Social
media, although overwhelming at times, offers great avenues to meet new people.
I’ve had the privilege of getting to know today’s author via Twitter, but we
follow each other on Pinterest as well, and I love seeing what new images and
inspirational quotes she has for her audience. Jennifer (great name, by the
way) is passionate about her writing, and I am so excited for the release of
her first novel.
Quick! Give us the
title and genre of your upcoming novel and a 30-word or less tagline. Free Runner — It’s an upper mid-grade
contemporary/action/adventure novel with a heavy dose of mystery thriller. Fourteen-year-old
Cam White is forced to exchange his SoCal life for London. He steps off the
plane and into the pages of a crime novel. Only one kid can dodge bullets and
bad guys and live to tell about it—the FREE
RUNNER.
What lures you to
write young adult novels? My name is Jennifer, and I am addicted to YA lit.
Me too, Jennifer.
How did you come
up with the title of your novel? [Free running is] not only the fastest
growing extreme sport in the world, but it’s the essence of the main character.
I’ve never heard
of free running before. What is it about it that has captured your attention? I’ve been a runner
for a LONG time, but it was my sixteen-year-old son who introduced me to free
running. The art of defying gravity with the human body won me over.
Tell us a little
bit about your cover art. Who designed it? Why did you go with that particular
image/artwork?
The cover art was a collaboration between Saguaro Books and myself. I wanted a
silhouette of a free runner so readers can form their own idea of what the main
character looks like. The main character’s first love is surfing and he’s from
SoCal, so I thought an image of him doing a flip over water was perfect!
I know you have a lot of creative wheels spinning at the moment. Other
than this novel, what other projects are you working on at the moment? Developing the other two novels I have written.
Do you have a special time when you write? Early morning.
What are the essentials you need when sitting down to write? Quiet and sugar-free cappuccino.
Sugar-free cappuccino?! Who knew that existed?
Where do your ideas come from? Many come
from my own personal experiences. As a child, I grew up attending mostly
private schools. The dynamics of private education make great fodder for my
novels. My antics and sarcasm landed me in hot water on a daily basis.
Detention was my extracurricular activity. My own two teenage sons give me
plenty of fuel for storytelling. I observe how they interact with their
friends, teammates, X-box, girls;-)
What is the most difficult part about writing? Always getting interrupted. But I’m thankful those interruptions are
my kids.
What is the easiest part about writing? Ideas for stories and scenes. I never run out of ideas.
So, basically you’re an idea factory! Are your ideas for sale? I’m
kidding. Or am I? ;)
What is your
favorite quote and why? “I pray because I can’t help myself. I pray because
I’m helpless. I pray because the need flows out of me all the time—waking and
sleeping. It does not change God—it changes me.” C. S. Lewis. Why? He is one of
my favorite authors and because this quote is so true.
Man, I love C. S.
Lewis. And this is one of my favorite quotes as well.
What book are you reading now? Oblivion by Anthony Horowitz. It is the
final book in his Gatekeepers series.
I’ve followed him since he penned the first Alex Rider book. I idolize him
because he writes books boys love to read.
What is a novel you think everyone should read? When I taught history for many years, I always read Surviving Hitler by Andrea Warren to
each class. It’s one of the most thought-provoking novels anyone can ever read.
Jack’s true story of the Nazi death camps will leave you amazed at one young
boy’s fight for survival.
What do you do when you’re not writing? I run—it clears my mind, helps me edit—on
the go, relieves stress. (And I run my kids around town—school, practice,
games.)
How do you relax? What do you do for fun? I grab my camera and photograph my kids, leaves, horses etc. I live
about half a mile from the Mississippi River. Beauty surrounds me.
I love seeing the pictures you take. You have a great eye.
Other than novels, what else have you written? I’ve written three novels (including this new release) this past year.
I am editing the other two as we speak. The other two are also upper mid-grade
novels. I do have a blog. You can find it on my web page.
Fun Zone!
If you where a free runner, what would be your greatest move? The vault. As a child, I never could sit still. I was always vaulting
over things and jumping from high points.
If you were in Oxford, what would be the first place you’d visit? Prestige Academy—Cam’s school, of course.
Do you have any
unique talents or hobbies? I’m an amateur photographer and an art educator.
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? Future—spy on my kids.
Night owl or early bird? Reformed night
owl.
What is one food you will never stop eating? Meat. I’m a “low-carber.”
What do you want to be when you grow up? A professional photographer
A free runner walks through the door right
now carrying a skateboard and an artist’s easel. What does he say and why is he
here to get you? “Lady, you dropped your
skateboard.” Ha! No, really, he’d probably say, “Mrs. Hawes, I’m here for my
art lesson.”
And now, before
you go, how about a snippet from your book that is meant to intrigue and
tantalize us:
“The horses will show up. The storm
probably spooked them,” says Avery.
She doesn’t offer to accompany me; I
embark on my journey alone. The graveyard generates more shadows than a haunted
house, so I slink along the wrought iron fence, circumventing the field of the
dead. I stop near the gates and step on a mouse. It squeaks and scurries off.
With my next step, I sink into a fresh footprint—one size larger than mine. I
follow the intruder’s path into a warren of twisted trees that embraces the
edge of the clearing. The footprints continue into the tapestry of motley
scrubland. The wind snatches a leaf from the ground and flings it against a
pine tree. Its dead skin scrapes the bark on a downward spiral. A twig snaps.
“Please be my horse,” I mutter to myself.
You can (and definitely should) find Jennifer in
the following places:
No comments:
Post a Comment