Meet The Authors Showcase Edition #1 (1 of 3)

a showcase with @Designschool, author of Augusta Again

 1 what inspired the idea of your story?

I was driving from Orlando to Tennessee, passing through Georgia when I saw a sign for a store with a name that was the same as the last name of the boy in first grade, who asked me to be his girlfriend out on the playground at school, then kissed me (on the cheek, unlike my story which was on the lips) once inside. At the time I was in first grade I lived in Augusta. Before I realized it, I was creating the story of Augusta Again. It is not a story of my life by any means, but some portions of Caroline's life reflect things I've experienced.

2 what was something you struggled with for your story?

had the key events planned from the beginning, but occasionally I would get stuck on how to get from one key event to the next in an interesting way. See my answer for question 7 for how I would work through it.

3 what has been the overall response to your story from your readers?

its my first story, and I've only been posting chapters for a couple of weeks, so I am still waiting to see what the response is

4 what did you enjoy writing most of your story?

I enjoyed researching my story. Since I lived in Augusta for a couple of years during elementary school, it was fun to see what has changed. I loved doing satellite views to see my childhood home, school, and other things.

5 is your story a stand alone novel or a piece of a series?

Right now it's a stand alone, but there are some characters I've grown attached to that I could see developing in the future with other stories

6 what would you like your readers to take away from your story?

I want people to see that a romantic relationship is not everything in life, and a person can be strong and enjoy life without one. A bad relationship is not worth settling for; they can do more harm than good. But a good relationship is wonderful and worth the work. 

7 what's a piece of advice you would provide to another writer, when it comes to focusing on their story?

When I'm struggling to write and move a plot along, I often will look back at what I last wrote for my story, and then put it away and do something else to allow my mind time to work things out. It is also helpful if I look at what I last wrote, just before bed. It's like my mind will work out it's own scenarios while I sleep. Ideas sometimes even wake me up in the night when I do that.

8 does your main character share any similarities to yourself?

Caroline is tenacious. She sets goals and doesn't give up easily. She gives off the appearance of being strong, but is more affected by people than she sometimes reveals. Some of her life experiences are based off some of my life experiences, though the trajectory of her life is much different than mine. Her mom is a reflection of my mom, who died this past summer.

9 what's something you believe would draw in new readers?

There are quite a few surprises and twists in Augusta Again that I think will make it an interesting and worthwhile read. Obviously I can't say more because I don't want to spoil it. It would also be interesting for people who enjoy getting to know real places through literature. In the U.S. Augusta, Georgia is considered part of "the south," and they have a certain way that is a bit different from other parts of the U.S.

10 do you have any future projects?

I have a book, Deeper Still, that I am about a fourth of the way through, but I put it on hold to finish Augusta Again. I plan on finishing it, though I may rework it a bit first. I also have several other ideas that I have tossed around to do after that, but they've not been developed yet