Welcome to YABC, Gwen! Thanks so much for doing this interview for us! First off, tell us a little about your debut, Falling Under.
Thank you for having me! Falling Under is, at the heart of it, a love story. It's about a girl who meets the boy of her dreams...literally...the boy she dreams about suddenly enrolls at her school but also still visits her dreams. He's got a dark purpose for being there and the closer she gets to the truth, the more danger she falls into.
What drew you to writing for teens, and how is it different than writing for adults? Do you prefer one over the other?
I don't have a preference, really. My teen stories are usually about opening up your heart for the first time while my adult stories tend to be about trying to learn how to re-open your heart like you did the first time.
You have self-published several e-books in the past. Tell us about your journey from self-publishing to your first print debut with Penguin.
If I'm an advocate for anything, it's keeping an open mind and doing what works for you.
My journey began in epublishing because the length of those stories worked the best in electronic format. I'd always pursued print also--but I don't believe that my smaller publishers are stepping stones to get to New York. Nor do I think I would ever go all self-publishing or all print publishing. I make those decisions based on the story and where I think it will do the best.
There are also so many savvy people in publishing that I want to work with--for instance the story I have coming out from Samhain Publishing in May was a result of wanting to work with editor, Imogen Howsen. She's got an amazing writing voice and I'd always wanted to do a project with her as editor. My short story, an adult rom/com called Let me Call You Sweetheart was fun to write and fun to publish.
What did you do when you found out you sold Falling Under to a major publisher?
Truthfully, it didn't sink in for awhile. I was excited, of course...but it felt a little to close to a daydream to be real, so I was pretty casual about it.
Who was your favorite character to write in Falling Under and why?
I love writing Donny. She's fun and layered and says things I wish I could get away with.
Were there any television shows, films, songs, or books that helped fuel your creativity and inspiration while writing on Falling Under? Do you have a playlist?
So many people ask me if I was inspired by Labyrinth or Alice in Wonderland...and the truth is I haven't seen either. And I won't until after I'm done writing the sequel now that everyone thinks I'm so close to them.
I do have a playlist. There is a snippet of it here: http://iLike.com/p/uN1reM:16wwte
In Falling Under, Haden visits Theia in her dreams. Did the idea for this book come to you in your dreams?
This book HAUNTED me. For reals. I saw the first scene in my head and then it never went would go away. It actually creeped me out. I mean...some of the those scenes are really weird and I didn't understand how I was coming up with them. Because I am not all creepy. ....No really, I'm not.
Tell us about the "Cheese Pact" you have with some of your Twitter friends. Do you adhere the Cheese Pact in Falling Under?
The Cheese Pact is a very mysterious thing. It involves cheese and a pact. And the first rule of the Cheese Pact (written in Cheez Whiz) is that there is no Cheese Pact. (But if you look carefully, you will see that there is some instance of cheese in all of my books. No, seriously. Go look.)
Which book is sitting on your bedside table right now?
My Kindle has a bajillion books on it on my bedside table right now. Waiting for me to finish this interview and go read them. All of them.
What is your go-to snack when writing or revising?
Cheetos. And Diet Rockstar. (Yes, I realize that isn't exactly health food.)
So, what's next for Gwen Hayes?
I have a short story out at the end of May and I'm revising (and licking Cheeto cheese off my fingers) the sequel to Falling Under right now. It's called Dreaming Awake.
Last but not least, what has been your biggest SQUEE! moment since becoming a published author?
Email from readers. And fan art. That was so cool to get fan art!
Thanks so much, Gwen. Click the link below to order Falling Under right now!
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