New Adult Book Club discussion
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Rebecca Donovan
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Author Q+A's
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Q&A with Rebecca Donovan *CLOSED*
Did you plot out the whole series before you started writing or did the plot naturally weave as your characters developed?
When did you know that you wanted to be an author?
Do you have a lucky charm? Something that gives you luck.? If so what is it?
Love your Breathing Series! Did you always know you would be a writer? When did you first realize writing was your calling?
what was the thing that made you start writing?
Hiiii Rebecca!! *waves* So I was wondering what your average writing day is like? Are you a panster or a plotter? Also, what is your favorite characteristics of a male love interest?
Hahaha. I know, I know! So many questions...I'm just so excited! :D
What inspired you to write the breath series
Hi Rebecca :) What's the best thing being an author?
What is your writing process like? And how do you get into the mindset of writing the dark characters you have in some of your books?
I've had moments of frustration with Emma in the breathing series which I think is all part of the emotions the book elicits. Do you ever get frustrated with characters you're writing? Thank you!
Do you read other author's work? If year, who do you like to read for fun?
what do you like most about writing and whats your favorite book ?
Have you ever considered writing a novella about Jonathon or Cole?
What gets you out of writer's block? if you ever get it
Which book was your favorite to write? Out of all your characters, do you relate to them in some way? Once you finish the Burning Series (which I can't wait to read once it's out!!!!!) what do you have planned?
Hi Rebecca! :) I love your book What If.. How did you come up with your characters? What is your inspiration in writing the book?
I love your books. What are you currently working on?
If you could spend a day in any location on the planet.... where would you pick and why?
While I loved Jonathan, I couldn't stand Emma's mom. What did he see in her?!
Hi Rebecca. Who are some of your favorite authors and books?
Did you always know you'd be a writer or was this something that just came up one day and changed your life?
Hi Rebeca! As a person who haven't read any of your book, what can I expect to experience in reading your Breathing series? Thank you.
Do you have any images that you used while you were writing (or since) to represent Emma and Evan?
Lori wrote: "YAY! So happy you invited me! Thank you!
We are pleased to have Rebecca Donovan with us this week for a Q&A. Rebecca is the author of The Breathing Series and What If. Look for a fant..."
Brenna wrote: "What inspired you to begin writing?"I have always written in some way or another. I started with journals, when my teen life was too emotional and overbearing to contain, so I needed a place to release it. I dabbled with poetry - again, as a way to express myself when life felt "too much" - and that doesn't necessarily mean it was bad, just a lot.
But I never wrote anything longer than a 20 page research paper in college - and that was only becuase I had to. And even then, I wrote it the night before (up to the hour) it was due. (Tells you a lot about what a horrible college student I was. Or what a fantastic procrastinator I still am.)
When I wrote Reason to Breathe, it was on a complete whim. Not planned at all. I have terrible insomnia. Plagued with an active brain that doesn't know when to turn off. I was half-dreaming (trying desperately to fall asleep). I was in an art room. There was a teenage girl and boy there. He was upset. She was avoiding him. She had a secret. Some paint and a KISS later, I was interested in this couple. What was she hiding? Why was he so determined to find out?
I started developing the story in my head. By 4am I was so enthralled in the lives of these characters there was no way I was going to sleep. I threw off my blankets with the thought, "I can't forget this", and started bulleting the main points of the story on my laptop. So... it began with a dream, literally. And continued because I fell in love with their story, and knew I needed to tell it. At the time, I didn't know if anyone would want to read it other than myself. But I didn't care. And that's when I became a writer...
Jessica wrote: "Did you plot out the whole series before you started writing or did the plot naturally weave as your characters developed?"I knew after I started writing Reason to Breathe that this was going to be a trilogy. I continued writing Barely Breathing and Out of Breathe soon after completing RtB. But I didn't get them right the first time around. In fact. The orginal versions of BB and OOB are VERY different than what is currently published... for a good reason!
But, for the most part, I know the ending before I can begin writing. I need to know where I am taking you, so I can interweave the stories along the way. Everything is on purpose.
Brittany wrote: "When did you know that you wanted to be an author?"The moment I became one. Ha! Honestly, I always knew I wanted to write books. I just figured it was something I'd do when I retired... becuase it's that easy. Haha! Yeah. I had no idea what it took to be an author. It was just a plan I had. I was always "planning" my life. But no matter how many times I thought I knew what I was doing, or where I wanted to be by a certain point in my life... it never happened that way. Life doesn't get planned. It's experienced! And my experiences have allowed me to be the author I am... who I did not know I would become until the moment I hit "Publish".
Hi Rebecca. Who's your favorite author or who do you look up to that inspires you to write?
Hi Rebecca! I'm wondering, who was your favorite character to write and why?
Hi, Rebecca! Love your books! If you could spend one day with one of your characters, who would yoou pick and why? :)
Thanks for the chance <3 Loved this series <3Here is the question: If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go and why? :)
Hi Rebecca! I love your books. I've read ALL of them ♥I have a question for you: What makes you write such emotional stories?
