GUESTOPIA: YA Debut Author, Kit Mallory

It’s Guestopia time again! Today, I am delighted to introduce you to an awfully talented young person whose words you should absolutely read. Immediately. Please meet...

KIT MALLORY

Kit is a YA author living in Devon, UK. She writes speculative fiction about underdogs, kickass girls who love other girls, and mental health. Her first novel, BLACKOUT, was shortlisted for the 2016 Mslexia Children's Novel Competition and longlisted for the 2016 Bath Children's Novel Award. She has a secret alter ego who works as a mental health nurse, and was almost certainly a mermaid in a former life.

Awesome! Right, let’s get straight down to business... 

Is this your first published book?

Yes! Which is both incredibly exciting and kind of terrifying.

What’s it called?

Blackout.

Which genre?

It’s YA speculative fiction; technically dystopian, but in a very near future, close-to-home sort of way.

Which age group?

14 up, I’d say.

Is it a series or standalone?

At the moment it’s looking like a duology – I’m working on the sequel right now.

Are you an agented author?

Nope!

Which publisher snapped up your book?

It’s indie published.

How involved have you been in the whole publishing process of your book?

Very, since I’m an indie author (and my goodness has that been a massive learning curve!).

Do you have another job? 

Yes! I’m a mental health nurse who specialises in cognitive behavioural therapy.

Did you receive many, if any, rejections prior? 

Yes, quite a few. I got a lot of really positive – even glowing – feedback from agents, as well as making it to the shortlist of the 2016 Mslexia Children’s Novel Competition, but ultimately got a lot of feedback about it not being right for where the market was at the time. I still believed in my characters and my writing, though – and in fact the feedback I was getting gave me the confidence to believe that Blackout was worth sticking with. I also believe very strongly that LGBTQ teens and teens with mental health problems really need to see themselves represented in more and better ways in YA fiction, and ultimately getting my story into the hands of those readers was the most important thing to me, so I decided to release it myself.

What created/what were you doing or watching when the first idea for this book sneaked up on you?

It was 2012 and at the time I lived up in York (in the north of England, for those abroad!) – and what came into my head was a story about a girl who lived in a cellar and who was furious at the world and everything around her. That girl turned out to be Skyler, and I knew very early on that hers was a story I wanted to tell. The original inspiration for the setting and the concept of the Wall came from the Berlin Wall, which I’ve always been fascinated by, the concept of the UK’s north/south divide, and a long-held wondering about what might happen when fossil fuels start running out.

How long did you plot/plan until you started writing it? 

I didn’t! I’m very much a pantser, and I always start with the characters first – I think once you know your characters well enough to know how they’ll respond in any given situation, the story starts to unfold naturally. I prefer to work that way rather than trying to force the characters to behave in a way that fits the plot. It feels like going on an adventure with them, and I love that.

Once you started, did the story flow naturally or did you have to step in and wrestle it into submission? 

It flowed to a point, and then it got to a point plot-wise where I had to sit down and really think about the logistics of what was going to happen next. The point where I tend to get stuck is the point at which I realise I’ve written my characters into a predicament I might not be clever enough to get them out of…

How many drafts did you write before you let someone read it? Who was that someone?

When I was writing the first draft I shared snippets with a friend who was also drafting a novel. It took a good couple of years before I was brave enough to show another friend the whole thing!

Did you employ an editor/proofreader or did you have a critique partner/beta readers before you started querying?

I have been incredibly lucky in having a whole bunch of amazing critique partners and beta readers who gave me feedback on various drafts of the manuscript. I was also part of an author’s collective to whom I owe an awful lot of credit for helping me develop as a writer. Blackout wouldn’t be the book it is – and I wouldn’t be the writer I am today – without the help of my incredible friends and CPs.

Roughly how many drafts did it take before you sent the manuscript off into the real world?

At a rough estimate, approximately twenty million.

How many drafts until it was published?

Forty million? I was still doing edits even after I got the first proof copy through! That might have been the biggest learning curve of all, actually – learning to let go once and for all.

Has the book changed dramatically since the first draft?

Oh, God, yes. The main bones of the plot haven’t really changed, but the detail and nuance have changed a LOT. And I basically learned how to write as I was writing it, so in terms of the actual writing, it’s changed a bunch.

