Why do you read young adult fiction?
In a way, YA “saved me” as a reader. I grew up reading everything I could get my hands on, but at the time there was little that would classify as “YA”. Then I hit college and as an English/Theater major, all of my reading was for class and I just couldn’t get invested in any fiction.

What YA book are you reading now?
I’m currently reading a non-YA autobiography (Stephen Fry), but here are the books I have lined up waiting for me:
·      Simon and the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli
·      The Start of Me and You by Emery Lord
·      A Darker Shade of Magic by Victoria Schwab

When and where do you read?
I work two part time jobs and have a husband and a daughter so what little free time I have, I try to use for writing. That being said, I always read before bed. It both quiets my brain and helps me to brainstorm my own work. Other than that, it’s really stolen moments. I always have my kindle with me just in case.

What draws you to a book? 
If I’m in a bookstore, I definitely am drawn in by covers and then give the blurb a try. If that works, I’ll read the first couple of pages. Otherwise, I’m forever downloading free samples onto my kindle and sorting them into “buy/borrow” categories. I have a lot of books that I’ve been carting around through two international moves, so I’m very selective about what I acquire as a physical book as opposed to electronic.

Do you ever reread books? 
All the time! When I truly love a book, I find that on my first read I’m racing through it find out what happens. Then, I read again to study the actual words. Sometimes, I also reread a book immediately because I don’t want to leave the world and can’t imagine reading anything else.

Which YA books has had the most impact on your writing?
This is such a difficult question for me. Obviously, as I mentioned, Melissa Marr’s Ink Exchange really opened my eyes to what was possible. Maggie Steifvater’s Shiver really nailed home that it was possible to be poetic while telling a good story. There are many books that I’ve actually studied just to see how authors I love handled certain conflicts or emotion or scenes. I don’t have a very visual view of the world overall, so that’s something I’ve really had to try to learn (and continue to try to learn).

When and where do you read?
I read whenever and wherever I can.  Any time, any place!  I prefer a paper book to a Kindle, but Kindles are great for traveling.  I also love audiobooks, so that can up my reading quotient.

What draws you to a book? 
I tend to listen to recommendations from friends--then I move to blurbs and reviews.  Covers are always important, but I'm not turned off if the cover isn't shrieking "Read me!"

Do you ever reread books? 
I do!  It's a comfort thing (confession: they're not YA books).  I've reread (or re-listened) to lots of books.  Sometimes, if I'm trying to figure out how a book makes its magic, I'll reread very slowly and take notes.  Or listen over and over again.

Which YA books has had the most impact on your writing?
Hard to say.  I didn't start writing YA because I loved reading YA--I started writing YA because the characters/story that came to me were in the YA world.  I'm always drawn to contemporary YA that yanks me into a characters mind and holds me there.  Some examples might be STUPID FAST, Geoff Herbach, BROOKLYN BURNING, Steve Brezenoff, and PLEASE IGNORE VERA DIETZ, A.S. King--also books by Courtney Summers.
 
Which books do you find yourself recommending over and over again?
Oh gosh--see above, I guess!  

A couple of weeks ago, my lovely friend, Kristi Tuck Austin, wrote a post about her upcoming participation in The Blog Tour. When I tweeted to tell her I couldn’t wait to read her answers, she asked if I wanted to join in. Please visit Kristi’s website to read about her writing process. It’s a fascinating post with some amazing novel research video of the interiors of two big-city drain tunnels and the Paris catacombs.

And now, my turn for the Q&A:

1) What am I working on?

I am writing the first draft of my fifth novel and I’m amazed that the process hasn’t gotten any easier (more on that in question 4). The manuscript is a contemporary YA, with just a little hint of magical realism, that my agent and I refer to as the HTR (Head Trauma Romance).

2) How does my work differ from others of its genre?

I’ve been complimented on my ability to write a believable teen voice. Once, a contest judge commented that she would not be surprised to learn that I was, in fact, a teenager myself.

There’s a pretty good chance I’m old enough to be that judge’s mother.

I think (I hope) that it is my experience as the parent of teenagers that makes my work stand out. I love my relationship with my kids: the good, the bad and the dramatic. And I LOVE writing about these relationships from both sides of the proverbial fence.

 3) Why do I write what I do?

My obsession with young adult fiction started about five years ago, as an effort to spark my son’s interest in reading. I challenged him to a reading race; then I devoured the entire Harry Potter series in the same amount of time it took him to read the first book.

And I was HOOKED.

The writing transition was just as easy.  

 4) How does my writing process work?

I’m a pantser. I get a flash of an idea: sometimes it’s an entire scene; sometimes it’s just an image of the main character. Then I sit down at my computer and write to see what’s going to happen. If all goes well, the next scene starts to form in my thoughts as I’m winding up the current one. If not, I go back and read one or two chapters to see if I took a wrong turn somewhere in the The Pantser Maze. If that doesn’t work, I get up and move around. Walking and showering are an integral part of my writing process.

My current WIP has been a bit of a struggle and just recently, I figured out why. My rewriting and polishing skills have gotten quite the workout over the last two years but I forgot how to first draft! I totally forgot that I used to start with dialogue and maybe a few notes in parenthesis to remind myself that the character needs an internal thought here or needs to move there. I forgot to take my own favorite advice (which I kind of borrowed from the movie SHREK): Novels are like onions. They’re written in layers. I write dialogue first; then I go back and answer all those questions that start with W.

Next Week on the Blog Tour:

Phil Stamper is a public relations and social media professional from Washington, DC. Growing up, Phil was an only child in a small farming village in Ohio. While it could be seen as a boring lifestyle to some, he kept himself entertained through playing the piano and writing stories that stretched his imagination. As a winner of the Project REUTSway 2013 competition, his short story PRODIGY will be published as part of REUTS Publications‘ upcoming anthology. 

You can visit Phil at: philstamper.com

Trinity Doyle is a graphic designer who writes realistic young adult fiction. She grew up trapped in the suburbs with terrible phone service and could be found reading in the family car in order to avoid her crazy brothers. She is currently working on two young adult novels.

Check out Trinity’s blog at: trinitydoyle.com

Don’t forget the hashtag!

Use the #MyWritingProcess hashtag on Twitter to find other stops along the tour.

Thanks for stopping by,

Elle

One day, my awesome critique partner and I were walking (to keep our bottoms ends from spreading) and talking about writing (because, duh). I was struggling to come up with an analogy for all of my many first-draft pantser problems and my amazing CP said this:

“It’s like a maze.”

And I said, “Yes! It’s exactly like a maze.”