Last week, I did a couple of interviews with the wonderful Christy Strauch. It was truly a pleasure talking with her!

In part one of the interview on IGTV, we talked about my long path to publication and what I love about writing young adult books with multiple narrators. I also shared my profound advice on how to finish a novel. (Yeah, tbh I’m not sure I had the best answer for that one. I hate leaving things unfinished so the challenge for me is not so much finishing the first draft, but knowing when to stop tweaking and release the thing.)

In part two on YouTube, we delved a little deeper. I talked about how I did my research to write diverse characters – and why this is especially challenging to do as a white person; how I (attempted to) write novels with a message while avoiding preachiness; and how I have come to define success for myself. I also answered the burning question: if I could sustain myself financially through writing, would I quit my day job? The answer may surprise you! (Or not.)

Even though I was just a teensy bit nervous about these interviews (and I’ll admit to watching the Kitten Zoom Filter Mishap video right before I went live to loosen myself up), it was so much fun chatting about writing with Christy. I’m grateful for any opportunity to talk about my work!