Interview with Eileen Sharp

In the interest of full disclosure, my first interview here is with my mother. She inspired me to write. She nurtured a love of the written word by teaching me to read, reading to me, and telling me fairy tales (of her own creation, I might add) before bed. She is an amazing writer, and I owe her big time for passing that gift (at least in part) down to me! So I put her first on the list.

Eileen Sharp lives in Pennsylvania, and has written several novels, two of which are available on Amazon.com. She has a great sense of humor, and that is reflected in much of her work. You probably won't believe me considering a certain amount of bias, but her books are really fantastic--sharp, witty, and filled with relatable human experiences.

First, what books have you published, and which one would you like to promote here?
I've published The Unspeller and Certainty. I think Certainty is a great book to get out there.

Can you tell us a little about Certainty?
 It's a story about Ren, a young man who can see what people will be like in ten years through ghosts of people's future selves. It gives him a unique perspective on high school. He also meets the ghost self of the girl he's going to fall in love with, which is a strange and complicated experience for him.

Where did you get the inspiration for the story?
From watching everyone I went to high school with and what they did with their lives. I was fascinated by the choices they made and it made me wonder what it would be like if we'd all known about those choices when we were going to school together. Would we have treated each other differently? Maybe been a little less paranoid or self-conscious about our own insecurities...or judgmental.

I noticed that you prefer the young adult genre. Do you think you will stick with that?
Yeah, probably. I'm not even sure what the difference between adult and young adult is other than young adult is usually more clean. I prefer that, so I guess I write for young adults.

What books did you read when you were younger that inspired you to love reading and writing?
I loved Joan Aiken and Lloyd Alexander and I think Ellen Raskin's "The Westing Game" is one of the most perfect books ever written.

What do you do when you have writer's block?
Stare at a blank screen. It's super effective.

Just kidding. This sounds dumb but I sometimes have to stare at the screen for a few days before the groove comes back. Music helps. And the shower. Don't ask me why. Showers spark creativity.

Do you find time to write every day?
I'm not an every day writer. I'm an obsessed chunks of time writer. It just works that way. I don't recommend it to anyone. I should write a book, "Most Ineffective Ways to Write a Novel".
  
We'll keep and eye out for that one. Do you have any advice for young or aspiring authors?
Advice---yes. It's okay to have a little ADD. If you dream up a scene that has nothing to do with your current project write it anyway. It will wait for you to have time to finish it later. And develop a crap-o-meter for when your stuff is quite what it should be.

Crap-o-meter. I like that. When you are writing, do you have a favorite snack or beverage on hand?
Ice. Can't write without it.

What is your favorite dessert?
I don't know...depends. Cheesecake, maybe.
 
Any other random thoughts you would like to leave us with?
If you're a writer get shamelessly lost in your stories, and if you're a reader, I love you!
And if you're a musician, thank you for inspiring the rest of us.

You can find Eileen here: www.eileensharp.com

And her books here:
http://www.amazon.com/Certainty-ebook/dp/B004S7AL96/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1358884106&sr=8-2&keywords=certainty

http://www.amazon.com/Unspeller-Book-Days-Eileen-Sharp/dp/1450576710/ref=sr_1_cc_1?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1358884473&sr=1-1-catcorr&keywords=THe+Unspeller


I have some great interviews and book reviews coming up soon, so keep an eye out for them!