How
long have you been writing?, and who or what inspired you to write?
I’ve been writing off and on for over a
decade now. My first paid writing job
was for the Walt Disney Company. Having
that writing credit on my resume really opened doors for me later on. Since then,
I’ve been able to write for media outlets like The Los Angeles Times, Lego, Thomas Nelson Publishers, and I even
got to cover my favorite sport, soccer, in Europe and the U.S. It’s been a fun
ride.
Did it take a long time to
get your first book published?
I had a few books rejected before
signing my first deal, but mine wasn’t the long struggle you hear a lot of
author’s talk about. Most of the hard
work for me came after signing with a publisher. Balancing the juggling act of writing and marketing
at the same time is when the real struggle begins.
What
is the name of your latest book, and if you had to summarise it in less than 20
words what would you say?
My latest book is called I’m Nobody. It’s a YA/middle grade suspense novel about
an agoraphobic teen who begins getting cryptic notes from long dead poet Emily
Dickinson…or someone pretending to be her.
Caleb Reed, the protagonist, becomes obsessed with the notes, and they
begin to lead him dangerously towards his worst fear, the abandoned mansion
across the street. It’s book full of suspense,
with deeply emotional elements thrown in as well.
Do
you have plans for a new book? Is this book part of a series?
I’m
Nobody is part of my Lost Pages series - where writers from the past, like Emily
Dickinson, C.S. Lewis, and J.R.R. Tolkien come back to life to help some
wonderfully unique misfits. If the first
book does well, it would be fun to write book two. Beyond that, I just started outlining for my
next book, which will be my first non-YA/middle grade book. I’m still in the brainstorming stage, which
is my favorite part of a project, so I’m excited about that.
How
long does it usually take you to write a book, from the original idea to finishing
writing it?
From start to finish, it takes me
several months to write a book. The idea
for I’m Nobody came to me in late
2011, and the novel didn’t get released until this year. The length it takes me to finish a project
makes it difficult because once I start writing, it’s hard to take on any other
projects. My blog gets put on hold, and I can’t even take on any freelance
jobs.
Do
you have a certain routine you have for writing? ie You listen to music, sit in
a certain chair?
I like listening to music when I write.
It helps set the tone for the scene I’m working on. This weekend I began
working on a chapter by chapter playlist for my latest novel. I feel like my best scenes and blog posts
have come when I’ve been inspired by a song I was listening to at the time. The
genre? Well, that just depends on what I’m working on.
Do
you read all the reviews of your book/books?
I really appreciate the time reviewers have
taken to read and then write about my books, so I pretty much read all of them.
Of course, I’m always curious to hear what they thought as well.
What
was the toughest/best review you have ever had?
The best reviews are the ones where
people have been genuinely moved by what they’ve read. When I read reviews like
that, I feel like I’ve done my job as a writer.
Are
there any hidden messages or morals contained in your books?
My first series, Izzy’s Pop Star Plan, was written for Thomas Nelson Publishers.
They’re a faith based company, so that book contains some pretty strong
spiritual messages. I’m Nobody isn’t a religious book, but I’m sure that my faith in
God comes to the surface at times.
Where can readers follow you?
You can read more about my
projects at www.alexmarestaing.com, and, of course, pick up my books at Amazon.
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