November Author Series

Remember last week when I told you about the book trailer Megan Bostic did for her book, Never Eighteen? And remember how I asked you to vote for it so she could win a trip to the Sundance Film Festival and take her mom, who's a total movie lover? No?!? Well, click here and do it and to find out more about her book (and crazy awesome video talents). Then come back and read my interview of (um, no drumroll today, you already know who I'm talking about)

Megan Bostic

Megan's debut novel, Never Eighteen, will be released in Fall 2011 by Houghlin Mifflin Harcourt. Here she is:

Tell us about your book. It's a book about life, love, and loss. A seventeen year old boy embarks on a weekend journey to help the people he loves realize that they only get one shot at life, and to not take it for granted.

What's the best thing about writing? For me it's a form a therapy. For those who don't know me, I'm called the angsty writer (a self given name, but after a survey, four out of five authors agree). On a daily basis I roil with emotion, usually the only thing that helps is to take that emotion and pound it into the keyboard. This is why most of what I write deals with turmoil and tragedy. And much death. :)

What's the worst thing about writing? How do you deal with that part and keep writing? Writer's block is definitely the worst. I hate when I'm hot on a story and all of a sudden I hit a brick wall. Usually I deal with it by making some notes, writing down where I want the story to go, and I figure it out from there. I just had to do that with my current WIP (Work in Progress for you lay people)

What's your favorite food/recipe? Please pair it with a complimentary (or your favorite) wine/beer/beverage. My motto when it comes to food is "So much food, so little time" because I love it all. I suppose my ultimate favorite food is pizza. I like beer (Michelob Ultra) with my pizza, but normally my drink of choice is a nice Malbec.

What else do you want our followers to know about you and your journey towards publication? That it's been hard at times, fun at times, but every "no", every heartbreak has been worth it. And you can witness my journey on Youtube. just look up itlnbos, or Chronicles of an Aspiring Writer. Heck, just go here  :)

What are your future goals as an author? My future goal is just to keep writing. Never stop. And to write things that make people think, feel, cry even. And I wouldn't mind making a few bucks out of the deal.

How did you break it to your family/friends/etc. that you wanted to be an author? What did they say? What do they say now? When I started writing, I just did it. And let me tell you, it's the first thing I've done in life that felt right, that I was good at. First I let my husband read what I'd written and he liked it and said I should do more. Then I accidentally left a manuscript at my parent's house and they said I have some talent, that I should try and get published. And that's what I've been doing since, which was eight years ago. Now, they're all proud of me because I've accomplished what I've set out to do.

What is the planning process like for your novels? Pretty much I just sit down and write with reckless abandon. If I get stuck, like I said before, I make a few notes to get back on track.

Who is your writing mentor and why? Or, alternatively, who do you emulate? I'm not sure I emulate anyone. My style is my style. There are writers I love but really don't write like them (Stephen King, Dennis Lehane), but if I chose a writing mentor, I suppose it would be Jay Asher (Thirteen Reasons Why). When I read his novel it touched me in a way no other novel had before. It was resonant. I wanted to do that, do write like that, to make people feel. And he's a cool guy, very approachable. I want to be like that as a writer too. I want to talk to my fans, help other writers.

If you had a pet elephant, what would his/her name be? How do elephants influence your writing style? How does the movie Dumbo make you feel? .) I'm partial to monkeys.

erica hearts Megan (which, incidentally, is pronounced Mee-gan - yeah, I had it wrong at first, too). You can find out more about her and heart her, too, by going to her blog.