What
genre do you write and why?
At this point, I’m so firmly
ensconced in reading and writing in the YA genre that I think my husband’s
starting to wonder if he’s living in a middle school library. I definitely live this genre everyday—I teach
reading and writing to middle schoolers. But to be honest, I’ve been writing
stories about teenaged characters since I was college. It would seem my obsession
with YA lit was just meant to be.
Here’s to You, Zeb
Pike was very much
a labor of love for me. It started as a book about a teenager trying to raise
his brother and sister alone because his parents are useless. And somehow it
ended up also being about sexual identity, a semi-famous mountain climber, love,
and skateboarding. Oh, and hockey. Because what YA book doesn’t need a cute
hockey player?
What marketing methods
are you using to promote your book?
Marketing and I are still getting to know one
another. I’d never really used Twitter before this first publishing adventure,
so social media has been a bit of a learning curve for me. Mostly I’m just
trying to get the book’s name out there. I’ve been on blogs and tried a
Facebook chat. If nothing else, it’s all been really great for getting me out
of my introverted shell. I’m having a blast getting to know readers. They’ve
been incredibly kind and supportive.
Who are your favourite
authors?
Wow, why not ask me to choose a favourite
child?!? How does one pick? In YA, I’ve always loved Breaking Boxes by A.M. Jenkins, who was way ahead of her time with her
writing, particularly where LGBT lit is concerned. I’m also a big fan of Brian
Katcher and Alex Sanchez, who have done amazing things for pushing LGBT lit
further into the mainstream. I greatly enjoy Jordan Sonnenblick’s humor, and I
could die happy reading almost any book by Gordan Korman, who was my favourite
author when I was a teen. And of course, let’s not forget the queen of YA, S.E.
Hinton. If I ever meet that woman, I’ll probably pass out.
What's your favourite
quote about writing/for writers?
“Better to write
for yourself and have no public, than to write for the public and have no
self.” –Cyril Connolly
I can frequently
be found repeating that one over and over to myself whenever my Amazon sales
rating pops up somewhere.
What's the best thing
about being a writer?
It’s the world’s best excuse for incessant
daydreaming. And oh, the power! The things I get to do to characters!
Heheheh.
Where can people find
out more about you and your writing?
I can be found attempting to figure out Twitter
at https://twitter.com/johannawriteson.
If you’re up for it, join my five-or-so followers! It makes me feel like one of
the cool kids. J You can also like my Facebook page
at https://www.facebook.com/johannaparkhurstwriteson.
Who designed
the cover?
It was designed by the fabulous Anne Cain,
who designs a lot of covers for Harmony Ink Press. She’s PHENOMENAL. This cover
so perfectly captures the big themes of the book.
Did you learn
anything from writing your book that was unexpected?
I learned a lot of strange things about
Zebulon Pike, that’s for sure. And a few fun facts about skateboarding. Extra
thanks go out to the students who taught me the difference between regular and
goofy position.
Where
can a reader purchase your book?
You can find it on Amazon,
Barnes and Noble, and on the Dreamspinner Press website.
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3 Comments
Thanks for hosting! Readers, leave a comment or ask the author a question for a chance to win a digital (international) or print (US) copy of the book.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for a great interview. :)
ReplyDeleteI think EVERY book should have (at least one!) cute hockey player!
ReplyDeletevitajex(at)aol(Dot)com
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