Nothing can ever happen that can take that away from me. But the bottom line is that once my debut novel hit the shelves, I became a published author. It’s so easy to get sucked into the worry cycle or the gossip of the industry. I’ve learned to approach this writing career with enormous gratitude. So I spent my debut year sort of in a haze that THE TRUTH ABOUT ALICE was not only getting published but was getting a very warm reception. My first two manuscripts got very close but never sold. It took me seven years to publish my first novel. Jennifer Mathieu: To be honest, I’m still surprised that I wrote a book and it got published. What was the most surprising experience? What lessons did you learn? Valerie Lawson: You both have written stunning debut novels, which received much critical acclaim. The film rights for DUMPLIN’ have been optioned by Disney. Her second young adult novel, DUMPLIN’ (Sept 2015), received glowing reviews including two stars from Publishers Weekly and Booklist, and in less than a month after its release, hit #1 on the NYT best seller list for YA Hardcovers. Her debut novel, SIDE EFFECT MAY VARY (2014) was a NYT Bestseller. She lives with her bearded husband, two vicious cats, and one pomeranian that can pass as a bear cub. When she’s not writing, Julie can be found cruising Costco for free samples, watching Sister Act 2, stalking drag queens on instagram, obsessing over the logistics of Mars One, and forever searching for the perfect slice of cheese pizza. She’s never seen Star Wars, but has yet to meet a made for TV movie she didn’t love. Julie Murphy is a potty-mouthed Southern belle who was born in Bridgeport, Connecticut, but found her home in Fort Worth, Texas. Her debut novel, THE TRUTH ABOUT ALICE, won the 2015 Children’s Choice Book Awards’ Teen Choice Debut Author Award. She is the author of THE TRUTH ABOUT ALICE (2014) and DEVOTED (2015). When it comes to what she reads, she loves realistic young adult fiction (obviously), creative nonfiction, super scandalous tell-all memoirs, and anything that hooks her attention on the first page. Jennifer lives in Texas with her husband, son, one rescue dog, one fat cat, and another cat that is even fatter than the fat cat. Her favorite things include chocolate, pepperoni pizza, and the super hilarious 1980s sitcom The Golden Girls. Jennifer Mathieu is an English teacher, writer, wife, and mom who writes books for and about young adults. One lucky reader will win $100 off this workshop! Stay tuned to enter! Loved loved LOVED!!!) And now, they are putting all of their fabulous talent together to host a workshop this February for Madcap Retreats. (I seriously raced through them in record time. Jennifer Mathieu and Julie Murphy both had extraordinary debut novels that made quite a splash in the world of contemporary YA fiction. Today I may have to cut down on the caffeine intake because I’m already buzzing enough with excitement over my two guests.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |