Author Interview: J. Andersen of At What Cost

Hello! Today I'm honored to have J. Andersen for an author interview on B's Book Blog as a part of At What Cost book tour. Besides our interview, you can find more information about At What Cost and a giveaway of 3 eBook copies in this post! 

Interview:

1. When did you first start writing and when did you finish your first book?

I guess that depends on what you consider “starting”. I used to write all the time when I was a kid, short stories and such, but I really got serious about writing in 2006. I started At What Cost then. I wrote about 3 chapters and got stuck. So I set it aside and wrote another book before I came back to it. Now, in 2012, it’s been published.

2. How did you choose the genre you write in?

I taught middle school for a number of years. During this time, I read everything the kids were reading. I fell in love with YA. The rest is history.

3. Do you ever experience writer’s block?

A little, mostly when I’ve taken a few days off from writing. It’s hard to get back in to the habit. 

4. Do you work with an outline, or just write?

I use a flexible outline. I draw up those good old triangular plot diagrams that your English teachers used to torture you with. You know the rising action, climax, falling action, resolution ones. I try to plot out my story that way, but in the end I always end up with more than what’s on my outline.

5. Is there any particular author or book that influenced you in any way either growing up or as an adult?

I don’t know as if there’s one in particular. I certainly respect anything by Laurie Halse Anderson, and I can only hope that one day my books will have the magnitude of influence that hers do.

6. Can you tell us about your challenges in getting your first book published?

HA! How much time do you have? First, I wrote about three chapters and got stuck. (Those chapters have since been chopped, along with seven others.) So, I wrote another book. (It will never be seen or published.) Then I finished At What Cost and started sending it to agents. I had some favorable inquiries, but nothing materialized. After over a year of that, I was told by one agent to rework it a bit. So, I did the ‘ol, chop chop, cutting ten chapters and reworking the rest of the book. Then I sent it out again, another year later, I finally landed my agent. I went through a LOT of queries and a TON of rejection. Someday I’ll reveal how many agents I queried, but let’s just say for now it’s an embarrassing amount. Then, of course there are the rejections from publishing houses. It’s a good thing I have thick skin.

7. If you had to go back and do it all over, is there any aspect of your novel or getting it published that you would change?

We can always wonder, can’t we? I think I’d focus my agent search more. Those tons of rejections hurt. JAs for the novel, every time I had to edit it with a different editor, I kept thinking I’d go back and rework this or that, but when I got to that section, I liked what I’d written. I do think I’d rework that first sentence. Doesn’t seem to be as catchy as I’d like it to be.

8. Have you written a book you love that you have not been able to get published?

The one I just finished is called The Unviables. It’s not published yet, but my agent is working on finding it a home. It’s a dystopian, which is my favorite genre, but I’ve never had an idea to write one until recently.

Thank you J. Andersen for joining us today! :-)

At What Cost by J. Andersen:

Title: At What Cost
Author: J. Andersen
Genre: Young Adult Contemporary
Release Date: June 13, 2012
Pages: 225
Format: eBook
Links: Goodreads

Summary: During her junior year, sixteen-year-old Maggie Reynolds expected to shop for prom dresses not maternity clothes. Now, instead of studying for the SATs, she’s reading, What to Expect When You’re Expecting. Maggie’s ‘Mother Dearest’ lives in fear that Maggie will somehow taint the family name, so Maggie can’t turn to her for help. Meanwhile, her father is oblivious to anything but his 9-9 job. And her boyfriend, Justin? She’s pretty sure he’ll stay by her side.
While Maggie wrestles with her options, Justin offers a solution: abortion. It would solve all her problems quickly, easily, and effectively. And her parents would never know, which means they won’t throw her out and cut her off like they’d always threatened if she got herself knocked up. Now Maggie must decide which choice she can live with: abortion or teenage motherhood. Either way, it’ll be a tough road to travel.

 About the author:

Jessie Andersen lives in a small town in Western New York with her husband and three kids. A former English teacher, she now spends her time writing while the kids are at school and the baby is sleeping. She volunteers at the local library and sings in the church band. You can find information about her books at jandersenbooks.com, and you can follow her personal blog and book blog. You can also follow her on Twitter and on Facebook and Goodreads.

The giveaway:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Author Interview: Lisa Burstein of Pretty Amy

Hello folks! Today I'm honored to have Lisa Burstein for an interview on B's Book Blog as a part of Pretty Amy blog tour! Pretty Amy is her debut book, and it's a really great one. You can check out my 4-star review on Pretty Amy here.

