebook. I comb through baby books. I visit graveyards, believe it or not! They're a great source of names. And a name has to be just right - throughout the entire first draft of The Mother-Daughter Book Club, Jess's name was Joy. It wasn't quite right, but I couldn't put my finger on what was wrong with it. And then one day, "Jessica Delaney" floated into thought. Perfect cadence (rhythm), great nickname (Jess), bingo! No more Joy.

JS: Did you edit anything major out of The Mother-Daughter Book Club?

HVF: Not that I can think of.

JS: What was the hardest scene to write in The Mother-Daughter Book Club?

HVF: The last scene in the final book. Knowing that I was saying goodbye to "my" girls was painful. 

JS: If you didn't write, what would your profession be?

HVF: I would either be a librarian or a bookseller. Definitely, something to do with books!

An Interview With Kevin Wignall

Kevin Wignall, the author of When We Were Lost and many other amazing novels was born in Brussels and raised in Europe. He currently lives in England, making him our first overseas author! He has penned over thirty works, including young adult books, novels, and short stories. He loves maps, dogs, traveling, and movies, and he hates crowds, people who are rude to wait staff, and certain kinds of jazz. Here's what he had to say about his 2019 book, When We Were Lost.

JS: What was the first book that ever made you cry?

KW: I think it was probably "Of Mice and Men" by John Steinbeck. The ending completely threw me.

JS: What was the first story you ever wrote? How old were you?

KW: I was always writing little stories and poems. The first one I remember was at school when I was about seven, about a diver searching for sunken treasure and finding a skeleton. I remember because I got the spelling wrong and called it a "skellington", and the teacher corrected it - even at that age, I remember thinking, "Yeah? But skellington sounds better"!

JS: Do you ever have trouble being motivated to write? Do you stick to a schedule, or write when you are inspired?

KW: The truth? Sometimes. I think about my books for a long time, so I'm not writing every day of the year. When I'm actually writing a book I have a loose schedule (usually late afternoon for an hour or two, then in the evening for a few hours) and I write really fast, but as much as I love writing, there are days when I sit at my desk and just end up staring out of the window.

JS: How do you select the names of your characters?

KW: It's much harder than you might think! You have to avoid names you've used before, you have to avoid having too many characters with the same initial. I often go to Internet Movie Database, select a random movie or TV series and look at the names of the cast and crew, then narrow down the names I like.

JS: Did you edit anything major out of When We Were Lost?

K: No, but I did add something major. The scene at the ravine where (avoiding spoilers) one character gets separated. My editor asked me if I could add one more incident to this part of the book, and I immediately saw how I could change this scene and make the journey much more interesting and help to show the vulnerable side of that character. The best editors do this - they make a suggestion and you feel like the idea was always there, waiting to be written.

JS: What was the hardest scene to write in When We Were Lost?

KW: The hardest thing to decide was what to do about the dog! Seriously, I wanted Tom to keep him, but I knew that wasn't realistic. Even for me, and even though he was going to a good home, it was really hard to leave him behind.

JS: If you didn't write, what would your profession be?

KW: I would still be a writer. I would do some other thing, but I would still write and that would still be my dream.

JS: What kind of research did you need to do in order to make the survival scenes in When We Were Lost accurate?

KW: I had to do a lot of research for this book, but the most difficult part was learning about airplane design - thankfully most of us have never seen what a plane looks like when it's torn in two, but I had to be certain about those details. It hasn't changed me though - I didn't do much flying before writing this book, and I still don't!

An Interview With Jodi Picoult

        At this point, Jodi Picoult has become a household name. She is the author of a whopping 25 best selling books, including My Sister's Keeper, Small Great Things, A Spark Of Light, and the book we will be discussing today, Off The Page. Four of her novels have been made into movies and been translated into thirty-four languages. Picoult has co-authored two young adult books with her daughter, Samantha van Leer. The first of which, Between The Lines, takes place when a teenager realizes that her favorite fictional character can come alive. I really loved this book, and I immediately jumped at the sequel, Off The Page. I got a chance to speak with Picoult about Off The Page. Here's what she had to say;

JS: What was the first book that ever made you cry?

JP: Gone with the wind

JS: What was the first story you ever wrote? How old were you?

JP: The Lobster that was misunderstood, I was 5!

JS: Do you ever have trouble being motivated to write? Do you stick to a schedule, or write when you are inspired?

JP: I don't believe in writer's block, that is what happens when you have too much time on your hands. Miraculously it clears up the night before your deadline. Instead, I always say you can edit a bad page, but you can't edit a blank page.

JS: How do you select the names of your characters?

JP: From baby name books, or else they just sort of arrive named.

JS: Did you edit anything major out of Off The Page?

JP: Not that I can remember!

JS: What was the hardest scene to write in Off The Page?