Are there any parts you’d like to change even now?

I haven’t gone back and read it again since it was published because I know as soon as I do I’ll find something I want to change – honestly I suspect that will be the case with everything I ever write. Tolerating the knowledge that it’ll never be perfect – there’ll always be some way I can make it better, and the more I learn and develop my writing, the more I’ll notice those ways – has been one of the hardest parts of the whole process.

What part of writing do you find the easiest?

Getting to know the characters and their voices, I think. Emotion-driven scenes are my favourite ones to write.

What part do you find hardest?

Complicated plot stuff (you know, the bits where my characters have to be smarter than I am). Ignoring the voice of self-doubt. Knowing when to stop editing!

Do you push through writing barriers or walk away?

It depends what they are. If I’m avoiding something because it’s difficult or anxiety-provoking, I know that facing it head on is what’s going to get me through it and out the other side. When I’m stuck on a plot point, though, for example, I know that often the best thing to do is step away and do something totally different to give myself time to process things without forcing it. If I do that, I can generally trust that the answer will come to me at some point (it happened in the shower just the other day!).

How many projects do you have on the go at the same time?

Currently in the works I’ve got: the sequel to Blackout, the first in a YA contemporary fantasy series that needs revisions, a partially-written draft of another standalone work, and a short story that’s nagging me to be turned into a novel. So I should be all set for the next five years or so…

Do you think you’re born with the talent to write or do you think it can be learned? 

I think it’s a bit of both – I definitely think the technical aspects can be learned, and no matter how naturally talented you are you can always learn more and improve your craft. That obsessive drive you need to not only actually finish a novel but to redraft it over and over until it’s what you want it to be – that I don’t think you can learn.

How many future novels do you have planned?

*counts on fingers* As of right now, at least five.

Do you write other things, such as short stories, articles, blogs, etc?

I’m not great at brevity, so short stories aren’t my natural forte, but I do write them sometimes. I also blog about book stuff, LGBTQ stuff, and mental health stuff at www.kitmallory.wordpress.com. I’ve just started a new blog post series over there on writing mental health representation (and I’m taking requests for post subjects!).

What’s the highlight of being published so far? 

Hands down, it’s been getting feedback from readers that Blackout has connected with them in some way. People have been really positive about the representation, which has been amazing because that was something I was really concerned about getting right. Somebody live-tweeted their reactions as they read the book on its release day, which was just absolutely delightful; someone else let me know they’d asked their local library to buy a copy. That feeling – that I created something that people have enjoyed, that’s made them feel seen, that they’ve taken the time to share that with me and let others know about it – it’s been absolutely magical, and without a doubt, it’s made the entire journey 100% worthwhile.

Give me one writing tip that works for you.

Find your people; the ones who can both lift you up and challenge you. Learn to love criticism – it’s the key to becoming a better writer – but don’t forget to embrace and celebrate your strengths and the positive feedback you get just as much.

And one that doesn't.

I’ve never been convinced about the whole “write every day” thing. Self-care is the most important thing. If that rule works for you, awesome; but don’t push yourself to stick to a rigid set of rules because you think that’s what you *should* be doing.

Can you give us a clue or secret about the next book?

Blackout’s sequel – I really need to come up with a damn title! – is my first ever multi-POV novel, with four viewpoint characters. You’ll get to see through both some familiar eyes and some new ones as the gang attempt to deal with the aftermath of the first book’s events.

What question have you always wanted to be asked but never have? What would the answer be?

I’ve heard a lot from readers about who their favourite character in Blackout is (there’s definitely a common theme!) but I don’t think I’ve talked about who mine is! Although I love all three of the main characters in Blackout, Skyler definitely has a special place in my heart. She’s the very definition of an unlikeable heroine – she’s selfish and stubborn and a total pain in the ass sometimes - but those qualities, actually, have allowed her to survive in incredibly difficult circumstances and I love the fact that she knows full well how smart and talented she is and she never apologises for who she is. At the same time, I think she grows and changes a LOT throughout the book and that takes a lot of courage on her part.

Fantastic! What a great interview. Thank you so much for joining us today, Kit, and we wish you all the best with Blackout, its sequel, and all the rest that follow.

