Author Uncovered: Lisa Schroeder (Author Interview)

Hey guys! Secret Agent Uncovered is going to be a new feature here at The Undercover Book Lover! They are interviews with some AMAZING Young Adult authors. This is my second interview and it's with Lisa Schroeder (*squee*)!!! I was so excited when she emailed me back with the questions. I love her books! Thanks so much Lisa!




Her books:

Her latest project:
Don't the cupcakes look GOOD!?!?!



Did you always want to become an author?
Well, I've always loved to write, but it wasn't until maybe ten years ago I decided to write and pursue publication. And then I learned how hard it is to actually become a published author. It's been a long road, but I'm so happy to be here and I'm still enjoying the journey!

Who or what was your inspiration for I Heart You, You Haunt Me?

I actually had a dream about a girl whose boyfriend died but he loved her so much he couldn't leave her. I got up the next morning and started writing. The first pages are very much like I wrote them that first day. The interesting thing is that I didn't know how he died. I kept writing, and soon realized that it could be a little bit of a mystery and keep the reader reading to find out what happened to Jackson. A friend helped me come up with the idea of how he died when she shared a story about something that happened to someone she knew in high school. It was so perfect for the book, it was creepy. I won't tell you here - if you haven't read it, you'll have to read it to find out.

What about for Far From You?

That book came from a few seeds of ideas. First, I'd always wanted to write a book with Alice in Wonderland elements. Second, I'd wanted to do a book where the main character was a singer/songwriter and the MC would write a couple of songs in the book. And finally, I was thinking about the book OUT OF THE DUST and how the verse made the heat and dust so real. I thought, what would be the opposite of that, and realized it would work well to write a book about characters stuck in a snow storm.

How does it feel like, knowing your books are on those bookshelves in a bookstore?

It still feels a little unreal at times. And scary. And of course exciting. There are SO many good books these days, and more coming out every day, so I probably feel worried quite often too. It's hard to compete. And I *really* want to keep writing books and being an author, so I just have to hope and pray people will see something a little different in my books and buy them!

Did you base any of your characters on real people?

No, I never have actually.

What are your ten, most favorite things?

Oooh, what a fun question. Let's see if I can do it! I'm going to say "things" are not people because I could easily list ten people and I don't think that would be as fun for readers.

1. My dog, Stormy
2. Music (especially Lifehouse and Taylor Swift)
3. Books
4. All the photo books of my kids
5. Chocolate
6. Running Shoes
7. Laptop
8. My comfy bed
9. Strawberries
10. TV (where I watch favorite shows like Friday Night Lights and Project Runway)

What is your typical day?

Well, I work a day job so I get up, check e-mail and blog if I have time, write a little bit hopefully, then during school, help get my kids off to school, get my self off to work and do that for 8 hours. I come home, make dinner, help with homework (except during the summer, yay!), do some reading and go to bed. I do most of my writing on the weekends, during the early morning hours while the rest of my family sleeps.

What is your favorite type of drink?

Diet Pepsi. I keep trying to quit and I just can't. I only have like one a day, but I love that one a day.

Do you have any upcoming books apart from Chasing Brooklyn?

I also have my first mid-grade novel coming out in March, 2010 called IT'S RAINING CUPCAKES. It has an adorable pink cover with lots of cupcakes on it!