What inspired What If? I love this book!!
Do you get chance to read often? Are there any series/authors out in book land that you can't get enough of? X
Who are your favorite authors, favorite books (any genre)?
If you could pick any book to be made into a film what book would you choose?
How do you know when your idea for a book will work out successfully? What do you do when your idea just isn't working out at all?Thanks for answering our questions!
One of the things I loved the most about the Breathing Series was how perfect but still real Evan was. He's firmly in my top 5 favorite book boyfriends. So, my question is, what was the inspiration behind such an amazing character? (and any chance you know where to find a real life Evan? haha)
Betty wrote: "Do you have a lucky charm? Something that gives you luck.? If so what is it?"I do not have a lucky charm, exactly. But I can be extremely superstitious. If I'm having difficulty connecting with what I'm writing, and suddenly hit a flow. I do whatever I have to not to lose it. When I was writing the end of What If, I kept struggling with it. So when I finally got it, I ate the same thing (cheeseburger and fries), wore my hair the same way (in a braid), and sat in the exact same spot everyday for a week until I finished it. My body hated me by the end of that week, but I loved what I wrote. And that's all that matters... ha!
Jamie wrote: "Do you listen to music or do you need it to be quiet when you write? What was your inspiration for writing Reason to Breathe?"I think every story speaks to me (and through me) differently. I had to have complete silence while writing The Breathing Series, but listened to music in-between, and it often inspired upcoming scenes. I reference music a lot in that series, and I have specific songs in my head when I'm writing (even if I don't mention them by name in the books) - they are listed on the soundtracks I created, which can be found on my web site.
Other than the night of insomnia and the dream sequence I mentioned in a previous question, I chose abuse as Emma's secret because of what I witnessed firsthand while working with troubled teens after graduating college. There are so many teens from all over the world living with this secret, and I wanted to this story to be a voice for their silence.
Merv the perv - Best mates with Mclovin wrote: "Can a swallow carry a coconut??"Flake. Yes. Entire coconut. Not without help. Unless the swallow is from a creature double-feature movie and has been exposed to some sort of radioactive agent that made it ten times larger than its normal size. Then yes.
Betul wrote: "Who are your celebrity crushes?"Hmm... I don't follow many people on Instagram, but I do follow Colton Haynes. Not only is he extremely attractive, he makes me laugh. And there nothing sexier than a guy who can make me laugh.
Danny wrote: "What do you have planned next ?"I am creating The Burning Series, Jonathan's story (a character from the second book of The Breathing Series). He is also getting a trilogy. So it is my plan to have all three books written before the first is publishes - hence the reason it is taking so long for the first one to be released. His story is complicated. HE is complicated. Jonathan is probably the most controversial and complex character I've created to date. And being inside his head is a dark place to be...
In Reason to Breathe, Emma's aunt is extremely hard to read about. I had to keep taking breaks because she was truly a monster who did unspeakable things. Was she as hard to write about as she was to read about? What made you want to write about the cruelty of abuse?
Jabberwocky wrote: "Hiiii Rebecca!! *waves* So I was wondering what your average writing day is like? Are you a panster or a plotter? Also, what is your favorite characteristics of a male love interest?
Hahaha. I ..."
I love your excitement!
I don't have a typical writing day. Ha! I am not an author who can sit down for a specified amount of time each day and hit a word count. There are days it gushes out of me, and when I blink, it's dark outside. There are other days I can't even open my laptop... because I fear I may throw it out the window. I am an emotional writer. I need to be connected with my characters... to feel everything they do. If I fake it, you will know it. And the integrity of my words are too important to me. I'd rather throw 40K words away (and I have) and start again, rather than keep them knowing they hold no true emotional value. As long as you feel, no matter the emotion, then I know it was all worth it.
So much of what I write is in my head before I touch my computer... including the ending. I may plot the major story points on a calendar to keep it chronologically accurate. I do research on weather. On geography, and sporting schedules. Cars. Dresses. Surgical and Legal Procedures. Anything that needs to hold validity. But the storyline itself unfolds organically for the most part. Sometimes a character will say or do something I don't expect, and suddenly the story is taken in a different direction... that's why everything on the calendar is written in pencil.
Male book interests... I like the guys next door. The funny, sensitive guys. Will from Slammed is an easy favorite.
Rebecca, when are you coming to Ann Arbor again! ♥
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New Adult Book Club
Books mentioned in this topic
The Breathing Series (other topics)What If (other topics)
The Breathing Series (other topics)
What If (other topics)
Authors mentioned in this topic
Rebecca Donovan (other topics)Rebecca Donovan (other topics)
We are pleased to have Rebecca Donovan with us this week for a Q&A. Rebecca is the author of The Breathing Series and What If. Look for a fantastic giveaway to be posted.