JP: Without giving away spoilers, it involves someone who is very sick.

JS: If you didn't write, what would your profession be?

JP: A pastry chef!

An Interview With Sandy Hall

       Sandy Hall started out her journey with books as a YA librarian in New Jersey. She never intended to be a writer, in fact, she failed her expository writing course in college. However, it was clearly meant to be. Her critically acclaimed books A Little Something Different, Signs Point To Yes, Been Here All Along, A Prom To Remember, and The Shortest Distance Between Love and Hate are all joys to read. I also want to point out the beautiful covers of her books, as well as how kind she was in our back and forth. I got the chance to speak with Sandy Hall about her debut book, A Little Something Different. Here is what she had to say:

JS: What was the first book that ever made you cry?

SH: I don't remember a time when I didn't love to read. But I'm not sure I remember the first time a book ever made me cry. However, I do remember the first book that made a lasting impression on me and that's HOMECOMING by Cynthia Voigt. I read it in fourth grade and I remember bringing it to my teacher for her to "okay it" for a book report. And she asked if I was sure I wanted to read it because it was very sad. Her warning really just made me want to read it more. I don't specifically remember crying while reading it, but I've read it at least ten times since then and every time it's made me cry.

JS: What was the first story you ever wrote? How old were you?

SH: When I was in middle school, my friends and I used to make up stories and record ourselves telling them on an old camcorder. The stories were just about us doing things together that would never happen because we were only 12 at the time. (Like going to sleep away camp or Disney World. I think we got most of our ideas from Babysitter's Club Super Specials.) I know that's not "writing" but it was storytelling and definitely the first time I remember doing it in any kind of organized way.

JS: Do you ever have trouble being motivated to write? Do you stick to a schedule, or write when you are inspired?

SH: When I decided I wanted to write in hopes of getting published, I told myself that I needed to get used to writing on command and writing to a deadline. It's always way more fun to write when inspired, but since I write as a job, that's not always possible. I find that planning gives me the boost I need to get and stay motivated. I do my best to stick to a schedule, but it always depends on what else is going on in my life. If I'm having a really hard time focusing, it's usually because the creative well is dried up, so I give myself a few days off and refill it with tv shows, movies, and books.

JS: How do you select the names of your characters?

SH: I love naming characters. It is my FAVORITE part of the process. The right name is so important to me. It can change the whole vibe. I actually own a whole set of baby naming books that I've been collecting since I was a kid. Back then I used them to name Sims. I also use a website called nameberry.com. When it comes to selecting a name, it's really just about personality and making sure it fits the character. I tend to have a character first and then select the perfect name. I also have changed character's name during the writing process when things don't feel right.

JS: Did you edit anything major out of A Little Something Different?

SH: The biggest edit to A Little Something Different was changing the ages of the characters. In my original draft, they were about 2-3 years older. I had to do a lot of editing to get them in the age range for YA.

JS: What was the hardest scene to write in A Little Something Different?

SH: There's a party scene towards the end of the book that was hard. Gabe and Lea are arguing and I wanted to get the full effect of the fight, but since I couldn't move to either of their POVs I had to figure out a way to get close enough without it feeling like they were being spied on. It was like figuring out a puzzle.

JS: If you didn't write, what would your profession be?

SH: I have a Masters of Library Science and still work part-time as a reference librarian. So I would definitely be a librarian!

JS: What first inspired you to write your book from many perspectives? I loved the squirrel!

SH: I just really loved the idea of challenging myself to write a different kind of love story. When I thought about all of these people that might be watching a couple fall in love, it was just a matter of figuring out the POV characters.

An Interview with Wendelin 

Van Draanen

          Wendelin Van Draanen's first book, How I Survived Being A Girl, was published in 1997. Since then, she has written many books, including The Sammy Keyes series, Flipped, and The Running Dream. The Running Dream, which follows Jessica as she must learn to live after a terrible accident, is one of my favorite books. I love the honesty exhibited by the characters, as well as the relationships between them. Here's what Ms. Van Draanen has to say about her 2011 book.

JS: What was the first book that ever made you cry?

WVD: It wasn't a good cry. It was an angry cry. Let's just say...Don't kill the dog, or the best friend, or the mom, or I will cry and be really mad at the author about it!

JS: What was the first story you ever wrote? How old were you?

WVD: I didn't start writing until I was "an adult" and I started with a 627-page novel. It was terrible, but also very therapeutic. (I killed off some bad guys...which is NOTHING like killing off the dog or the best friend or the mom, by the way.)

JS: Do you ever have trouble being motivated to write? Do you stick to a schedule, or write when you are inspired?

WVD: I love to write, but mostly that's because I love the characters who invade my head and I just want to spend time with them. My schedule is morning to night, writing, researching, revising, pondering... I'm a feverish sort of writer. I just have to get the story out. And then when it's done, other characters show up. I never seem to stop.

