Aimee Agresti (Author of Illuminate) Q&A Event--April 21-24th

[Divya]

Who are your favourite authors and did they inspire you to start writing?

[Aimee]

Life is wasted on the living [Elena] wrote: "Hello Aimee :) Haven't read the Gilded Wings yet, but will do so asap. Thanks for being here with us and answering our question.
Speaking about them, here is mine:

What is the one thing you coul..."

Hi Elena! Please do let me know what you think when you read! =-) Thanks for the wonderful question! I definitely couldn't live without my cheering section: my family and friends! They're the ones who get me through all those bad writing days when I feel like every sentence I write is terrible. It's so necessary to have folks who believe in you and keep you going! And then, coming in a close third behind family and friends is...chocolate! ;-)

[Aimee]

Kelly wrote: "Have you always known that you wanted to be an author?"

Hi Kelly! Great question! I always did dream of being an author! My mom is a librarian, so I grew up reading everything in sight and I always dreamed of writing novels. But I'm also a practical girl, so I went to journalism school and spent years and years writing for magazines, which was tons of fun and a great way to get in the habit of writing every day. But, still, I was always secretly working on my fiction at night until I finally made the leap!

[Aimee]

Dre wrote: "Aimee wrote: "Dre wrote: "Hi Aimee!

Do you like to travel? Where's the best place that you've traveled to, and what would you recommend for us to try when we land there?

What's the last book tha..."

Good! You'll have to let me know what you think when I announce that location! =-) And I guarantee NEARLY GONE will get you out of your reading slump--so good! Glad you like Chord and Chace too! ;-)

[Aimee]

Jenny wrote: "I always pictured Josie Loren as Haven in my head. Although she's probably too old now...but how she was in Make It or Break It--she has that vulnerability, but she can be strong when she wants to..."

Oooh, these are brilliant casting choices!!

[Aimee]

Harlee wrote: "I love baking too! :)"

Yay! Bakers unite!

[Jenny, Always smiling! :-D]

Aimee wrote: "Jenny wrote: "I always pictured Josie Loren as Haven in my head. Although she's probably too old now...but how she was in Make It or Break It--she has that vulnerability, but she can be strong whe..."

Thanks!

And I also LOVE baking! I'm a part time chef at a senior assisted living facility, and I do a LOT of baking there!

[Levian]

Aimee wrote: "Oooh, good questions! I find inspiration everywhere, you never know what might spark a great idea: books, artwork, music, all can be great triggers. I'm not sure if my daydreaming is as productive as I'd like it to be, but I do find..."

that is truly hard work. it always made me appreciate books even more after knowing the struggles authors went through and the efforts they put together behind all those beautiful covers. :)

do you faced any writing stumps during the creation of the Gilded Wings series?

[Haley]

Hi Aimee!!
I have two questions!
#1- what were some of your favourite books as a kid
#2- Chicago or New Orleans? If you had to pick!
:)

[Jenny, Always smiling! :-D]

Okay, everyone, today is the last day to get your questions in!

This has been a wonderful Q&A, thank you so much to all our members for such great questions, and thank you, Aimee, you have been awesome!

[Karen’s Library]

Yes, this Q&A has been amazing, Aimee!! I love that you get to hang at the Smithsonian!!

[Sherlyn]

Hi Aimee! I've read ILLUMINATE and love it (: What do you do when you have writer's block, and what's the best advice you can give to other writers to overcome it?

[Aimee]

Daniel wrote: "Hi Aimee.
What kind of readers would you recommend your books for?"

Hi Daniel! That's a great question! I would recommend my trilogy to anyone who loves at least one (hopefully more) of these things: a good mystery, gorgeous and sinister villains, glamorous and wild locations, lots of romance, fantasy, angels, devils, bad boys looking for redemption, good guys learning to be heroes, and an awkward teen girl evolving into a strong and seriously powerful heroine!

[Aimee]

Natalie (Never trust a duck) wrote: "Hiya Aimee!
I haven't had the opportunity to read your books yet (I'm sorry, but the library is backed up XD), so I'll ask a random, unbook related question.