If you would like to find out more about Kit and grab a copy of Blackout (which you should), these links should help:

Amazon UK 

Amazon US

Books 2 Read 

Goodreads 

Blog 

Twitter

Guestopia: Rosanne Rivers

Why is Dystopian Fiction Still So Popular?

by: Rosanne Rivers

Early last year, I had just finished writing After the Fear, and, excited to get it out into the world, I spoke to a few literary agents and industry insiders about how to get it published. Predominantly, I was told that ‘dystopian fiction is on its way out’ and that readers had read enough about tyrannical governments and high-stake scenarios. A year and a half later, Allegiant by Veronica Roth is one of the most highly anticipated YA releases, and dystopian fiction still continues to dominate the YA bestsellers on the Amazon Kindle lists, (four out of five of the YA and teen bestsellers are dystopian). I think it is safe to say that readers have proven some publishers wrong.

But what is it about dystopian fiction that we love so much? Why is it still proving popular, long after the initial buzz of The Hunger Games is over?

There are a few ways of approaching this quandary. Many critics have talked about why dystopian fiction might be appealing to teens and young adults (living within the confines of so many rules is supposed to mirror a teen’s life ruled by adults), however, many of the readers of YA dystopian fiction are adults themselves, and not all of them ‘young’! So I want to look at why dystopian is so popular right now. What is it about our society that is driving us to these books time after time?

One of my theories is that the general public have been becoming more interested in politics over the past ten years. Young adults and teens are beginning to see the cracks in their governments or leaders due to the economic crises and various scandals that have come to light in the recent years. Take the UK for example, during the last UK government election, many young adults voted for a certain party because they promised lower university fees for the future. When they came into power via a coalition government, the fees were actually tripled.

I’m not suggesting, of course, that the UK are under the rule of a tyrannical government, but moments like that demonstrate to the public that, while we may be in control of our votes, we are certainly not in control of what the government do once they come into power. That lack of control we feel is mirrored within dystopian fiction, where the situation is augmented.

I wonder whether the rise in popularity in dystopian fiction coincides with moments of political or social unrest. It would certainly seem so, looking at the graph in this brilliant blog post by Patrick Brown at Goodreads: (http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/175283-patrick-brown) The moments when dystopian fiction is the most popular are during World War II and during the Cold War, and again in 2010. It’s difficult, however, to distinguish whether this is a result of the social climate or due to the rise in popularity of one particular book. For example, 1984 by George Orwell was published in 1949, just before the spike in popularity of dystopian fiction in 1950. The success of this book could have propelled success of other books in the same genre, regardless of the times, much like The Hunger Games has undoubtedly enhanced the success of other books within the same genre since 2008.

Moira Young, author of Blood Red Road (an amazing book, by the by) seems to believe that the rise in dystopian fiction is due to anxious adults. She writes in an article for The Guardian, ‘Adults write books for teenagers. So anxious adults – worried about the planet, the degradation of civil society and the bitter inheritance we're leaving for the young – write dystopian books.’ She also writes, ‘Those of us who write for young people are reluctant to leave our readers without hope.’ I agree to an extent; anyone who writes a good dystopian book has looked at the world in which we’re living in right now, and wondered about where it could go in the future. But I believe the audience (teens, young adults and other adults) has created this market, not the authors themselves.

For teens and young adults, the future is uncertain, but exciting and full of possibility. Dystopian fiction could be seen to mirror that; anything is possible within these new societies, whether that’s a bad or good thing for the characters involved. There are endless possibilities, and like Moira Young states, there is always hope. Hope for the future is something that humans all have in common, no matter what age we are, where in the world we are living or what is going on in our society at that moment. Perhaps it is that hope that keeps dystopian fiction so popular.

Whatever the reason, I have no doubt that dystopian fiction will keep on proving popular. Like all genres which withstand the test of time, I’m sure it will mould and develop, collide with other genres and be given many different names (‘light sci-fi’ etc), but let’s face it, the themes highlighted within dystopian fiction are here to stay.

