1. On your blog, you discuss the numerous rejections you got for PRADA & PREJUDICE. I think your experience is very inspiring for writers. How did you keep believing that the book would sell and not get discouraged?

I didn’t get discouraged? Who told you that? *grin*. There were definitely days (weeks, months) I questioned my sanity. But I just felt too strongly about Prada & Prejudice to give up. So I revised and revised and eventually rewrote it. I don’t really have any tips, per se, but all I can say is that you have to go in knowing rejection is part of it and just refuse to take no for an answer. My tag line on my blog is “A published author is an amateur who didn’t quit. Don’t quit.” I saw that line every day, and it reminded me of my goal.

2. What is the number one thing you need when writing?

Honestly, there’s nothing that is a “must” for me, though I’d love hours of uninterupted time, gummy bears, soda, and music. Most of the time I have none of those things. I wrote the vast majority of Prada & Prejudice on a laptop on a noisy train at 7am. If you want something bad enough, you make it happen.

3. I remember PRADA & PREJUDICE being in TIME magazine, where Abigail Breslin was said to be reading it. Do you think that affected sales? Did you ever write her a note?

I never did send her a note or a thank you, though I would have liked to. I just figured it would be lost in fanmail. As for sales, we did see a nice little bump for a little while, but nothing major, as the mention was small. I did notice on Amazon that the “frequently bought together with” books were consistently books that were mentioned in that same article, at least for a month or so.

4. Your book for Flux is about an abusive relationship—a more serious topic than what PRADA & PREJUDICE—was based on. How did the idea come to you, and did you have a different way of organizing your thoughts, plot, etc. while writing serious material as opposed to lighter work?

SHATTERED is a book that’s pretty close to me. It was inspired by a relationship I had at 17 that was not physically abusive, but it wasn’t healthy either, and it gave me insight that I used in SHATTERED. It’s written in reverse chronological order, so it was a real challenge to get it to come together correctly. I did write it very differently than P&P in that I jumped around a bit when I wrote it. I had the skeleton of it done in a week, then went back in and wrote more scenes to fill in the holes. My writing style seems to change with every book I write.

5. I’m really impressed with your new career path of agenting. How do you balance that with your writing and what made you want to take that on?

You know, I’ve just been fascinated by the agenting side of things for a long time. I probably drove my own agent crazy because I was interested in the nuts and bolts of how she was doing things at all times. I became involved in the submission process (and selecting editors) early on, and over time, I knew I wanted to agent.

It can be a tough balance, but I’m not writing all the time– there are many periods of time where I’m waiting for revision letters or books to release and I can focus soley on agenting. Aside from that, it’s just not possible to write for more than a few hours at a time— I just can’t be creative for 8 hours straight. Therefore, I can write for a bit and then put my agent hat on and let my author-brain rest.

6. Do you prefer reading classic lit or contemporary and what are your favorite books in both genres?

Contemporary, hands down. I hate to use the term “sell out” but I am such a commercial, mainstream sort of girl– I always seem to love what’s most popular in music, movies, books. I definitely like a few more eclectic things, but I think my love of commercial works is going to be great for an agent– I’ll focus on things that fit the market best, and take on the occasional quiet book that speaks to me to balance things out. Favorite books– I could go on and on. Amaranth Enchantment, Match Made in High School, Hunger Games, Hate List, The Forest of Hands and Teeth, The Season….. I’ll stop now.

7. What is your favorite fairy tale?

Cinderella. There are an infinite number of ways to retell the story. I have a friend who wrote one in which Cinderella is an assassin, and she went to the ball not to dance with the prince, but to kill him.

8. Are you into fashion? If you had to pick a favorite outfit, what would it be?

No would be an understatement. I hate shopping and never seem to pull an outfit together. I like comfy tees and bootleg jeans.

9. Can you tell us anything about your upcoming novels? We’ll keep it secret. Promise!

Don’t keep it a secret! Tell the world!

My next book for teens, YOU WISH, is about a girl who gets every birthday wish she’s ever made, to disastrous effect. It starts with a life-sized my little pony. I’m hoping it’s funny. I’m not sure yet.

Ryan Potter’s EXIT STRATEGY will be published by Flux on March 1, 2010. Only days away!! Lucky for me (and you), I was able to interview him before all the mayhem started. To find out more about Ryan and EXIT STRATEGY, visit www.exitstrategy17.com.

1. Your first novel, EXIT STRATEGY, is coming out next week. First word that comes to your mind. No thinking allowed.

Finally! (I say ‘finally’ because I wrote the first draft nearly five years ago!)

