I am so very excited to have had the opportunity to interview Mindi Scott, whose gritty new novel Freefall, is due to hit stores early next month. It's about a teen boy who finds his best friend dead and the aftermath of this discovery. I haven't read it yet, but have heard tons of stellar reviews, comparing this new voice to the likes of John Green. And I love John Green. Here's what Ms. Scott had to say:The main character of Freefall is a male. You're (obviously) not. How did it feel to write from the point of view of a teen boy?
At first it was harder than writing a girl and I had to revise every single sentence to get it right. But over time, it became very natural. The whole process helped me realize that when I’d written girls before, I’d relied a little too much on my own perspective. With Seth, I couldn’t ever do that. Writing a character who was so different from me has really changed my approach to voice and point of view. For the better! I'm a high school English teacher, so I'm always wanting to know whether or not authors have been inspired to write by someone or something that happened in high school. Any positive or negative school experiences that have influenced your writing?
Mrs. Zbaraschuk, an English teacher I had during my senior year, was very complimentary of what I turned in for her class, which inspired me to want to keep writing! Also, I will say that the content of my writing is constantly inspired by things that happened while I was in high school. There were a lot of highs and lows for me in those days and I never run out of ways to use those emotions for my fiction.
Any advice for teen writers?
think that reading books in a variety of genres to learn what you enjoy writing is a great way to get started. That’s what I did!
What is your favorite YA book right now? If there's more than one, I completely understand!
I really, really love THE DEATHDAY LETTER by Shaun David Hutchinson.
Honest, emotional, exhilarating. (I stole all of those descriptions from reviews of the book!)
Thanks, Mindi! I can't wait to read this book! And, it counts toward the Contemps Reading Challenge, of which I am partaking. And, I know that a bunch of you are, too.