 

Bio

Rosanne Rivers

Rosanne lives in Birmingham, UK and considers it one of her favourite cities, second only to Rome. She delights in writing for children and young adults and hopes to bring readers to an unfamiliar yet alluring setting. Rosanne was inspired to write when she read the Harry Potter books, and at age fourteen, she wrote romance fanfiction on just about every pairing you could dream up from the HP series. She currently lives with her partner and two bunny rabbits and is working on a post-apocalyptic adventure book for middle grade readers.

Contact:

Twitter Facebook Pinterest

Blog, Goodreads Page

After the Fear blurb

You have not attended a Demonstration this month.

In Sola’s city, everyone obeys the rules. Stay away from the trigger cameras and regularly update your Debtbook, and you just might survive. But having to watch the way criminals are dealt with—murdered by Demonstrators in the Stadium—is a law Sola tries to avoid. When a charming Demonstrator kisses her at a party, however, she’s thrust into the Stadium and forced into the very role she despises.

Armed with only natural resourcefulness and a caring nature, Sola narrowly survives her first bout. Her small success means she’s whisked off to a training camp, where she discovers a world beyond the trigger cameras and monitoring—a world where falling in love with a killer doesn’t seem so terrible.

Yet life as a Demonstrator has no peace. Sola must train her way through twenty-five more Demonstrations before she can return home to her father. At the end of each battle, only one survivor remains.

Sola could face anyone in the Stadium . . . even a loved one.

Buy this book

E-book

Amazon.com

Amazon.uk

Barnes & Noble

IBookstore

Kobo

Print Edition

CreateSpace

Amazon.com

Guestopia: Emily Wenstrom

How to Write like a Reader

by Emily Wenstrom

When you are writing, how much time do you spend thinking like your target reader, versus thinking about being a writer? It’s easy to get caught up in the process.

There's tons of tips out there to help us “read like writers” and learn straight from the masters’ work--but these articles have never really helped me. Like a lot of writers, I already pick apart everything I read and overthink every line I write.

One of the best things you can do for your writing, I think, is to write more like readers. After all, who are you writing for? Most of us are writing to be read.

How do you do it? It's easier than it sounds:

BEFORE WRITING:

Know your audience. Gender. Age. What else they do in their free time. Your writing is not for everyone. You don't want it to be. Anything bland enough for everyone to approve of it is not worth your time. Learn all you can about your target reader group.

Immerse yourself in other books for your audience. Let the mentality of these books sink into you. The more you expose yourself to other successful works in your genre, the more you will intuit the styles, techniques and plot devices that your audience will enjoy--because it will be the same as you YOU will enjoy.

Get inspired. Put all that reading to work to get your creative juices flowing.

WHILE WRITING

Listen to your instincts. Don't bother rationalizing…if your gut tells you something is or isn't working, trust it. This your informed judgment speaking, paying you back for all that reading you did. Overthinking is a classic writer challenge—stop. Trust your gut.

Put plot and character first. If your writing is true to the tone of these two basic elements, it will resonate. Never, ever prioritize pretty prose over these key components.

Stop thinking. Just write write write write write. Keep those fingers marching right along there, no time to stop and smell the roses. Don't worry, we'll be back. For now, just get those ideas on paper.

AFTER WRITING

Forget it's yours. I know. There's an anxious writer-you in your head who is dying to re-open that manuscript and see if it likes what's there. Don't let that writer-you anywhere near it. Tie her up if you have to, gag her, lock her in a closet. Give yourself a few weeks to mentally separate from your draft.

Put. The computer. Down. When you read for enjoyment, how do you do it? If you read on paper, print your manuscript out in two columns in landscape mode and fold it over like a book. Even easier, if you read ebooks, PDF it and open it on your ereader of choice. Do NOT read it on your computer. It's too easy to get stuck in editing mode. Just use a notepad for now.

Okay, let that writer-you back out now. I might be picking on the writer-you a little, but she's still important! Using your notes, go back through the manuscript and make the updates to address the reader-you's feedback.

Repeat until done.

It seems safe to say that all writers started as readers. And yet we rarely bring that mentality to our own work. And yet, channeling that genuine love of story is a natural path to an enjoyable book.

You need the writer in you, too … but the writer can sometimes get in your way. By keeping the reader-you at the forefront, you will never forget who you're writing for.

