Saturday 20 July 2013

Author Spotlight: L.M. Augustine



L.M. Augustine

So, tell us a little bit about yourself.

I'm a professional dork, a YA and NA author, a semi-talented chocolate eater, and--yes--a reader-ordained badass. (One reader said it! One! So of course I'm taking the title anyway.) I live in New England and love writing love stories about quirky characters.

Now, tell us one thing about yourself that you do not usually include in your regular author bio.

*whispers* I strongly believe that if you aren't at least a little bit weird, you have not lived. */whisper*

Who and what did you grow up reading? Do you remember the first book that you fell in love with?

I used to love reading Cornelia Funke books. I doubt they were the first books I fell in love with, but Dragon Rider is the first book I remember reading and loving, right when it first came out.

Who would you say has had the most influence over you becoming a writer?

Definitely John Green. I didn't discover him until recently, but he was one of the authors that inspired me to start writing seriously.

What made you decide to sit down and actually start something?

I have been writing forever, but never seriously until one day when I was reading a book (I think The Maltese Falcon?) and was really loving it, and then I thought, hey, I can do this, and I sat down and started a random book idea I had. I wrote really infrequently, starting and stopping on the book, but eventually, I finished!

How long have you been writing? Do you write part-time or full-time?

I've been writing seriously for about two years now, but I've been writing random, non-novel stories since I was a little kid.

I currently write part-time, but I'm hoping to one day make that full-time!

What is your normal writing style? Do you outline and plot or do you just start writing to see where the story takes you?

It really varies from book to book. Sometimes I have no outline at all, just a basic plot, and I wing the rest of the book. (Then have to do tons of revisions.) Other times I make very detailed, very meticulous planning of the whole plot. It all depends on what the individual book needs.

Do you have any quirky writing habits?

Yes! I physically cannot write fiction sitting down or standing up. I have to be reclined in some way. (Is this awful? Am I THAT lazy?)

How long on average does it take you to write a book?

Again, it really varies from book to book. I've written books that have taken six months before and some that only took a few weeks (Click, actually.) Sometimes the story flows and sometimes it doesn't; it all depends.

What would you say is the hardest and the most enjoyable thing about writing?

The hardest part about writing, for me, are the second and third drafts. Nothing drives me crazier than when I read through the mess that my first drafts leave and have to wade through and fix EVERYTHING as I go. It's tedious, but it’s also necessary.

What has been your most memorable experience since publishing your first book?

I would say, in general, meeting all of the awesome publishing people. Authors, bloggers, readers--everyone in this community is so great. I'd be nowhere without them.

If you could go back in time, what advice would you give to your younger self?

My advice would probably be not to take advice from random future versions of yourself because, you know, that'd be a little creepy for Younger Me. (I am bad at advice.)

Give us a little hint and insight into what you are working on at the moment.

Well, I'm finishing up Two Roads, my NA romance which you can find on Goodreads, but I'm also working on something that is really… REALLY… dark. That's all I'll say!

Now, let’s have some fun. What is your favorite pizza topping?

Pepperoni all the way!

Describe to me your most perfect Ice Cream Sundae.

Okay, it is black raspberry chip with hot fudge and whipped cream, and it is one of those awesomely large Styrofoam cups. I love the feeling of eating sundaes out of those.

As a reader, do you prefer ebooks or paper/hard backs?

eBooks for sure. I haven't read a print book in over a year.

Where is your favorite place to read?

I love reading in this little couch by the window at my house, especially when it's sunny out.

If you found yourself stranded on an island, what is the one book you would want with you? And why?

I would definitely bring The Fault In Our Stars by John Green, because it's the one book that never fails to make me both laugh and cry no matter how many times I read it.


And last but not least, I am an animal lover. Do you have any pets? And if so, what kind and what are their names?

I have a dog--dogs are far superior to cats, as you are well aware--and she's a black lab and her name is Pickle.


Be sure to check out all of L.M. Augustine's books!

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