Question: Wren Emerson, everyone struggles with writer’s block from time to time. What do you do when it happens to you?
I don't usually deal with writer's block during the writing process since I work from an outline, but I do run into problems sometimes while creating my outlines. I find it helpful to use mind maps to explore new directions.
There are times that I get distracted by ideas for other books. When that happens I give myself permission to write down all the ideas I have for that project. Knowing that the idea is waiting for me allows me to let it go for awhile and concentrate on what I'm supposed to be working on.
Something nobody knows about me...
This is tough because I'm pretty much an open book about most things. Hmm... Ok, here's something random. When I was in the Army I had to take a test that covered everything we learned during Basic Training. I scored 100% "first time go" on it. I was also awarded PT patches for maxing my physical training tests. I wasn't very career oriented toward the Army so that's about as much distinction as I managed to earn.
Question: Amy Jones, what inspired the Soul Quest series?
Soul Quest was inspired by a really weird dream. My hubby is a night owl and loves to stay up late watching the History Channel. I had this dream about a little boy standing in the middle of mirrored room. The little boy looked just like my son when he was 3 years old. He had cute chubby cheeks, curly blond ringlets and beautiful hazel green eyes.
The little boy was watching images flicker on the mirrored walls in the room. The mysterious mirrors showed images from historical disasters such as Hitler's dictatorship, Martin Luther King Jr. and Kennedy's shootings and Nine Eleven... you get the gist. Anyway, it had a major impact on me. The next day I asked my husband what he was watching on television the night before. He said it was a special episode on the History Channel dedicated to the worst events in history. He acknowledged all of the above mentioned tragedies were a part of the episode.
I suppose as a mother the dream was symbolic of the wrath of the world posing a threat against my children. So, I decided to turn it into a positive thing. In this effort my little boy became Hala, the Great Spirit. Hala is a being as old as time, a spirit who resembles a child in physical form. Before I knew it, a quest for justice against evil began. Since I work with teenagers it was only natural that they became the heroes in the plot. The basis of the book is good versus evil but I tried to weave into the underlying tone that life is about choices, good and bad.
What is one thing that no one knows about you?
I have two rare and strange diseases. They are both connective tissue disorders, Ehlers -Danlos Syndrome and MASS (Mitral, Aortic, Skin, and Skeleton) Phenotype.
One in five thousand people may be diagnosed with a connective tissue disorder. Lucky me, I inherited two. My father’s side of the family blessed me with Ehlers - Danlos Syndrome and my mother’s DNA contributed MASS Phenotype (a subtype of Marfan’s Syndrome).
A connective tissue disorder can manifest its self differently in each type and person but the similarity in each disease involves a defect in collagen.
On a positive note, this defect has benefited me athletically. The abnormal limberness of my muscles and the hyperextension in my joints has allowed me to excel in the art of dance, one of my most treasured passions in life.
Question: Tiffany King, your Saving Angels series is appropriately named, since it is about angels. Do you yourself believe in angels?
The funny thing about this question is that my hubby and I recently got into a conversation about ghosts and whether we believe in them. At first I answered with a resounding YES, but the more I thought about the question, the more I realized my response needed to be modified. I believe that there are some kinds of celestial beings that represent the good that we see each and every day. I also believe the same goes for evil, which is why I first answered yes to the ghost question. In my mind, ghosts and demons are one and the same. I have always been a huge believer in good versus evil and that one day both will come to a head.
What is one thing that no one knows about you?
The answer to this question ties in with the subject above. The reason I believe so strongly in angels is that I believe they are responsible for my well being. What most people don't know is that I spent the majority of my childhood homeless, moving from one state to the next. I've witnessed and experienced the worst that cities in this country have to offer. I believe it is through some kind of greater force that I am here today, happy and healthy!
Question: Nicole Williams, what is your favorite part of writing Young Adult fiction?
I know this will seem like a cop-out, but because it’s true . . . everything. I love everything from the early stages of novel conception to the final edit and all the bits and pieces that fall in between. I love the YA readers, too, young and old. I find most people who are drawn to YA fiction look at the world and see things the way they could be instead of the way they are not, and this probably goes without saying, but they are also hopeless romantics that never give up on their dreams. Those are the kinds of people I write for and the kind of person I strive to be.
What is one thing that no one knows about you?
I made it through my entire grade school education without getting the dreaded “name on the board” infraction. That may have a bad case of “brown nose” written all over it, but it had more to do with me being painfully shy, but I broke out of my shell in my high school years and even skipped three classes my senior year which the powers that be didn’t even deem worthy of a truancy or an afternoon in detention. I know what you’re thinking . . . what a rebel, right?
In related news, I’ve always disliked that saying that well-behaved women seldom make history . . .
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