Emily Wenstrom is the editor of wordhaus, a weekly short story ezine. She also blogs about creativity for writers, artists and professionals at Creative Juicer. Follow her on Twitter at @emilywenstrom and @wordhaus.

Guestopia: Kevin Sharp

We're pleased to welcome Kevin Sharp to this month's Guestopia!

Kevin Sharp is a New Mexico native who currently lives in Northern California, where he teaches high school English. He is the author of numerous screenplays and two award-winning short stories. While he has technically grown up, Kevin has yet to outgrow Looney Tunes, The Price is Right, fantasy novels, or comic books. Deep down, he still thinks that working with apes would be the best job in the world. 


The Films Of Youth
By Kevin Sharp

I wrote After Dakota as sort of a tribute to the classic teen movies of the 1980s, by filmmakers like John Hughes and Cameron Crowe. The films that really meant something to us back then were the ones less concerned with big jokes, or big parties, or showing as much nudity as possible (not that my friends and I objected to that last one, mind you). No, the ones that really mattered were the ones about people and about life.

In that tradition, here are ten teen movies I recommend – from the ‘80s and beyond – that share some of the same spiritual DNA as my novel. 

1. Adventureland (2009)

Because of watching fireworks while listening to Crowded House, and not wanting to be anywhere else in the world. 

2. Fast Times At Ridgemont High (1982)

Because while it’s (justifiably) famous for Sean Penn’s Spicoli and Phoebe Cates in her red bikini, it’s stuffed with riches beyond them: Led Zeppelin’s “Kashmir,” the baseball dugout, Mr. Hand’s housecall, the way it all walks the line between comedy and teenage tragedy.

3. Fish Tank (2009)

Because of Katie Jarvis’s lead performance, dancing, fighting, cursing, powering her way through life – until she realizes she may be powerless after all.

4. Ghost World (2001)

Because of bondage masks and record collections and summer art class.

5. The Last American Virgin (1982)

Because the title suggests a shallow romp like Porky’s, but this is actually about the struggle between loyalty to friends versus loyalty to an object of desire. (It also has maybe the most realistically bleak ending of any teen movie ever.)

6. The Myth of the American Sleepover (2010)

Because of riding bikes at sunset. Because of dancing on a pier. Because of abandoned tunnels. Because of all the possibilities in the waning days of summer.

7. Rushmore (1998)

Because the whole thing takes place in fall, the late season light lending a fabulous melancholy that both undercuts and enhances the storybook quality.

8. Say Anything… (1989)

Because our hero’s best girl friend tells him: “The world is full of guys. Be a man. Don’t be a guy,” and even the guys watching have to agree with her. Because our hero trades his heart to his dream girl in exchange for a pen, and all the guys watching would have done the exact same thing.

9. Some Kind of Wonderful (1987)

Because how could I not include a John Hughes movie? (This, in my opinion, is his most underappreciated.)

10. Submarine (2010)

Because the protagonist says to his possibly-girlfriend: “I thought it would be nice to get some mutual interests, now that we've had sex, other than spitting and setting things on fire.”

After Dakota

1983.

Newborn MTV. Cabbage Patch Kids. Rubik’s Cube. Michael Jackson. President Reagan. A U.S. – U.S.S.R. Cold War that threatens to go hot at any moment.

Against this backdrop, three teens begin a year of change and turmoil following the sudden loss of one of their closest friends.

Dakota meant different things to Cameron, Bryce, and Claire. When she disappears in a plane crash, they each have to face their own mortality, along with the secrets they still carry about her. 

Paperback * Kindle * nook * Kobo

Giveaway

Kevin is giving away one hard copy of After Dakota (US only) and one ebook of After Dakota (open internationally)! To enter, just leave a comment about your favorite teen movie. Don't forget to include a contact email and whether you live in the US or not :-)

An Interview with Author Lauren Bjorkman by Guest Blogger Lorie Steed

Hello... 

This month I have asked a good friend of mind to guest blog for me, because one of the really cool things I get to do as an author (especially as a sci-fi/fantasy author, editor, and podcaster) is attend multigenre conventions. 