If you were a boy, what name would you..."

Hi Natalie! Hope the library comes through soon! Keep me posted when you read! What a fun question, and you may think it isn't book related, but it actually is: If I were a boy I would want my name to be Sawyer (which is what we named our 2-year-old son)! I think it's such a perfect literary name for a boy because it automatically gives him permission to be mischievous and adventurous and to get into all sorts of trouble just like his Twain namesake! ;-)

[Aimee]

Ryan wrote: "Another question Aimee: Since you are about to finish the Gilded Wings series soon, are you planning to make another book/series that has to do with angels and demons or with another genre?"

Hi again, Ryan! =-) Oooh, that's a great question! It's still so crazy to think that I'll be all done with these characters I've spent so much time with! I'm so used to Haven and her world that I think my next book will have to be something very different just to help make sure I'm out of Haven's mindset and her voice. My next book will definitely be a standalone rather than a series and it probably won't be a fantasy. We'll see! Stay tuned! ;-)

[Mkittysamom]

Since I haven't read your books yet, can you tell me about them and how you got the idea to create Illuminate?

[Jenny, Always smiling! :-D]

Aimee wrote: "Natalie (Never trust a duck) wrote: "Hiya Aimee!
I haven't had the opportunity to read your books yet (I'm sorry, but the library is backed up XD), so I'll ask a random, unbook related question.

I..."

One of my old high school friends named her son Sawyer too :)

[Aimee]

Kelly wrote: "Question: When will book 3 be coming out? And, do you personally feel there is any spiritual truth or parallel in your stories or do you consider it all fiction? Thank you for your time. : )"

Hi Kelly! Thanks so much for your interest in Book 3!! I'm really hoping to have news on a release date very soon! It took me a little longer to write that one, but I'm hoping you'll find it worth the wait. It's full of wild new adventures as we wrap things up for Haven and her fellow teen angels! Stay tuned!

And that's a great question: I really do consider these books to be all fiction, without any spiritual parallels. The fun part about that is that then no one knows what might happen to my particular angels and demons until they read! ;-)

[Aimee]

Phaedra wrote: "What did you studied? Do you have a pet?"

Hi Phaedra! What fun questions! I went to Northwestern University (go 'cats!) and majored in journalism, and I absolutely loved it! I always knew I wanted to write and it was such a great training ground and perfect foundation to then work in magazines when I graduated.

As for pets: unfortunately, I don't have one right now but I wouldn't be surprised if a dog was in my future! My son loves dogs and I just know that day is coming when he's going to start asking for a puppy! ;-)

[Aimee]

Harlee wrote: "Oh, I've got a funny one: what's your most embarrassing moment?"

Haha!! Uh-oh, let's see, well I feel like I have embarrassing moments all the time, I'm so clumsy. But here's a fun one: back when I was working at Us Weekly, I was reporting on a fun and fabulous party that a young starlet was throwing downtown to launch a fashion line. I made sure to wear a cute dress and try to look like I fit in. I got to interview her, it was all tons of fun, and then as I was leaving the party, I walked outside and was saying goodbye to a group of partygoers--and there were some photographers there, waiting to take pictures of any of the famous people who might be coming or going. Anyhoo, I happened to be standing right over one of those grates in the sidewalk above the subway. Underground, a train whooshed by at just that moment and a burst of air shot up through the grates and completely blew my dress up. Ack!! I still worry that one of those photographers might've snapped a pic! It was all very Marilyn Monroe!

[Aimee]

Divya wrote: " Who are your favourite authors and did they inspire you to start writing?"

Hi Divya! What a wonderful question! I have so many favorites and the authors I read as a kid had such a huge impact on me, they definitely made me want to write! I grew up reading tons of Judy Blume (of course!) and Roald Dahl and J.D. Salinger and Lewis Carroll. And I was addicted to the classics: Jane Austen, Hemingway, Fitzgerald, the Brontes. I admired them all so much!