Without further ado, here goes the interview!

Best: Hello, Lisa! I'm glad to have a chance to interview you. I really like your debut book, Pretty Amy. May I ask what inspired you to write such a great book? 

Lisa: I write YA because I felt like I still had all these things to say from when I was a teenager that I never got a chance to say. I also feel like teens need books in a way adults don't. At least I know I did, I looked to books to help me make sense of what I was feeling. I guess I hope teens will use PRETTY AMY in the same way. In terms of a book that influenced in the writing of PRETTY AMY, I would have to say Catcher in the Rye. Not that I would even compare PRETTY AMY to the masterpiece that is Catcher in the Rye, but I wanted to write a book about a girl that *might* be a modern, funnier Holden Caufield. I was arrested during my senior year of high school, not for the same reason Amy was, but that was where the kernel came from. I also knew I wanted to write a "shocking" book from a teenage girl's point of view. I feel like you can get away with your character being a murderer, or a jerk, or just a smart ass more easily if your book isn't contemporary and I wanted to try to break that mold with PRETTY AMY. I also wanted to write a contemporary YA book that was about what real teens go through. I feel like teenage girl's lives are complex and I hoped to show that in PRETTY AMY.

Best: It's stated in the "About the author" part of the book that you didn't go to your prom. Why? Do you regret not going? (I didn't go to mine either because I didn't feel like going, and I don't regret a thing!) 

Lisa: No one asked me, sad right? I do wish someone did ask me, I would have loved to go to prom. I don't regret not going, but I think I would have had a great time.

Best: Do you read readers' reviews on Pretty Amy? Do you think you'd be bothered by negative reviews? (Hypothetically speaking, because right now I haven't seen any yet! :-)) 

Lisa: I do read reviews, but I am thinking of stopping. It is great to see when someone loves and is touched by your book, but when you see the opposite, which is bound to happen because not everyone can love everything, it hurts. A lot. I am not able to separate myself from the book in the way I need to, to not be when I read them.

Best: What is your favorite book and why? 

Lisa: A Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood. It is so smart, so compelling. Dystopian before dystopian was cool.

Best: Now, the last question. What question(s) is most asked so far on the tour, and what question(s) are you most fond of answering in interviews? 

Lisa: It is the same, what do you hope your readers will take away from reading PRETTY AMY? The answer is: I was a lot like Amy. Just like her I had such a desire to belong, to fit in, to have people who understood me. I wanted that so badly and I guess I never felt like adults understood that. It was most of the reason I wrote PRETTY AMY. If I'd had it when I was in high school I feel like I would have been able to understand my feelings better. I wouldn't have felt so alone. That feeling was something I never admitted to anyone, not even my friends and I want to let teens know it's okay to feel lonely even surrounded by friends and family.

Thank you so much Lisa Burstein for joining us on the blog and for this lovely interview! 

Pretty Amy by Lisa Burstein

Amy is fine living in the shadows of beautiful Lila and uber-cool Cassie, because at least she’s somewhat beautiful and uber-cool by association. But when their dates stand them up for prom, and the girls take matters into their own hands—earning them a night in jail outfitted in satin, stilettos, and Spanx—Amy discovers even a prom spent in handcuffs might be better than the humiliating “rehabilitation techniques” now filling up her summer. Worse, with Lila and Cassie parentally banned, Amy feels like she has nothing—like she is nothing. 

Navigating unlikely alliances with her new coworker, two very different boys, and possibly even her parents, Amy struggles to decide if it’s worth being a best friend when it makes you a public enemy. Bringing readers along on an often hilarious and heartwarming journey, Amy finds that maybe getting a life only happens once you think your life is over.

About Lisa Burstein 

Lisa Burstein is a tea seller by day and a writer by night. She received her MFA in Creative Writing from the Inland Northwest Center for Writers at Eastern Washington University and is glad to finally have it be worth more than the paper it was printed on. She lives in Portland, Oregon with her very patient husband, a neurotic dog and two cats. Pretty Amy is her first novel. She never went to her senior prom. She wrote her first story when she was in second grade. It was a Thanksgiving tale from the point of view of the turkey from freezer to oven to plate. It was scandalous. 

She was a lot like Amy when she was in high school.

She is still a lot like Amy

You can find Lisa here: Website | Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads