Hi, everyone! Today, I have a very special guest visiting the blog: Miss Rachel Coker! Most of you know her, and her awesome books, blog, and BEAUTIFUL photographs on Instagram. (Seriously, she’s such a great photographer!) I’ve stalked her for about two years now (I think it’s unhealthy to obsess so much…) 😉 and she’s such an inspiration. I’m so glad to be able to ask her a few questions today. So without further ado… the interview!

Me: Hi, Rachel! I’m so excited to be interviewing you. I’m a huge fan of your books, Interrupted: Life Beyond Words, and Chasing Jupiter. When I first read your books, it was really encouraging for me to read that you had your first book published when you were just sixteen! Do you have any advice for aspiring writers?

Rachel: The best advice is to keep writing! I know that sounds boring, but I have to keep reminding even myself of that on a daily basis! It can get so easy to put writing off because you feel like you’re not good enough or your life is too busy. But unless you practice, you’ll never learn! So try to write as often as you can, and don’t think too hard about what other people think. If it’s important to you, chances are, it will be important to someone else.

Me: You must be asked this a lot, but you know I have to ask! 😉 What inspires your stories, and writings? What keeps you writing?

Rachel: I’m inspired by the joy of everyday life. I know that I’m a writer because writing is my basic instinct whenever something is happening my my life, whether good or bad. I physically feel it when I’m fighting the urge to write about something. Everything I see or feel or think has to culminate somewhere, and for me it’s in my words!

Me: Are there any writers or specific books that have made an impact on you? (Or that you just really love?) =)

Rachel: My favorite books are definitely The History of Love by Nicole Krauss, East of Eden by John Steinbeck, and Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson. They’re all completely different, but they each touched me in a unique way and showed me something important and powerful about the art of storytelling. I think it’s important for writers to draw inspiration from many different genres and authors. Don’t get stuck reading the same thing all the time.

Me: Aside from reading and writing, what other things do you enjoy?

Rachel: Well I love food. 😉 I’m an avid photographer. I’m addicted to Instagram. And I always want to go thrifting. So… basically I eat a lot, shop a lot, and take a lot of pictures. Haha.

Me: Okay, I’m dying to know. Are you writing anything now, or planning to? If so, how is it coming? Can you tell us anything about it? (wink wink) 😉

Rachel: Yes, I am! I can’t reveal too many details now, but I did start a Pinterest board with a little bit of inspiration for readers who are dying of curiosity and need something to whet their palettes. 😉 You can find it here!

You have no idea how exciting that news is for me! 😀

Thanks again, Rachel, for taking the time to do this interview!

Until next time everyone!

Hey, everyone! Monday I reviewed Chasing the Milky Way by the lovely Erin E. Moulton, so today she’s visiting us and will be answering a few questions. 🙂 I’m really excited to have gotten to interview her! Thanks, Erin!

Hi, Erin! Chasing the Milky Way was such an amazing story! I know I couldn’t write those events without any personal experiences in mind. What inspired the book? Did you use personal experiences/people for inspiration behind Lucy’s mom’s illness, or robot competitions?

That is a great question. I wish I had a great answer for it. But inspiration is tricky like that. For some stories it arrives as a clear spark, and at other times, it arrives in fits and starts. This story was a fits and starts story–One that was really fleshed out as I wrote and researched. However, one thing that seems to be part of the inspiration for every one of my stories is a line, words or poems. In this case, Robert Frost’s, Acquainted With The Night, played a big part in accessing the mood of the book. I read the poem over and over again. Whenever I thought I was getting off track, I went back to it…I have been one acquainted with the nigh/I have walked out in rain and back in rain./I have outwalked the furthest city light./ I have looked down the saddest city lane.

I hung onto that from the start of the book to the end of it. I hope the emotional resonance is in there, even just a wisp.

I loved that poem as I read it throughout the book. I can see how Lucy’s mom loved it, too.

As Lucy’s mom has a mental illness, I was really interested in how people like her deal with their depression, and what it means for their kids. (Like Lucy and Izzy in Chasing the Milky Way.) What sort of research did you do for the book? Did you begin with the research, or writing the story? What was the writing process like for you?

Thanks for bringing this up. People do hate to talk about mental illness, so it is refreshing to talk about it in an interview. First off, when talking about mental illness, and accessing how Mama might have felt in the story, it’s important to remember that mental health is just like physical health. In other words, you can be very healthy at one point in your life, and very unhealthy at other points in your life. So, I don’t think of it as a “people like Mama” scenario as much as another aspect of the human condition-that we all could run into at some time or another. Does that make sense?

I think people all deal with mental illness differently. And that is exactly what I tried to zero in on when writing this story. It wasn’t about how people deal with mental illness, but how would Mama deal with this episode at this time  in her life. What brought her here? What is making her tick? What does she care most about? What dream is she hanging onto? What does it feel like to be manic and what does despair look and feel like? I dug into these emotions by reading some great biographies: An Unquiet Mind by Kay Redfield Jamison and A Brilliant Madness by Patty Duke. I also listened to many personal stories from the NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) website. Once I heard the stories, I was easily able to relate, and all I needed to do was make sure that each scene with Mama was one that I could also understand form her perspective. So even though the story is written through Lucy’s point of view, I also had to be fully aware of Mama’s emotions during each scene. I previewed the scene in her eyes (in my head) and also did some writing exercises to make sure I fully understood what was happening.  Of course, because Mama is in a very bad episode, and because she goes up and down so swiftly, and because her moods also impact Lucy and Izzy, the writing process was a very emotional one. Especially when I was getting into her character, I had a really difficult time sleeping. Sometimes, my anxiety would crop up. Sometimes, I had a very fuzzy head. None of my other books have been so hard, emotionally, to write.

I can definitely see that writing the story would be emotional for you. I shed a few tears, myself, reading the book. 

As a wanna-be author myself, I’m dying to know from the pro’s. 🙂 Do you have any advice for aspiring authors?

I think one of the most important and understated things you can do as a writer is observe. Observe everything. Watch people, watch reactions, watch emotions, watch situations (don’t be too blatantly nosy). Watch life. Watch flowers bloom. Watch the light catch on dragonfly wings. Observe everything. Your stories will stand out because of your unique perspective on the world. So, give yourself plenty to work with.

I’ll remember that! You’re right – it is understated, but fantastic advice.

Do you have a favorite scene or quote from Chasing the Milky Way?

sure do. By the time I am done writing something, I usually can’t stand looking at it one more time…but in this case, the end—the last paragraph before the time jump. P. 266. That’s my favorite paragraph/moment. I just loved how it tied up. Not too neatly, but exactly like it would. I can’t quote it because I don’t want to spoil it for anyone!!

I loved that part, too! I thought the ending came about perfectly. What do you like to do when you’re not writing? Construct robots like PingPing200? Steal RV’s and collect moon shells?

I wish I had time to construct robots! I keep pretty busy. I work as a teen librarian at the Derry Public Library, so I do a lot of programming and collection development. It’s a great way to connect with teens and also share our favorite titles. I have a wonderful writers group. I also love activities like yoga and reading. When I have a big pocket of time, I like to put on my noise cancelling headphones and just listen to music. I also have a very sweet little baby who is a joy to hang out with all the time. So, he keeps me pretty busy these days!

Thanks so much for having me on your wonderful blog!

Thank you, Erin! 

Be sure to check out Erin’s books, and my review of Chasing the Milky Way! 🙂 Until Friday,