[Aimee]

Jenny wrote: "Aimee wrote: "Jenny wrote: "I always pictured Josie Loren as Haven in my head. Although she's probably too old now...but how she was in Make It or Break It--she has that vulnerability, but she can..."

Wow!! You must be really good!!

[Jenny, Always smiling! :-D]

Aimee wrote: "Harlee wrote: "Oh, I've got a funny one: what's your most embarrassing moment?"

Haha!! Uh-oh, let's see, well I feel like I have embarrassing moments all the time, I'm so clumsy. But here's a fun ..."

HA! Talk about a "glamorous" most embarrassing moment :D

[Divya]

Aimee wrote: "Divya wrote: " Who are your favourite authors and did they inspire you to start writing?"

Hi Divya! What a wonderful question! I have so many favorites and the authors I read as a kid had such a h..."

Thanks so much for coming and answering our questions, Aimee! I happen to love Roald Dahl too! My favorite is Charlie and the Chocolate Factory!

[Aimee]

Levian wrote: "Aimee wrote: "Oooh, good questions! I find inspiration everywhere, you never know what might spark a great idea: books, artwork, music, all can be great triggers. I'm not sure if my daydreaming is ..."

Hi again! =-) I love this question because I think writing is so tough! I definitely had some rocky days during the course of this trilogy! There are always those Bad Writing Days when, for whatever reason, things just aren't clicking and the words aren't flowing. Sometimes I'll hit a scene that I just have trouble with or maybe I know where my characters need to go but I can't figure out how to get them there. On those days, I usually sit at my laptop for a while wanting to pull my hair out, I pace, I eat a lot of jelly beans, and then if things just aren't happening I go for a walk and try to clear my head. Inevitably, later that day or the following morning, I'll come up with a solution and I'll be back at that laptop. On bad days I always try to remind myself of the GOOD days when the pages fly by and the writing seems easy. Because luckily there are those days too! ;-)

[Aimee]

Haley wrote: "Hi Aimee!!
I have two questions!
#1- what were some of your favourite books as a kid
#2- Chicago or New Orleans? If you had to pick!
:)"

Hi Haley! Thanks for your two fun questions!

#1: I was a voracious reader as a kid, I read everything from classics to Sweet Valley High! ;-) As for my favorites then, I absolutely adored the entire Nancy Drew series--I loved how smart and fearless she was. I wanted to be a combination of Nancy Drew and Jo March from LITTLE WOMEN--another HUGE favorite of mine, I used to reread that book all the time! I read ALICE IN WONDERLAND over and over and loved anything by Roald Dahl and Judy Blume. I think I was 13 when I read THE CATCHER IN THE RYE for the first time and that totally changed my life. I was so in love with Holden Caulfield. I still reread it regularly!

#2: Haha! That's tough, apples and oranges, I love 'em both! I suppose it depends what mood I'm in. At the moment, I'm really craving some jambalaya, so I'll say New Orleans. But tomorrow I'll probably be in the mood for stuffed pizza, so it'll be Chicago! ;-)

[Aimee]

Jenny wrote: " Okay, everyone, today is the last day to get your questions in!

This has been a wonderful Q&A, thank you so much to all our members for such great questions, and thank you, Aimee, you have been a..."

Thank YOU! I've been having so much fun!

[Aimee]

Karen wrote: "Yes, this Q&A has been amazing, Aimee!! I love that you get to hang at the Smithsonian!!"

Thanks Karen! And thanks for the great questions! =-)

[Aimee]

Sherlyn wrote: "Hi Aimee! I've read ILLUMINATE and love it (: What do you do when you have writer's block, and what's the best advice you can give to other writers to overcome it?"

