Say hello to Jenny!!
The intensity. When I was teenager, EVERYTHING was life or death. Everything. There’s a level of passion that adult fiction just doesn’t match for me. All the angst and the drama and the discovery makes for wonderful stories. YA lets me see the world through newly opened eyes again. It lets me fall in love for the first time, experience heartbreak for the first time, discover myself for the first time.
What book made you feel ALL THE THINGS and inspired you to write?
You might laugh, but probably a Beatrix Potter story. My mom read to me and my siblings every night when we were little. I remember trying to write my own story about the rabbits in our backyard because I wanted my little sister to have her own Peter Rabbit story. I began taking my writing seriously after a friend loaned me Twilight. I know those books get a lot of hate these days, but my inner 15-year-old ate it up. It made me realize that all those bits of stories stashed on my computer might have a place after all. Of course I started querying about a year too late and the market is pretty saturated, but I love a good paranormal story and I write what I love.
What genre do you write?
I like to call my writing “beautiful-dark fantasy.” I love to have some kind of otherworldly element, but usually in a contemporary setting. The manuscript I’m querying is an urban fantasy with a strong mystery element. My work in progress is somewhere on the border of contemporary fantasy and magical realism. I’d love to write Science Fiction, but my brain overloads when I try to make the fantastical elements make sense.
Name your top five favorite YA books.
I have to go with something published, right? Because I’ve beta read some AWESOME books that just haven’t found their homes – yet. My list of favorites is ever-changing, but here’s the first five that popped into my head:
A Wind in the Door by Madeleine L'Engle
Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake
Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor
The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting
The Girl in the Steel Corset by Kady Cross
What YA book would you love to see as a movie?
My husband works in the movie industry and I love film to an unreasonable level. But honestly, I prefer most books to stay as books. Big screen adaptations are almost never as good as the books are in my head. I watched The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe at one of the big theatres in Hollywood, with fake snow falling on the audience and an organist performing before the show. Then all I could do was pick out the flaws in the movie. I like my books as books.
Who is your favorite villain?
The best villains are the ones who you understand on some level. The ones you almost find yourself rooting for. Their means might be flawed, but their motives make sense. I also love super-intelligent villains – like Hannibal Lector or the Scarecrow from Batman. I’d much rather be taken down by someone smarter than me.
Are you working on something now? What is it about?
My work in progress is currently called Signal Hill. It’s about a boy who controls lightning and the girl who protects him from people who want to exploit his gift. I’m about halfway through and there is a whole lot of kissing.
If you could give one piece of advice on writing, what would it be?
Write what you love and keep writing it. The publishing industry is brutal. If you’re writing for anyone other than you, you won’t make it. You have to love every story – they need to burn inside of you – or it’s far to easy to give up. If you believe in your stories, agents and publishers will recognize that and, if my critique partners are any indication, you’ll find someone who loves your story as much as you do and it will be magic.
My work in progress is currently called Signal Hill. It’s about a boy who controls lightning and the girl who protects him from people who want to exploit his gift. I’m about halfway through and there is a whole lot of kissing.
If you could give one piece of advice on writing, what would it be?
Write what you love and keep writing it. The publishing industry is brutal. If you’re writing for anyone other than you, you won’t make it. You have to love every story – they need to burn inside of you – or it’s far to easy to give up. If you believe in your stories, agents and publishers will recognize that and, if my critique partners are any indication, you’ll find someone who loves your story as much as you do and it will be magic.
Thank you so much to Jenny and the YA Misfits for letting me feature them on my blog today. You can follow Jenny on Twitter and be sure to check out their blog.
Fun interview! That picture is adorable. What a cute little leprechaun. And I totally agree - the book is almost always better than the movie.
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