The bad part of it is when I have to do three of them in a row; they can really wear you down, especially when you also hold down a full-time job as I do as a YA/Tech librarian. Over the past three weeks I was at WTHCon where I met up with my publisher at Scaldcrow Games (scaldcrow.com) where we showed of the Worlds of Pulp RPG. Then I traveled to MystiCon where I got to interview Peter Davison, the 5th Doctor, from Doctor Who (interview) for Gallifrey Pirate Radio. And finally I was at StellarCon where I ran into my very good friend and incredible YA author Janine Spendlove (website), who has agreed to an interview; so be on the look out for an interview from her in the upcoming months from me. 

But I knew all of this was coming up and I asked Lorie Steed, a school librarian and incredible writer in her own right to see if she would be interested in guest blogging for me. So I could take a break after three weekends of cons and four weeks without a day off. And luckily enough she agreed and has written up an interview with Lauren Bjorkman. 

Until next month enjoy. 

Davey

Guest Post by Lorie Steed: An Interview with Author Lauren Bjorkman

About the Author: Lauren Bjorkman studied Mandarin in college. On her honeymoon to China, she learned to pick up a single grain of rice with chopsticks. She believes in ghosts and appreciates the color pink more than she admits, especially to her friends who wear tasteful earth tones. She lives in Taos, New Mexico with her husband, two sons, and cats Zorro and Zenobia. She likes the letter Z. You can find out more about Lauren at her website: http://laurenbjorkman.com, and you can listen to Lauren talking with her teen hosts about love and advice columns on World Talk Radio, right here.

Miss Fortune Cookie is the smart, funny, and suspenseful tale of secret advice blogger Erin, whose quirky sense of humor and helpful advice bring her alter ego Miss Fortune Cookie a small amount of fame, even though Erin isn't always sure of herself or her status with Chinese-American friends Linny and Mei. As "the lesser third" of the trio, Erin nevertheless acts as a confidante to each of them in turn—but what happens when she gives one of them some advice that has potentially damaging consequences?

Lauren Bjorkman's latest book is a fun, thoughtful exploration of what it means to be a daughter, a friend, and a high school senior applying to college. Will Mei choose to stay with her boyfriend in California or honor her mother's wishes and attend Harvard? Will Erin get into an Ivy League school or attend UC Berkeley with Linny? Will Miss Fortune Cookie take her own advice and follow her heart?

Read Miss Fortune Cookie to find out, and in the meantime, check out the interview below to get some insights on writing from author Lauren Bjorkman. Leave a comment with a fortune cookie saying or piece of advice and you'll be entered into a drawing to win this prize pack! Have fun and good luck!

Note:

This is Lorie, your guest blogger here, who forgot to mention you need to leave an e-mail address so we can contact you if you win. You can also tweet about the giveaway for an extra chance to win; just be sure to leave the link to the tweet as well. Good luck everyone!

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/f5e3841/

If you are entering from outside the US, temporary tattoos will be substituted for nail polish, as nail polish cannot be sent via airmail. Also, you will receive a copy of the book from The Book Depository. A signed bookplate will be mailed to you by the author.

And here's our interview!

1—What YA books or authors have you read and enjoyed recently?

Most recently, the delicious and romantic Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins. Her Paris setting totally slew me. Janet Gurtler’s Who I Kissed took me on an emotional roller coaster ride. I love to read contemporary YAs that are funny and full of heart. I recommend anything by K.L. Going, John Green, Carolyn Mackler, Sherman Alexie, Maureen Johnson, and David Levithan.

2—Could you talk a bit about your writing process? When/where do you write? How much planning do you do in advance, and what form does that planning take? Do you revise all along or wait until you have a complete draft? How many drafts do you go through from start to finish?

When I started writing, I lived in the tiniest house imaginable in Hawaii, and would take my laptop to café. Later, I wrote in bed. When my back rebelled getting scrunched, I switched to a more conventional table and computer in my bedroom. We moved last year. Now I have a mini-office. With a door!

Outlines generally make me nervous—PTSD from high school, I think. Over time my process has evolved, though. I still consider myself a pantser, but I do a lot of advance work—synopses, character inventories, conflict webs, settings, rudimentary plots points, scene weaves—before starting a novel. After fifty pages I re-evaluate the story from start to finish, and create an outline type thing then.

