1. Tell us a bit about your family.
I come from a big family; there’s five us, and we grew up extremely close as we moved from place to place with my Army dad. Now that I have my own kids, I like to do a lot of activities as a family: going on road trips, working on puzzles, watching movies, baking. I hope my son and daughter, now only five and two, grow up to be close like my sisters and brothers are.
2. How do you work through self-doubts and fear?
I have found that talking it out with my biggest supporter, my husband Michael, is always the first thing I do. Just talking really helps; he doesn’t even try to fix it, he just listens. What causes the self-doubt for me is usually the writing: does this scene work? Does this drag the story down? Does it sound authentic? Turning to other writers and readers helps me work through those fears. Sometimes I know something isn’t working, and they give me permission to scratch it and start over.
3. What makes you happiest?
Being with my family and friends makes me happy. I love to invite them over and cook a delicious meal and just hang out.
4. Why do you write?
I write because it feels good. You know how exercise releases endorphins? Writing does that for me.
5. Have you always enjoyed writing?
Even before I could write, when I was three and four years old, I would dictate stories for my older brothers and sister to write down for me. I was the kid who wrote five pages when the writing prompt in school asked for a paragraph. I’m pretty sure all of my teachers had a love/hate thing for me because I could never just do the assignment the way they wanted.
6. What motivates you to write?
I want to create authentic voices, authentic characters. I strive to create characters who feel human and real. I think there is a lot of beauty in the mundane elements of human nature. I want to capture that in my writing, expose it, and show how beautiful it is. As a young adult writer, I am especially motivated to have young people read about realistic characters that they can identify with. I want my readers to think, yeah, I’ve been through that. I’ve felt that.
7. What books did you love growing up?
I love books! I still go to used book stores and find it difficult not to buy old copies of Blubber or Just As Long As We’re Together by Judy Blume, or Beverly Cleary’s Ramona series. They are so tied to my early reading years. I also adored anything by Roald Dahl. If I could be any literary character, it would be Roald Dahl’s Matilda. I loved the idea of a little girl who saw how crappy her life was, so she actively changed it. What a message.
Riley Witt is running out of time.Battling Alzheimer’s disease, Riley’s grandmother Mary suffers from memory loss, mood swings, and a tendency to wander off.
As senior year approaches, Riley has to face the reality that the one person she depends on most is slowly fading. Making matters worse, when Mary does remember the past, she tells tales of time travel and visions. As Mary’s version of the past gets more confused, Riley knows they are running out of time together.
But when Riley discovers a guitar belonging to a famous rock star at Mary’s house, the truth behind the crazy tales finally comes out.
SIX STRINGS tells the story of Riley’s journey back to 1973 where she enters a world of music, long-lost family, and first love. Her adventure is all about discovering her past, understanding her present, and figuring out how to step into her future.
But when Riley discovers a guitar belonging to a famous rock star at Mary’s house, the truth behind the crazy tales finally comes out.
SIX STRINGS tells the story of Riley’s journey back to 1973 where she enters a world of music, long-lost family, and first love. Her adventure is all about discovering her past, understanding her present, and figuring out how to step into her future.
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