Can you share a bit about your journey to becoming a published author? Looking back are there an moments as a child that hint you would become a writer?
Looking back now, it feels like there was never a time I didn’t love writing. I remember writing short stories in elementary school during timed prompts and feeling so excited to come up with a concept. I was always a huge reader, and I think that had a lot to do with being so invested in storytelling from a young age. I don’t know if it was something I was born with, but I’ve always felt a strong compulsion to be writing.
Where did the inspiration for Let's Try this Again and the characters you created come from?
Let’s Try This Again is full of characters that are composites of people I’ve known, loved, hated, met once, saw across a room, you name it. I was inspired by my own impending move to California definitely, but the book itself started off as what I thought would just be a short story and then took on a whole life of its own.
While this is your first book, you are also a screen writer? How did this affect your storyline? Did you create the storyline with the idea of a possible movie adaptation in the future?
While writing, the idea of turning Let’s Try This Again into a movie became really motivating to me. As a screenwriter, I would see scenes in my head as I wrote chapters and that helped me be able to describe things in a more tangible way. Describing things when you have a clear vision of what you want translates onto the page and helps your readers see what you’re seeing.
 |
| Review - HERE! |
How did you organize your time to create this title? Research? Working on Manuscript? Pre-marketing?
I always outline when I write. It helps keep me organized and on track. I knew what points I wanted to hit within what time period, and that was useful in giving me manageable goals to accomplish. There were lulls in the process though. I didn’t always know what the next step would be – sometimes I had to sit back and wait for some life to happen to me to kick me back into gear.
As an author - what do you enjoy most about writing process? What feels like a chore?
I love when I get to write a scene or a passage or a poem that I’ve been ruminating on for a while. I usually keep notes in journals; words or phrases or images that I want to be able to utilize. I wait until I find a project they can work in, one that just feels like the right fit. When I get to write about something that inspired me, that’s an amazing feeling. Sometimes you have to write when you’re not that inspired, though. There were parts of the book and parts of all projects I work on where you kind of just have to write something to get you to the next point or to a breakthrough for someone. That can be daunting.
What would you most like readers to know about you?
Readers should know that while Josie is a completely fictional character – her love of Britney and brunch is totally based on me. If you’re in LA and you need brunch suggestions, I’m your girl.
Any advice for young authors wanting to write books in this genre?
Don’t be afraid to write the hard stuff. Don’t let your characters off easy. Don’t shy away from topics or situations just because you’re nervous about the reaction or how people are going to react. Write what feels real to you, and it will feel real to your readers.
Do you have any new books in development?
A sequel to Let’s Try This Again!
Comments
Post a Comment