JS: How do you select the names of your characters?

WVD: Haha. For a lot of my books, I used my teacher grade book. Turns out that had hazards once I started being published. And then I started using my children's yearbooks. There are no good names in 10,001 Names for Baby, by the way. Not. One. Good. Name. But a yearbook? Full of them!

JS: Did you edit anything major out of The Running Dream?

WVD: Yes! I had two "additional endings" - sort of epilogues where you find out who the mystery patron is, and Jessica's first race back on the track. But it felt like "too many bows" and I do so love the book's last line. Adding is sometimes subtracting, which I think was the case with the two extra "endings".

JS: What was the hardest scene to write in The Running Dream?

WVD: Not a scene specifically, but the paragraphs involving the more technical aspects of amputation, rehabilitation, and prosthetic limbs were definitely a challenge. I had so much to learn and was very concerned about getting the medical and mechanical parts right.

JS: If you didn't write, what would your profession be?

WVD: I'd still be teaching high school! I did love my job, but being a full-time author is pretty awesome, too.

An Interview with Chelsea Sedoti

          Recently, I reached out to about forty authors with a set of seven questions. I wasn't sure if I would receive ay responses, so I was thrilled when Chelsea Sedoti became the first writer to get back to me. Las Vegas native Chelsea Sedoti is the renowned author of As You Wish, The Hundred Lies of Lizzie Lovett, and most recently, It Came From The Sky. Her first book, As You Wish has always been one of my favorites, not only because of the character named Juniper! I was so thrilled to have gotten to speak with this incredible author, and I highly recommend checking out her books. Enjoy!

JS: What was the first book that ever made you cry?

CS: The first thing that popped into my mind is a book called Behind the Attic Wall. I was probably about ten when I read it and it broke my heart. Back then, I pretty much only read horror books, so I'm not sure why I picked up Behind the Attic Wall to start with. It's a very sad story about an orphan who gets sent to live with her two awful aunts (I think they were her aunts anyway, my memory is a little fuzzy) and ends up finding a secret spot in the attic with two ceramic dolls that... well, the dolls come to life and become the girl's family. It sounds silly, but it really wasn't! It was so sad that I still get a little tug in my heart when I think of it.

JS: What was the first story you ever wrote? How old were you?

CS: I wrote my first story when I was nine and it was because my teacher told me to, not because I chose to. It was about a haunted house and it was the least creative thing in the world. The story never even got finished, actually. But I still have it and I'll save it forever. Even though it's so, so bad that story is what made me fall in love with writing.

JS: Do you ever have trouble being motivated to write? Do you stick to a schedule, or write when you are inspired?

CS: Yes! I'm sure there's an author out there who manages to stay motivated all the time, but it's certainly not me. Especially lately, with so much anxiety over the pandemic, writing has been impossible. Even during the best circumstances, some days I wake up and forcing myself to write is really hard For me, it helps to keep a schedule. Also to sit down at the computer even if I'm not feeling inspired. Maybe I'll end up staring at a blank screen for hours and get nothing done. But sometimes just the act of trying gives my motivation a jump start and I'm able to have a good writing day after all.

JS: How do you select the names of your characters?

CS: I LOVE names. I'm always on the lookout for interesting ones (I actually have a document on my phone full of names that I overhear and want to use one day.) A lot of the time I think about my character's parents and choose a name based on them. For instance, in The Hundred Lies of Lizzie Lovett, the main character's mom is a hippie, so named her daughter Hawthorn. In As You Wish I took a different approach. I wanted to give the town of Madison a weird, otherworldly feel, but I thought using super fantastical names would be over-the-top. So I found a list of Victorian-era baby names and named all the characters from there.

JS: Did you edit anything major out of As You Wish?

CS: As You Wish went through several rounds of edits, but I don't think I removed any full scenes or altered the story too much. If anything, I remember making a lot of scenes longer as I revised!

JS: What was the hardest scene to write in As You Wish?

CS: The hardest scene to write in As You Wish was the final one. I'll try not to use spoilers but... let's just say, I originally intended for the main character to make a different choice at the end of the book. When I finally reached that point while writing, I realized I had been wrong. He needed to do the opposite of what I thought he was going to. And even though I felt like my new ending was the right one, there was still a part of me shouting at the character, "No, no, don't do what you're about to do!"

JS: If you didn't write, what would your profession be?

CS: This might seem odd, but aside from writing, my other dream job would be an FBI agent. In a perfect world, I'd be a real-life Fox Mulder, working for some top-secret division of the FBI solving paranormal crimes. But I'd be happy with non-paranormal work too!

Also- check out Chelsea Sedoti's awesome blog. I'm loving her entry's about her first read of Harry Potter.