This week we are honored to have young adult author, Beth Ellyn Summer, spending five minutes with us. Beth writes contemporary young adult fiction, and is the author of one of our favorites – At First Blush (Bloomsbury). We have featured and blurbed about this book here. Thank you, Beth, for stopping by the Chronicles!
Beth Ellyn Summer
1. Tell us about your latest project.
It’s still in that jumbled up Everything-Is-Changing phase but I will say this: it’s fun, contemporary, and has some YA Sweet Home Alabama vibes 🙂
2. What was your hardest scene to write?
Hands down, the hardest scene I have ever written was in At First Blush, and it’s where Tyler and Lacey have their date in the furniture store. I swear to you I wrote about 40 versions. I knew I wanted them to have a cute date, without it being too sappy, and I also knew there had to be foreshadowing/doubts for Lacey that the relationship could fall apart. But everything about the scene, from dialogue to setting to direction took me ages to execute. This was the scene I kept putting off till the bitter end. So, when deadline approached? Well…let’s just say, I panicked. Hard.
Some panicked (then promptly deleted) versions of their date are as follows: Tyler and Lacey shopping at Target for goodie bags for a LaceyBlushes subscriber meet up. I had them in a hotel rooftop pool. I had them eating a picnic on the roof of Tyler’s bus. I had them go to the beach. I had him give her a pizza making lesson. I had them watching a fireworks show. I had them go mini-golfing. I HAD THEM GO TO WHOLE FOODS AND SAMPLE CHEESE. (I so wish I were joking about that last one.) Just when I was ready to admit defeat and reevaluate my life, it was my mom who suggested the furniture store setting, and I’m really happy with how it turned out! I like that it was Lacey’s chance to do something special for Tyler.
3. What was your favorite book as a child?
I loved the Sweet Valley Twins series and the Babysitters Club, but my all time favorite book was a Nancy Drew called The Mystery at Lilac Inn. I read it like 100 times.
4. Do you hide any secrets in your books that only a few people will find?
YES! I definitely love to put little “messages” and secret shout-outs in my books.
5. What advice do you have for teens who want to write novels one day?
Learn all the writing rules so you can effectively break them. 🙂
Read as much and as widely as possible. Read for FUN first and foremost, but then re-read your favs to analyze the technical side. How did the author execute the story you love so much? How do they keep you turning pages? Also, swap stories with your writing friends. Read each other’s work out loud. Basically, get comfortable early on with the things that make you feel out of control and can seem scary because I promise you that a) it’s not as scary as you think! It helps so much to hear your work out loud, and b) publishing is all about lack of control. You’re throwing your words into agents’ hands, editors’ hands, then to the world. The sooner you’re ok with letting people read your work, the better.
Find your voice by just being unapologetically you. It’s so easy to compare yourself to other authors and wish you could write like someone else. But know that whatever style you gravitate to is your natural, given voice. Own it! And show the world what you’ve got! 🙂
Thank you, Beth, for sharing these great tidbits. Teens, if you’re looking for a swoon-worthy, fun read with an amazing and important message, pick this one up right away.
Connect with Beth Ellyn Summer:
Website: bethellynsummer.com
Twitter: @BethEllynSummer