Review: DRIVE by Stephanie Fournet
I have loved everything I’ve read from Stephanie Fournet, and DRIVE did not disa[...]
Please give a warm welcome to Laura Johnston, debut author of REWIND TO YOU! She’s stopping by today for a How I Write feature in celebration of REWIND TO YOU‘s release! Check my Q & A with Laura below, and help me wish her a happy book birthday!
About Laura Johnston
Website | Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads
Laura Johnston lives in Utah with her husband and two children. Growing up with five siblings, a few horses, peach trees, beehives and gardens, she developed an active imagination and always loved a good story. She fell in love with the young adult genre both through her experience in high school as well as her job later as a high school teacher. Laura enjoys doing too many things, including running, playing tennis, sewing, traveling, writing, writing and more writing, and above all, spending time with her husband and kids. REWIND TO YOU is her debut novel.
Are you a planner (outline, etc.) or do you “pants” it?
Planner! Although a lot of scenes fly out of nowhere and plot points take unexpected turns from what I’d originally planned. I find that a general outline keeps the story on track, improves pacing, and basically, I like having one.
Do you write daily or sporadically when you’re inspired?
Perhaps I should be ashamed to admit this, but I prefer to write when inspired. Some might argue with the write-every-day-no-matter-what advice, but I find that some days I simply need to live. As author Henry David Thoreau said, “How vain it is to sit down to write when you have not stood up to live.”
What inspired you to want to become a writer?
I was a recently married college student. I had always loved writing but figured I couldn’t write anything worth reading since I wasn’t a good reader (something I had believed ever since an elementary school teacher told me so). My husband was the opposite. He reads like crazy, and fast! He apparently saw potential and told me one day, “You should write a novel.” I was like, “psh, yeah right. I’m a slow reader.” To which he replied, “No you’re not.” (He was right; I can finish a gripping novel within hours.) That was all the push I needed. Lesson learned: believe in yourself regardless of what a test score or a person has told you, and work hard for your dreams!
How do you overcome writer’s block?
I take a break—go on vacation, read a good book, do some manual labor that provides ample time for me to think about my scene(s), etc… Listening to music always helps me too. I make a playlist for every novel I write! When those songs come on, my mind instantly goes into writing mode.
What resources do you recommend for new writers?
Writers conferences and writing groups are great. Romance Writers of America (RWA), the Pacific Northwest Writers Association (PNWA) and the American Night Writers Association (ANWA) are all ones I have participated in and enjoyed. Also, there are awesome books on writing.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve received for writing?
How about the hardest to accept? I’ve heard it phrased a million different ways, but I think C.S. Lewis said it best: “Failures are finger posts on the road to achievement.” With hard work, persistence, some miracles and a little luck, dreams can come true. Which reminds me of one last quote by Walt Disney: “All our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them.”
Thanks for having me!
Rewind to You
by Laura Johnston
Kengsington Publishing Corp
Publication Date: September 15, 2014
Wish You Were Here
One last summer before college on beautiful Tybee Island is supposed to help Sienna forget. But how can she? This is where her family spent every summer before everything changed, before the world as she knew it was ripped away.
But the past isn’t easily left behind. Especially when Sienna keeps having episodes that take her back to the night she wants to forget. Even when she meets the mysterious Austin Dobbs, the guy with the intense blue eyes, athlete’s body, and weakness for pralines who scooped her out of trouble when she blacked out on River Street.
When she’s with Austin, Sienna feels a whole new world opening up to her. Austin has secrets, and she has history. But caught between the past and the future, Sienna can still choose what happens now…
Jen! Thank you for the email and thank you for having me on your blog! 🙂 I really appreciate it. This was a lot of fun.