2. What are your book launch plans? Any cool online or live parties or shenanigans planned?

Nothing major planned as of now. We’re still waiting to hear from some big chain stores in the area about upcoming signings, but there is a 5-book giveaway in process over at Goodreads that is going very well. I can’t believe how many people have entered to win a copy of the book. I love the Goodreads community! By the way, the giveaway runs through March 1. If anybody is interested, here’s the link: http://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/2826-exit-strategy

3. How did the idea for EXIT STRATEGY come to you?

As I’ve said, I wrote the first draft almost five years ago. It was my first attempt at a novel, and I had no clue if I could pull it off. I followed the old cliché of “write what you know.” For example, the main character is seventeen and works as a stock boy at the neighborhood party store, a job I held on and off during my own high school career. There are dozens of other examples I could give from the book. Anyway, I think that’s great advice for beginning authors. Take something you know and go from there. It worked for me.

In terms of the idea for the novel, all I knew in the beginning was that I wanted to write a story that would appeal to reluctant high school readers, especially average guys from blue-collar backgrounds. I also knew my main character would fall in love with his psycho best friend’s twin sister. That was my central plot conflict. How would Zach Ramsey (main character) deal with his love for Sarah Foster, and how would it impact his relationship with Tank Foster? I made everything else up as I went along.

4. What is your writing strategy (e.g are you a plotter, a winger, outliner, etc.)?

I’d say I’m a diehard winger with occasional spurts of plotting. I’ll start with a basic idea and go from there. Usually, I’ll have lots of ideas for scenes, but I won’t know until later exactly where to place them. That’s where my notebook comes in handy. I can jot the scene ideas down and come back to them when necessary.

As for outlines, I’ve decided they’re my worst enemy. I know many writers love them, but all they do is bog me down and smother my creative process. In fact, I just realized something. I’ve never used an outline on a published piece. In fact, the last work I tried to outline was a dismal failure that I ended up abandoning. So, yeah, I’m very anti-outline. Sorry, no offense, outline fans!

5. Which character in your book do you relate to the most and why?

That would have to be Zach Ramsey, the main character. Although he’s very unlike me in many ways, I do remember being disappointed as a teenager when I found out certain things about adults. I can also relate to Zach’s sense of wanting something more than what his hometown offers. Don’t get me wrong. I had a great time growing up where I did, but I knew I wanted something fresh and different as an adult. That’s why I knew I had to go to college.

On the other hand, in the novel Zach despises his football coach, but my own high school football coach is an amazing person and was a great role model for me back then.

6. What has been the most surprising thing about the publication process?

I’ve been most surprised at what a team effort the publication process is. I blogged about this last summer, but I highly suggest that new writers face the fact that the days of the recluse author are history. Yes, the actual first-draft process can be lonely, but once a professional agent offers you representation, and, later, a publisher offers you money for your work, it’s time to prepare for some brutally honest feedback and, usually, some major changes to your work.

I’ve lost count of how many drafts EXIT STRATEGY went through, but every suggestion from my agent and editors made it a better book. I’ve worked with so many wonderful people on this novel—two agents, two editors, a cover designer, publicist, copy editor, etc.—and I tried to do everything possible as a writer to make their jobs easier. They know what sells. I don’t. There’s a lot of collaboration on a novel. That part surprised me, but I like to think I embraced it from day one.

7. Sometimes when I’m stuck on a book, I work on something totally unrelated like house cleaning or take a walk. What works best for you?

When I’m stuck on a story, I’ll usually take a coffee or food break, but during that time I’m constantly feeling guilty for not staying in the writing chair and dealing with the problem. It’s a vicious cycle that way! As a result, I tend to take very short breaks.

8. If there’s one thing you want people to take away from your book, what would it be?

That I used my sense of humor to address some sensitive issues teen guys face but often have trouble talking about. Did I succeed in that? I’ll let readers decide. Having said that, if even one reluctant teen reader finishes EXIT STRATEGY and says something along the lines of, “Yeah, that was my kind of book,” then I’ll consider all of my hard work a smashing success!

9. Can you tell us a little about the next project you’re working on?

I’m working on a YA novel told from four different viewpoints. I like to challenge myself as a writer, and this is definitely something new for me. In terms of story, I have four suburban high school seniors (two males, two females) who embark on a very unique challenge as they near graduation. I’m afraid that’s all I can give you for now! However, I will say that this is the first time I’ve tried writing first-person female voices. Talk about a challenge!

10. This question is all yours: Anything you wish I had asked? Favorite song? The food you can’t live without? How you became a brilliant writer? All you!

How about a list of ten favorites?

• Guilty pleasure: American Idol (but I do miss Paula)

• Music genre: Heavy metal

• Sport: Baseball

• Exercise: yoga

• City: New York

• Food: pizza

• Film: Out of Sight (1998) – Easily George Clooney’s greatest role.

• Publisher: Flux 

• Literary agency: Andrea Brown Literary Agency 

• Other things I’d like to plug for free: Gibson Les Paul guitars, Elmore Leonard novels, and Nathan’s Famous Hot Dogs. 

1. DUST OF 100 DOGS is nearing its 1 year birthday. What has this first year of publication been like? Highs/lows? Surprises? And will you be throwing D100D a birthday bash, perhaps getting Saffron a small gift?

You know, I never thought of it that way before. But yes, the book is having its 1^st birthday on February 1^st, 2010. I probably won’t throw it a party or buy it a gift, but I may shout “Hooray!” at it and have a beer, now that you’ve reminded me.