Not wanting to embarrass myself in front of my critique partners, I revise as I go. On the one hand, it seems silly to polish a scene that later gets cut, on the other, I believe that no time spent writing is wasted. Sometimes I’ll rescue jokes, snippets of witty dialog, and other little darlings to use in the future. From start to finish, I write anywhere from four to six drafts.

3—Most of us have faced writer's block. When does it hit you the most—when you're in between projects, or in the middle of one? When you get stuck, what do you do to get yourself unstuck?

I’ve never found myself just staring at a blank screen. Still, just like some people have bad hair days, I have bad writing days. If I force it, I feel like an untalented cockroach by the end of the day, or like I’ve eaten a bag of cockroaches. In any case, it’s disgusting.

To break out from a bad writing day, I have to spend time away from my computer thinking about my story. I might concentrate on a character’s arc. Or a scene that’s not working. Or what seems to be missing. Sometimes I pretend to be one of my characters for a while, and see the action through his or her eyes. My best thinking time happens in the car (no kids), in the shower, pacing, or while trying to fall asleep.

When things get really bad, I use a book about writing to guide the process, something like The Writer’s Journey or The Anatomy of Story. Reading other authors while stuck can help too. If I hold the problem in my mind, and see how another writer solved that same kind of problem, it gives me new ideas.

4—Which novel was harder to write, My Invented Life or Miss Fortune Cookie, and why?

Miss Fortune Cookie. When my editor offered on My Invented Life, she included a second untitled book in the deal. After finishing the last copy-edits on book 1, I developed a brief proposal for the yet unwritten Miss Fortune Cookie. My editor loved the concept, and off I went. Unfortunately, during the writing process the book changed from the original pitch. My editor didn’t like the new direction, so I had to do several major rewrites. On the plus side, she was right, and the book came out better because of all the hard work we did.

5—In Miss Fortune Cookie, each chapter begins with a different fortune. To what degree does each chapter's content relate to the content of the fortune? Did the fortune cookie sayings you collected give you ideas for particular scenes?

The original chapter headings were an eclectic mix of fortunes, sayings, and quotes by famous people—all of them funny. My editor suggested that people particularly enjoy fortunes that predict the future. I gave it some thought, and realized she was right. In the final draft, I changed two-thirds of the fortunes so they would consistently predict the future in a funny way.

6—Chinese culture and tradition is an integral part of Erin and Miss Fortune Cookie. How much of what's in the book comes from your own background, and how much had to be researched?

My great grandmother taught in an elementary school in China. Though I never met her, my grandmother told me stories of her life. Because of her, I studied Chinese history in high school. Then I met my husband to-be. He was born in Sweden, has a degree in Classical Chinese poetry and a Chinese soul. His passion for all things Chinese inspired me to take Mandarin in college and immerse myself in Chinese literature and philosophy.

Because of all that, I didn’t have to study much Chinese culture. Most of my research focused on teen blogging, advice columns, Lowell High School, the history of the fortune cookie, and the locations in the story—SF Chinatown, Muni, and The Elbo Room. Most of the Chinese phrases came from memory, but I had to look up how to say, “your lips are very beautiful.” I re-read Confucius and Lao Tze, as well as my favorite ghost stories, which was great fun.

7—You address LGBT issues in both My Invented Life and Miss Fortune Cookie, and Miss Fortune Cookie also works in themes of privilege versus poverty. Why do you think these are important topics for teens to read about, no matter what their personal experiences?

Until space travel becomes easy, everyone has to live together on this one planet and get along.

I lived on a sailboat during my Elementary school years, and about three years in foreign countries. My experiences led me to believe that people have much in common beneath the surface and that everyone deserves the same rights and respect. Yet differences cause such division and heartache.

When I learned about the experiences of some of my LGBT classmates at a high school reunion, hearing what they went through devastated me. Though, I’m not a lesbian or even bi, I relate powerfully to the underdog. The subject haunted me, and I knew I had to write a book about it. A little research on the topic strengthened by resolve—LGBT teens have the highest rates of dropping out and suicide. Still, my orientation is happy and funny, so I ended up writing a happy and funny LGBT novel that touches lightly on the more serious aspects.

On the subject of poverty and privilege—I grew up without money. Most of my possessions were gifts or came from garage sales, thrift stores, and flea markets. By my 13^th birthday, I paid for own movie tickets and clothes. So writing Erin’s money woes was easy for me.

