First, tell us about yourself—where you live, your family, and those sorts of details.
I live in Georgia, where it’s rainy and warm and little green plants grow on top of everything. I’ve even found them growing on my car. I live with my wife, our ridiculously active two-year-old son, a Boston terrier, another dog that looks sort of like a kangaroo crossed with a dingo, and two cats that aren’t any specific breed, either. I am not very good at keeping up my lawn. I’d rather be reading a book.
How long have you been writing?
My elementary school had a “publishing company” where volunteer moms would bind up your poetry or stories into little books with colorful cardboard covers. I started writing stories then, in first or second grade. I wrote my first novel when I was twelve—it was called Dogboy and concerned a boy who dressed in a dog costume and mistakenly believed he was a superhero. I continued writing books (very bad, amateur books) for years and studied English literature and screenwriting in college. I published Jenny Pox in July 2010 and became a full-time novelist in November 2011.
Do you have a favorite place to write?
I know it’s strange, but I like to write at my desktop computer in my office. They haven’t yet invented a portable computer on which I enjoy writing; I think it has something to do with the keyboard. I like the keys to clack. When I’m editing, I like to print out a copy and take it somewhere else, like a coffee shop or a not-very-crowded bar. Being in a different environment helps me focus on reading the book, since I don’t have the whirlwind of distractions that I do at home (I mentioned the toddler, right?).
You’ve written the Jenny Pox books, which are sort of horror/paranormal, and the Songs of Magic series, which are silly stories about fairies. Your newest book, Nomad, is a “time-travel dystopian.” Why don’t you settle down and pick a genre?
I should, but I get distracted by shiny new ideas all the time. I don’t like to confine myself to just one kind of story. I think that if I keep exploring the story ideas that excite me, regardless of whether they fit what I’ve done before or whether they’re even marketable, I’m more likely to write something unique for readers to enjoy.
Why did you decide to write Nomad?
At first, I was testing out a certain unusual idea about time travel and what could happen if you create a paradox. As I began writing the story, I grew very interested in the main character. She grew up in a destroyed, war-torn future America, and I was interested in how such a hard childhood among rubble and ruins had shaped her. She had to scavenge to survive. When she travels back to 2013, she’s shocked at how plentiful and cheap everything is. She’s driven by her mission, but under all her scars, she has a strong heart. She’s intelligent. She’s a battle-hardened fighter. I really enjoyed writing that character.
What’s next for you?
I’m looking at a couple of horror/supernatural story ideas. My next book will be something darker, like Jenny Pox or Nomad, and then eventually I’ll write more of my fairy series. I don’t keep a very strict plan, I just write whichever story seems ready at the time.
Thanks so much for having me on your blog for the Book Blitz celebrating the release of Nomad!
