Hi guys,
Today I'm thrilled to be taking part in the blog tour for Aurora Zahni's book Ellie Santon. For this stop on the tour I'm happy to be hosting an interview with Aurora.
Before we get into the interview, here's a little about the book.
About the Book
Genres: YA Contemporary
Published January 14th, 2014
Publisher: Beau Coup Publishing
Book 1 in the Heller Park Series focuses on Ellie Stanton. An imperfect, unremarkable girl makes a hero’s journey. Ellie Stanton needed to have a good day. The universe had something else in store. Getting caught shoplifting. Check. Dumping her lame boyfriend. Check. Expulsion from school. Check. Getting kicked out of her house and then stealing her mother’s car while she’s in a New Jersey turnpike rest stop Cinnabon? Check. The only sensible option is to run as fast as she can and never look back. Now Ellie is running going cross country to raise a little hell and maybe along the way learn everything she needs to know about life.
Book 1 in the Heller Park Series focuses on Ellie Stanton. An imperfect, unremarkable girl makes a hero’s journey. Ellie Stanton needed to have a good day. The universe had something else in store. Getting caught shoplifting. Check. Dumping her lame boyfriend. Check. Expulsion from school. Check. Getting kicked out of her house and then stealing her mother’s car while she’s in a New Jersey turnpike rest stop Cinnabon? Check. The only sensible option is to run as fast as she can and never look back. Now Ellie is running going cross country to raise a little hell and maybe along the way learn everything she needs to know about life.
About the Author
Aurora Zahni is a former rebel who’s trying to bring a little bit of Judy Blume and Sylvia Plath to the Twilight Generation. Over the years she
has given half-assed / full throttle contributions to numerous zines and blogs, written a web movie and done significantly well in countless competitive eating events.
When she was in the 8th grade she was on the local evening news. A dead body was being lifted out of the water at a marina by the Meadowlands and you could clearly see her standing in the background watching, looking a bit excited for the camera. Looking back it may have been the highlight of her entire childhood.
has given half-assed / full throttle contributions to numerous zines and blogs, written a web movie and done significantly well in countless competitive eating events.When she was in the 8th grade she was on the local evening news. A dead body was being lifted out of the water at a marina by the Meadowlands and you could clearly see her standing in the background watching, looking a bit excited for the camera. Looking back it may have been the highlight of her entire childhood.
- What made you get into writing?
I’ve always written in some shape or form since my teens. I’d write poetry and short humor pieces before eventually channeling my passion into music and lyrics. After my band ran its course I was in a really icky place emotionally, so I wanted a real cathartic experience. Working on novels was precisely what I needed.
- Have you always been interested in becoming an author?
I was always interested but I used to be afraid that I just couldn’t do it. Nothing about writing a book seemed easy!
- What inspired this book?
I wanted to give the world a “normal” heroine. You don’t need to be supernatural, magically chosen, beautiful or extremely lucky to have a wonderful life. Ellie is every girl.
- Do you have a particular writing schedule? If so, what is it?
Any spare moment I find. I scribble notes and write short scenes and then sort and flesh it all out when I get home.
- Are you a planner or do you wing it?
I’m a pantser. I will plot only the next few scenes, but always have a general idea where I’m going and I constantly revise and check for continuity.
- Where do you do most of your writing?
On buses, trains and in the bathroom to start, and then I put it all together in the tiny closet I call an office at home.
- What's been the most challenging thing about becoming an author?
Having complete and total responsibility for a universe. Everything you write and put out into the world is fair game. Good, bad, or ugly, it’s all your doing. Accepting all that power is daunting.
- What's been the most rewarding thing about becoming an author?
See above. Ha! When it goes right, you end up with a living, breathing part of your life. Books are families and friends and that is amazing.
- If you had one piece of advice for aspiring authors, what would it be?
Write a great original story that is entirely yours and always back up your files.
- Do you have any future projects that you're working on?
The second book in the Heller Park Series, Terminal Romantic will be out soon and I’m currently working on the third.
- Anything else you'd like to add?
Everyone go home and listen to Stereolab and Jessica Lea Mayfield tonight.
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Thanks for being on the Ellie Stanton tour, Hannah! Leave it to me to schedule you for two stops in one day haha. Sorry about that!
ReplyDelete-Nichole
No problem. I only noticed I had two scheduled for today when they went live. I love taking part in blog tours though, so it's fine.
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