The Dreaming Museum: Author Interview

Today I’m excited to introduce the prolific, published author Jeanne Arnold. Jeanne is humorous, talented, and kind (not to mention a great writer), and I’m pleased that she agreed to be interviewed by me. Hey, Jeanne, thanks for being here!

Quick! Give us the title and genre of your book and a 30-word or less tagline. Stubborn is a young adult novel. A green-eyed boy with a Texan accent comes to Avery Ross’s defense against a rowdy train passenger and leads her into a passion-charged summer full of temptation and loss.

How did you come up with the title of your book? The characters in Stubborn have stubborn qualities, some a little more than others, so it’s a theme I carry through the book. And it seemed fitting since my main character, Avery, has stubborn writing scrawled across her forehead that won’t rub off. I believe everyone has a little stubborn in them even if they’re too stubborn to admit it.

If you were given a train ticket, what do you hope is the final destination? Lately I’ve been thinking about the Grand Canyon and writing a book to go along with it.

I think the Grand Canyon is an excellent destination. I went a few years ago with my family, and my mind was blown at the greatness of it all.

Were you a stubborn or rebellious teen? I was born stubborn, not so much rebellious. I was an average teen, doing everything that everyone else did. I was better at hiding it than some.

You and me both, Jeanne.

What is it that entices you to write middle grade and young adult novels? I have the voice of a teen speaking to me in my subconscious. It’s been a few decades since I was a teen, but when I write, I’m thinking with my teenage mind. I love the personalities and youthful arrogance that kids have. I love to tell their stories. It’s a way to relive that time in my life. In my head I’m still seventeen.

We know you’re gearing up for Stubborn’s release, but are you working on anything else at the moment? My young adult paranormal romance The Haunt of Thirteen Curves just sold to Champagne Books. It was inspired by local legend and Scandinavian folklore. It will be released in June 2014.

Do you have a special time when you write? All day and every day. And sometimes through the night.

What are the essentials you need when sitting down to write? (tea, music, pajamas, chocolate, etc.?) Great question. I need a cup of coffee near me. I must have comfy clothing if I’m going to do a marathon writing session. I never eat when I’m writing because I once dropped a forkful of chicken Parmesan on my laptop and vowed I’d never do it again. There are days I need absolute silence and days I can listen to music all day.

Where do your ideas come from? A great deal of my ideas I observe or experience. I’ve always been a quiet observer. My imagination runs 24/7, and I haven’t run out of ideas yet.

What is the most difficult thing about writing? I have a hard time concentrating. I’m easily distracted by everything. When the doorbell or phone rings, I lose all concentration. The crickets have driven me nuts this year.

What is the easiest thing about writing? So much about writing is easy when you love what you do. I find writing dialog to be the easiest part of writing.

What is your favorite quote and why? Something along the line of Better is the enemy of good. I can never let things go because I’m always trying to make them better.

What book are you reading now? Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern.

Night Circus is an interesting book. I love magical realism, and the idea of this circus pulled me in. We'll have to swap note when you're finished.

What do you do when you’re not writing? I love to take road trips with my family.

Other than Stubborn, have you written anything else? I’ve completed nine other books, my most recent being The Worst Possible Way, a young adult paranormal romance. Most of my books are young adult and middle grade. I’ve started to list them on my website. I’m currently writing the sequel to Stubborn. My soon to be released The Haunt of Thirteen Curves is primed for a sequel, too.

Fun Zone!

Do you have any unique talents or hobbies? I have a background in art and design so I can draw pretty much anything if I have the time. Family history interests me so I consider myself a part-time genealogist.

If you had Doc Brown’s delorean from Back to the Future, would you drive it into the future or into the past? Where would you go? I’d give anything to go back in the past and talk to my family members. I would need to go all over.

Night owl or early bird? I’m slowly turning into a night owl.

What is one food you will never eat? Pâté de foie gras. Never.

What do you want to be when you grow up? I’d love to write for a TV drama.

A clown walks through the door right now carrying a fishing pole. What does he say and why is he here? I beat him to the punch and tell him to shut the door, wipe his feet, and be quiet because I’m writing.

And now, before you go, how about a snippet from your book that is meant to intrigue and tantalize us?

“I was madly in love...and I fully understood what the madly part meant.”

Seventeen-year-old Avery Ross is tossed out of the frying pan and into the fire when she’s sent away from New York to the vast nowhere land of western North Dakota, with a train ticket, a bad attitude, and an unfortunate scribbling of obscenities across her forehead. When a green-eyed boy with a sultry Texan accent, comes to her defense against a rowdy train passenger, Avery has no clue that his actions will lead her into a stormy, passion-charged summer, full of temptation and loss, where she conceives a plan to impart sweet revenge on her parents, and win the boy of her dreams.

Working through her summer of punishment in a land of nomadic oil field hands, assisting at her aunt’s boardinghouse outside of Williston, Avery discovers a connection between her aunt and the striking boy from the train. He and his nearly identical brothers are seeking revenge for the wrongful death of their oldest sibling and Avery becomes entangled in their bitter battle over oil rights, loyalty and love. Avery falls hard for the brooding, younger brother Gabriel Halden, against her aunt’s forewarnings, and creates more tribulation than any of them anticipate.

Follow Jeanne! You won't be sorry. Pinky swear.