Also, it bothers me that so many movies and novels glamorize the lifestyles of the very wealthy. Even when the “message” is money doesn’t buy happiness, I think those images plant the unhealthy desire for more stuff. I don’t want any part of that.

8—The shifting dynamics between Erin, Linny, and Mei was, to me, one of the most interesting aspects of the book. Erin thinking of herself as "the lesser friend" and "not Chinese enough" especially resonated, even though ironically, both Linny and Mei ask her to keep secrets from the other at some point. What messages about friendship and identity did you want to leave your readers with?

The word “message” makes me cringe. I do everything in my power to AVOID leaving messages. Instead, I hope my readers will relate to the struggles my characters go through while being entertained. If my readers use my story to reflect on their own lives, that’s icing on the cake. Miss Fortune Cookie is a love letter to anyone who feels inadequate—not thin enough, pretty enough, smart enough, Chinese enough. You fill in the blank. A friend told me she got Erin perfectly because she grew up non-Greek in a Greek neighborhood.

I grew up feeling outside, other, fringe. Because of that, I try to make others feel included.

9—I loved reading about the girls' relationships with their mothers, in particular Mei's complex relationship with Shufang. Is there a reason you chose to make all the girls fatherless in some way?

My mother died when I was young. In my teen years, several of my friends had lost their mothers, too, and this became an important bond between us. I wanted to capture that feeling in the novel.

10—Good novels pay attention not just to the main cast, but also take time to include well-rounded secondary characters. I absolutely loved Cigarette Willie, Lincoln, and Shanice. Were these characters planned from the beginning? Did any of them surprise you?

The whole lot of them came out of nowhere. Cigarette Willie was supposed to be a cameo. In my original “outline,” I planned for Erin to offer a homeless man a sandwich. Until I wrote the scene, I had no idea he’d follow her home, or that he knew Erin’s mom in the past. I borrowed his name and history from a man I knew in Key West.

Lincoln had a minor role in my first draft—a motorcycle crashes into his apartment through the front window. Erin and Weyland witnessed the accident and went to rescue the rider. Long after the accident disappeared from the manuscript, Lincoln persisted. In a late draft, he became Erin’s advice column consultant, the perfect role for him.

These characters sprang from an idea that Erin needed to survive a few adventures to see that the big, bad world isn’t so big and bad, after all—The Odyssey for the fearful.

11—What scene did you have the most fun writing?

The kissing scene in the hotel. I had a blast writing the scene in the Elbo Room. The virgin martini cracks me up. And when Erin and Weyland get to know each other during the chase scene. The whole book, really.

12—Is there a personal experience or story you can share that might offer encouragement to writers who worry that their work will never be published?

My first novel still languishes on my hard drive next to a half-finished second novel. I began writing My Invented Life in 2003, completing a draft in 2004. After receiving some feedback from editors at writers’ conferences, I revised it completely. In 2005, I started hunting for agents. When an agent requested a partial, then a full, my hopes soared. In the end, he turned it down with feedback. Though disappointed, I knew by then the professional approach. I asked him if he’d take a second look after I revised. He agreed, and gave me more suggestions. The rewrite took me ten months. After all that, he rejected the book a second time. It felt like the end.

Luckily or unluckily, depending how you see it, I love writing too much to quit. A few weeks later, I started a new novel. Around that time, I signed up for a novel writing workshop that required a twenty-page sample. In class, we critiqued each other’s work. When the workshop ended, my instructor took me aside. He’d enjoyed my piece and heard from another student that I had a finished novel, as well. Would I mind if he recommended me to his agent? Not long after, his agent offered to represent me, and found a publisher for My Invented Life.

The writing emo-coaster raised me from the pit to the top in just a few months. It may not happen the same way for you—but if you love writing and you’re persistent, I believe that your day will come.

13—As a writer, what is the best and/or worst advice you’ve ever received?

Worst advice—write for the market.

It’s important to know the market, of course. If you’ve been dying to write about demons, and demons suddenly become hot, go for it. If you have to write about vampires, you can study the market to make sure your take is unique.

Write what lights your fire. There’s always a market for a really good book in any genre.