We had a great time with Chevy when she was in our shop! We still have signed copies of her new book That Night in stock, get them before they are gone!
Want to know more about her books? Click here and go to her website!
1. How many rejection slips did you get before your first novel was published?
My publisher at Saint Martin’s Press bought my book in a pre-empt offer.
2. Have you ever thrown away a book that you just couldn't make work?
No, but I have had to scrap ideas or large sections of a book. STILL MISSING was rewritten numerous times but I never threw it out because the premise was always strong. It was plotting, structure, and some characters that needed work. If the premise didn’t hold up, I may have had to try something else. With my current project, which will be released next summer, I struggled with the first draft and had to go back to the drawing board with the second half of the book because it just wasn’t working. I lost a lot of time, but I think if I hadn’t gone in the wrong direction, I wouldn’t have found my eventual solution
3. Is it still exciting to publish a new book?
Yes, absolutely! It’s always thrilling for me to see something that I have worked so hard on go out into the world. I love hearing from fans as they are reading it.
4. Do you get ideas for new books all the time and you keep them written down, or does one come to mind when you need one?
When I am working in a book, all of my creative energy is going into that book. Sometimes I will see something, or hear something that lodges in the back of my mind, or there are feelings or styles I’d like to explore, but I don’t really start thinking about a new book until I am finished my current project. Then I begin brainstorming. During that process, lots of ideas get thrown out.
5. Do you have entire story mapped out when you begin your books?
I work from an outline but things changes during the course of writing a novel. Sometimes plot twists happen organically or my research will take me in a new direction. As I get to know the characters, the book may also evolve differently.
6. Is there any kind of book you would like to write but haven't?
I’d love to write a dark comedy one day. I enjoy reading those sorts of books and I think it would be fun to write in a really sarcastic voice.
7. If you could have written any single work – novel, screenplay, stage play, poem, history, biography – that you most admire and adore, what would it be?
That’s an interesting question. I would have loved to have written Good Will Hunting, or The Lovely Bones, or The Power of One by Bryce Courtney. I think the creation of Good Will Hunting is an especially great “rags to riches” story. Two best friends write a screenplay, star in it, and win Oscars!
8. Anything you’ve always wanted to be asked about your writing but no one ever has?
I never get asked if anyone in my family was a writer. My grandfather on my father’s side wrote a memoir called “The Red Pilot: Memoirs of a Soviet Airman.” He wrote about his escape from Russia. We used to have the Russian copy but lost it in a house fire. I found an English copy on the Internet. I dreamed of one day placing my first published novel next to his, and when that dream came true it was a very special feeling. My father, who passed away when I was twenty-two, also loved books so I know he would be proud.
9. Any Final Words?
Thank you very much for having me to your store in June! It was wonderful to meet you all. And thanks for the great questions.
Comments