The first year has been great. Highs were many, lows were few. I travelled a lot and met so many interesting people. I’d always wondered if my shy side would be able to handle public speaking and I seemed to do just fine. People laughed at my jokes, and I found that I quite like interaction with an audience. A bit of a surprise for a woman who lives in a virtual cave and rarely leaves it. Outside of that, it was a busy year—about a month after D100D came out, I sold my next book, and the month after that, I started writing the next one.

2. Has your writing process changed at all since this book has been published? I struggled trying to think of a book two idea and then once I had the idea, went through some kind of writing-induced paralysis before finally putting words on paper. Did you experience anything like this? If so, how did you get through it? If not, what’s your secret?

The Dust of 100 Dogs was written quite a while back, so by the time it was published, I’d written three or four more books. But I did go through an interesting short phase of what-the-hell-am-I-doing? right after the book sold, and that phase started my series called “The Writer’s Middle Finger.” If you’re a bit stuck going for number two, you need to read this. Once you read it, you will understand my secret. (Hint: Stretch it.)

3. I liked what you said in an interview about YA books—how the genre is open to interpretation, how it need not be pigeonholed as one specific thing. That said, I think a big theme in YA is the search for identity. In D100D, I felt Saffron struggled with this more than most characters—on a literal and metaphorical level. Did you see this as a large theme in the novel and something to explore/focus on or is it something that emerged as you were writing?

I think Saffron was most concerned with escape or the physical maturity required for her escape (turning eighteen and graduating high school.) I think escape is a major theme in the book for many characters. Her identity is a more intricate study than most characters, because she is, essentially, one hundred brains in one. On the more metaphorical side—aren’t we all? Aren’t we all an amalgam of our experiences mixed with others we’ve watched throughout our lives, and their experiences? Perhaps Saffron exists as a metaphor for all of this, then—identity, escape and maturity.

4. And, continuing my train of thought from question three…. Do you think Saffron creates a whole new self in the end, maybe a combo of both Saffron and Emer, or do you see her shedding both identities and just living her new life wherever it takes her?

I’ve always seen these two women as two different women. I mean, logically, Emer was born and died in the 17^th century and Saffron was born in the US in 1972. They both had a different set of parents. But they were nothing alike. Saffron wasn’t out to kill everyone she saw. Sure, she thought about it because Emer’s experience was in her brain and she was a frustrated 300-year-old in a world full of pointless noise, but she didn’t do it. Even in the end, Saffron was out of her element when she had to defend herself on a basic level. She’d grown too much in three hundred years to act like Emer had once acted. But, to answer the question. Who can shed their own identity? Saffron is Saffron. Once the final page turns, her life is still her life. Her mother and father are who they are. Her memories are a mix—the same as when she was born. The only thing she truly shed was the curse of greed she was born with. And now, she has to get on with her life, like any of us would. Lucky for her, she found something more valuable in the process.

5. Flux editor, Brian Farrey, has said that he’d love to package your marketing skills and sell them. What are some marketing tips you can give authors?

I think it’s funny that someone like me can reach out as much as I do. I live in semi-seclusion as I have for a long time. I don’t have any money to throw around, and I have little kids to raise and feed, so my every minute isn’t here at the desk. When I was a kid, I dreamed about things like videophones and computer modems. And now, here they are—all sorts of gadgets and services to allow someone like me to spread the word about my book to more people than I can count. When you stop to think about it, the internet is a mind-blowingly amazing thing. I’m not so sure I’ve got great marketing skills, but I know I’m a complete geek, and this stuff just comes naturally to me.

If I had tips, they’d read like this. #1. Use the internet as much as you can. It’s free. #2. Be yourself and don’t do anything that you hate doing (even if it interferes with tip #1.) #3. Be real. The internet is not a billboard. #4. Be nice. Nice matters.

6. Your next book will not be published by Flux, although I’m certain it’s great anyway. Can you tell us a little about it and what lies ahead for you?

My next book comes out with Knopf in October 2010. It’s called PLEASE IGNORE VERA DIETZ and it’s about a girl who is trying to clear her dead (ex) best friend’s name. I’m about to unveil cover art any day now, so stay tuned. The next book is [presently] called EVERYBODY SEES THE ANTS, and if you’d all cross your fingers for me, we’ll see if we can get that one to you the following year.

7. Anything you always wished an interviewer would ask you? We ask all these pesky business and writing questions but I bet you’re dying to tell us why you love fluffernutter sandwiches, right ?

You know, I do love Fluffernutter sandwiches. I love them so much, that when I was expecting my first baby, my parents sent me a care package containing a case of peanut butter and a case of marshmallow crème, which I couldn’t get in Ireland. (That’s 12 jars each.) But that wasn’t the question was it? Hmm. How about this: Hey Amy, how long after receiving that care package did it take you to get completely sick of Fluffernutter sandwiches? Answer: About six months. I still can’t eat them.