My book club/youth group is discussing one of your books. Do you provide any “extras” for groups like ours?
Yes I do!
If you’re in need of discussion questions for Me, Just Different or Out with the In Crowd, you can download them here.
Also, please send me an e-mail, and I’ll be happy to mail you free bookmarks for everyone in your group. And if you’re interested, I’m happy to schedule a phone call for the night your group meets so I can answer any questions anyone might have.
How did you get published?
This question has an insanely long answer. You can read the full story here.
Where do you get your ideas?
Because of the types of books I write, my ideas usually come from looking at situations in my life—or lives around me—and asking, “What if?” What if a really popular girl decided she wanted to live her life differently? What if no one supported her except a guy who bugged her? What if he thought she was annoying and was just as horrified of falling for her as she was him? And so on.
My method isn’t unique. The real trick is weeding out loser ideas from good ones. That can only be learned with practice.
What are some of your favorite books?
I love getting asked this question because I love talking books.
I read a lot of young adult fiction because of work. I think adults miss out by assuming they wouldn’t enjoy teen-targeted books. As far as YA goes, Jenny B. Jones rocks, as does Sarah Dessen. Especially This Lullaby, which is one of my all-time favorites. I’ve read it at least five times and talked my husband into reading it too. (For him, I read The Fellowship of the Ring. The exchange pleased both of us.) I love the Princess Diaries series as well as Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants. As with most adaptations, the books were so, so much better than the movies.
Non-teen books I love are The Pact and Plain Truth by Jodi Picoult, Magdalene by Angela Hunt, The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory, The River King by Alice Hoffman, I Love Everybody and Other Atrocious Lies by Laurie Nataro, and Carolina Moon by Nora Roberts. And there’s some really great new voices out there, like Georgiana Daniels, who wrote Table For One, which made me laugh constantly, and Julie Lessman who writes historical fiction.
If we’re talking classics, I love all three Bronte sisters, particularly Emily. And if I had to pick a favorite book, it’d be Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. Or Emma. Or Mansfield Park. Or Sense and Sensibility. I never can decide.
Did you always want to be a writer?
Briefly in kindergarten, I thought I’d like to be a doctor, but from first grade on—yes. I was blessed with many wonderful teachers along the way—Mrs. Lopez, Ms. Tomlin, and Ms. Bromberg, specifically—who offered guidance and encouragement. And parents who were big readers and seemed delighted by my aspirations. This especially impresses me since I’m an only child. They didn’t have any other kids to become rocket scientists or brain surgeons. Just their lone daughter possibly destined for poverty.
I’m a teenager and I’d like to write professionally. Do you have any tips for me?
I do. In fact, I have so many that I started a blog devoted to it. Check out www.GoTeenWriters.com to receive writing advice specific to where you are, and to get your specific questions answered.
Will you please look at one of my manuscripts?
While I love helping aspiring writers, there’s just not enough time for me to help everyone. If you’re truly interested in becoming publishable, I’d recommend attending a writers conference where you can receive honest feedback.
I want to be a writer too. What tips do you have for getting published?
My husband is an engineer and I used to be very jealous of this. The path to engineering is obvious — you go to college, get your degree, and — poof — you’re an engineer. (That “poof” might make him mad. He worked very hard in college.)
Becoming a published writer, sadly, is not so straight forward. Here’s my best nuggets of advice:
1. Read a lot. Write a lot.
If you can’t squeeze these into your schedule, it might be time to rethink pursuing publication. These are critical.
2. Study the craft and the rules.
As artists — and as people, really — we’re not fond of rules. But writing rules exist for a reason. Head-hopping is obnoxious and so are minute clothing descriptions of each character. There’s a reason professionals say not to do it. You’ll stand out more to agents if you follow the rules, because following the rules makes you easier to sell.
Lots of excellent craft books exist. My favorites are Writing the Breakout Novel by Donald Maass, Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott, and On Writing by Stephen King.
3. Go to conferences
Conferences are an excellent way to network with agents, editors, and all levels of writers. There you can get honest feedback on your work and make friends with other writers. It’s through a conference that I met my fabulous agent and one of my amazing writing partners, which leads me to point 4.
4. Build a community
I met Roseanna White — who writes fabulous historicals — at the 2007 ACFW conference. We started talking because we were both pregnant and had identical red leather bags. Roseanna e-mailed me after the conference to see if I was interested in joining up with her writing friend, Mary Proctor, and exchanging manuscripts. Later Carole Brown joined us. These gals are my first experience with talking regularly to working writers. I had no idea what I’d been missing. Writing as a community is so much better than writing alone — find a community.
5. Toss rejections. Especially mean ones.
All writers are different about this. Some treasure their rejections, anticipating the day their book hits number one on the New York Times bestsellers list and they can throw those letters in the faces of all those morons. With my personality (namely, delicate) I couldn’t handle hanging onto rejections. They didn’t fuel me, they discouraged me. The one exception to this rule is when I received a rejection letter from Amy Sherman-Palladino on Gilmore Girls stationary. That I framed and hung in my office for a while. But seriously — toss ’em.
6. Be committed to persevering
A lot of people look at me and assume that because I’m young, this happened quickly and easily. Since I didn’t keep my rejection notices (see number five) I can’t give you an exact number, but there were lots. And not only were there lots of rejections, but there were lots of people who gave me lousy advice — I should get teaching credentials to fall back on, I should switch genres because YA wasn’t selling, and so on. And then there were some who didn’t want to give me advice, they just wanted to discourage me (“You want to be a writer? What’s your plan for when that falls through?”)
Very few professionals in the industry will encourage you or take the time to show you something you could be doing better. They’re out there, especially in the Christian market, but they’re rare. When you go to conferences, you’ll see why. Lots and lots of writers, and only a handful of agents and editors.
Your writing can’t be about “showing” the people who rejected you. It can’t be about getting published. It has to be about the stories themselves, the stories you burn to tell. If you want those stories out there for the public, chances are it’s going to be a long road. I’m sorry, but it’s true.
But you’ll reap what you sow — always, always, always. I sowed for eight years before seeing the harvest. It’s kinda like having a baby. The second you see it (her, in my case) you only feel joy. The discomfort of the pregnancy, the hours of labor, those fears of, “Can I do this?” don’t exist in that moment. Learn to live for that day.
7. If you’re good, it’ll happen.
You’ll need perseverance, but if you keep writing, listen to and apply what professionals say, and develop your craft, it’s only a matter of time before you get your break.