Author Interview: Jennifer Echols Edition

I have the amazing author Jennifer Echols with me today! I'll be posting my reviews of Endless Summer and Forget You later this week.

What gave you the idea for Forget You?

I had an idea for a novel called No Parking in which a chick wants to go parking with her boyfriend but weird stuff keeps happening to her car. You are glad I thought about that one a little longer, aren’t you? It did seem like something was missing. Then I read a review on trashybooks.com making fun of an old Sweet Valley High book in which the good twin has a wreck, gets amnesia, and starts acting like the evil twin. Yeah, it did sound like a bad book, but there was something about the cheesy amnesia plot that really got under my skin. I LOVE the amnesia plot! So I decided to write my own amnesia book.

Was it always the plan to have a sequel to The Boys Next Door?

I left the door open to write one, but I never thought the publisher would want one. I’m glad they did. I think people who have enjoyed The Boys Next Door will really like Endless Summer!

What is your writing process like?

Right now I’m starting a new book, so I would say my writing process is like CRAP. Getting started is really hard for me. I need to plot everything out to a certain degree, and that’s the most difficult part for me. But once I get going, I’ll write for a few hours a day and really enjoy it.
Favorite Music?

I listen to a little of everything, but at the moment my favorite bands are Incubus and Foo Fighters.

Movies?

In general, they disappoint me! I can’t believe you can sink that much money into a project without taking care to write sympathetic characters and a bulletproof plot! But around New Year’s I really enjoyed Sherlock Holmes and Up in the Air, and I can’t wait to see The Hurt Locker because the Academy Award-winning director, Kathryn Bigelow, also directed one of my all-time favorites, Point Break.

When did you know you wanted to be a writer?

I started writing a lot in fifth grade or so, but I also got very involved in art and music. My first major in college was music, and it wasn’t until I was a sophomore that I switched to English and decided to make a living as a novelist.

How long did it take you to write Forget You?

Three months.

What is your favorite book?

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen.

Forget You and Endless Summer both have release dates close together, did you write them at the same time?

No, I wrote Forget You from September to November 2007, and I wrote Endless Summer from September to October 2009. I write a lot faster than the publishing industry wants to go!

If you could have any guest over for dinner, dead or alive, who would it be?

President Obama.

What would you consider to be the hardest thing about writing?

As I’ve said...getting started! I am deathly afraid of writing myself into a corner, so I need to work everything out beforehand.

The easiest?

The daily grind, just pumping out chapters. I enjoy it so much, and whenever this career gets tough, I remember what fun it is to write, and I count my blessings.

Which of your characters do you feel is most like you?

Definitely Lori in The Boys Next Door and Endless Summer. What a clueless dork! But she’s pretty funny, and she means well.

What advice would you give to an aspiring writer?

RUN AWAY SCREAMING! If you can think of ANYTHING else to do with your life, do that. This business is impossible, and you will never make it. It’s so frustrating. Give up now!
The thing is, the real writers reading this are the ones who are stubborn, who love to write, and who honestly believe that they can be the rare people who make it. Those are the people who really will make it. Nothing I can say will discourage you, so embrace this unfortunate career path you have chosen, and if you major in English, get a minor in something that will allow you to be employed while you’re waiting to be published. Promise me you will do that, okay? And good luck!

Thank You Jennifer for the great interview!