The Way to Game the Walk of Shame(84)
HW: How did you first hear about Swoon Reads?
JN: I learned about it at Romantic Times 2014 because I danced the Swoon-ba to get a free tote! I didn’t even know what Swoon Reads was, but I wanted the tote bag! Then I looked it up afterward just to see a little bit.
HW: What made you decide to put your manuscript up on the site?
JN: It was actually Sandy Hall’s book. Because I found it at Barnes & Noble randomly, and I read it, and I really liked it. I thought, “This is a sweet, fun romance. And if this was chosen, maybe I have a chance?” So I went and posted.
HW: What was your experience like on the site before you were chosen?
JN: They always have those contests online where if you do the best, then you win a publishing contract or something. And I never really wanted to do that because it seemed like a popularity contest. But with Sandy Hall I could see Swoon Reads wasn’t that. People genuinely liked it and they gave really good comments. It was awesome to get comments like, “I love it!” or “Great book!” but I also got great comments about the characters, and I could tell the readers had put a lot of thought into it and they wanted to help make it better. That was awesome.
“The Writing Life”
HW: Do you have any writing rituals, like do you have to write in a specific place?
JN: Not a specific place. I really could write anywhere. Now usually I write at home. I used to write at cafes, Barnes & Noble, libraries … I think my very first novel I wrote on little Subway napkins when I was working at Subway. I think I still have it. As for rituals, I always have to have music on. If it’s too quiet, I can’t concentrate. And I like to print out my outline and have it next to me, so whenever I write something I can check it off and it always makes me feel good. If I don’t have the printout, I can’t write.
HW: What is your writing process? You just mentioned you have an outline. How does that work for you?
JN: Usually when I have a general idea, then I think of names and pictures. I have to have names and pictures. Maybe so when I plot I see their faces in my head? Then I plot out a detailed chapter outline so that when I finish a chapter I can check it off.
HW: What was it like to get the edit letter?
JN: It was nerve-racking because I didn’t know what to expect. We had talked a little before about what changes we wanted to do, but it was a little more specific. I remember opening it up and it was like 17 pages. I freaked out a little bit. But it was good. I read through it a couple times and I could see everything and understand, so it wasn’t that bad at all. Not as bad as I thought.
HW: How does the revision process work for you?
JN: When I got the notes, I wrote a new outline with “Things to Change” at the top. Change Lauren, take out a character, strengthen these relationships, have Aaron show up more, etc. And then I wrote for each chapter a brief outline of what happens and then what needed to be changed. Sometimes it was no changes, sometimes it was small tweaks, and sometimes it was scrapped completely and rewrite. And then I go through my list.
HW: What is the very best writing advice you’ve ever heard?
JN: It’s one that I think everyone’s heard and repeated over and over, but “Write what you want to write.” Write what you love. Don’t write what you expect other people want to read or what’s popular right now. I’ve tried doing that. I’ve added drama and tension and a lot of issues just because that’s what people say they want. And it just never worked out well. I was never happy with it, and if you want to get it published, you have to work with it a lot and reread a lot. And if you’re not happy with it, then it’s just going to be really hard.
From the author of How to Say I Love You Out Loud …
After taking the fall for a cyberbullying incident, former mean girl Nikki Baylor thinks her life is over. Then she meets Pax, a hot wheelchair rugby player who shows her that everyone deserves a second chance.
Coming August 2, 2016
Chapter 1
As I park in the lot of the Harborview Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, I realize that, for the first time ever, I’m actually excited to be there. I’m working a short, three-hour shift, and the shift itself won’t be so bad, since I’m filling in on the orthopedics wing, where Jeremiah’s been assigned.
After work, the two of us have plans to check out the end-of-summer party that spans the length of Ocean Isle’s boardwalk. Since I’ve seen it in those mailers that started showing up after the Fourth of July, the phrase end-of-summer has stirred feelings of anxiety, loss, and sadness. But tonight it means it’s time for a party. One final opportunity to eat handfuls of hot caramel corn with the salty breeze blowing across my face. One night to forget about everything else going on, in a crowd large and chaotic enough to get lost in.
I lift my butt off the seat and scrunch my hair as I look in the rearview mirror. Once upon a time, I was a shoo-in for “Best Hair” in the senior superlatives—it’s long and wildly curly, with natural highlights. All summer long I’ve tucked it under a baseball cap with the brim pulled down anytime I’ve been forced to leave my house. But not tonight. I made an effort to look good for Jeremiah. And I want to pretend I’m the girl I used to be.
Walking across the parking lot, I decide this place would be a lot more appealing if there was, you know, an actual view of the harbor. Instead, it’s located miles inland, in the middle of a bleak field. The builders tried to spruce it up with the usual gazebos and flower beds, but the name is still a bold-faced lie. It’s a depressing place to be, for all of us who are here because we have no choice in the matter.