Hey Sherlyn! I recognize you from Twitter! Great to see you here! =-) Thanks so much for reading!! And I love that question! The very idea of a writer's block is so terrifying that I prefer to just not believe in it, the way one might choose not to believe in ghosts or the Loch Ness monster. =-) Instead I like to think that there are just good writing days and Bad Writing Days. And on the bad days, you just do the best you can, you sit at that laptop wanting to throw it out the window and at a certain point if the words really are just not coming, then you give yourself a break. I'll get up and go for a walk outside, go to a museum, or if I'm really super-frustrated, go to a movie so my brain can turn off for a couple hours. I always find that if I just take a few hours away from my work then when I return to it later that evening or the next morning, I have fresh eyes and a better frame of mind. Just keep going, keep at it and you'll defeat that block!

[Jenny, Always smiling! :-D]

Aimee wrote: "Jenny wrote: "Aimee wrote: "Jenny wrote: "I always pictured Josie Loren as Haven in my head. Although she's probably too old now...but how she was in Make It or Break It--she has that vulnerabilit..."

Thank you! Must be, lol! People seem to enjoy my cooking and baking ;)

[Harlee]

Haha don't worry, I'm pretty clumsy too :P Thanks for answering my questions! :)

[Aimee]

Meghan wrote: "Since I haven't read your books yet, can you tell me about them and how you got the idea to create Illuminate?"

Hi Meghan! Absolutely! In a nutshell, the Gilded Wings Trilogy is about a teen angel named Haven who's forced to battle a pack of gorgeous, soul-stealing devils in order to earn her wings and along the way she falls in love with one (of course!). But angels and devils aside, these books are really about a girl learning to have confidence in herself. She starts off shy and awkward and becomes a force to be reckoned with. Girl power!

The idea for ILLUMINATE, and the whole trilogy, really began with that Haven character and wanting to show her evolution. Fun fact: ILLUMINATE is also a loose update of THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY (with angels and demons thrown in)! =-) Please do let me know when you read! Hope you enjoy!

[cindy ♡]

IF you have any, what are some of your bad writing habits?

[Harlee]

Aimee wrote: "Daniel wrote: "Hi Aimee.
What kind of readers would you recommend your books for?"

Hi Daniel! That's a great question! I would recommend my trilogy to anyone who loves at least one (hopefully more..."
I like the sound of this series!

[Aimee]

Cindy ♥ wrote: "IF you have any, what are some of your bad writing habits?"

Hi Cindy! Ha! I do indeed have some bad habits, and the very worst is doubting myself when I'm writing. It's so hard to turn off that inner critic who's constantly telling me every sentence is bad! You have to silence that terrible voice when you're writing and just be gutsy and throw everything onto the page, get that first draft written, then you can make it pretty later!

[David, Mr. Blue Eyes; He's the Best--Ain't no lie!! ;)]

Oh my gosh, this Q&A has been so fun and entertaining, I think it got better with each day :)

A HUGE thank you to Aimee for stopping by and spending some of her valuable time with us and for donating such awesome prizes! We can't wait to read what you come up with next!

And a big thanks to our awesome members for giving Aimee such a warm welcome and asking such creative questions :)

[Mkittysamom]

Aimee wrote: "Meghan wrote: "Since I haven't read your books yet, can you tell me about them and how you got the idea to create Illuminate?"

Hi Meghan! Absolutely! In a nutshell, the Gilded Wings Trilogy is abo..."

Thanks for the reply, I think I will read them, I'm on a winged creature/ human kick right now!

[Aimee]

David wrote: "Oh my gosh, this Q&A has been so fun and entertaining, I think it got better with each day :)

A HUGE thank you to Aimee for stopping by and spending some of her valuable time with us and for donat..."

Thank YOU, David, I had such a blast!! And a HUGE thank you to all of you guys for the fantastic questions, I had so much fun answering them! I hope everyone will keep in touch! You can always find me by email at aimee@aimeeagresti.com and on Twitter at @aimeeagresti! Thanks again!

[Jenny, Always smiling! :-D]

Congratulations goes to Cindy, who won a signed copy of Illuminate, and congratulations to Phaedra, who won a signed copy of Infatuate!! Check your inboxes, I will be messaging you!

Thanks again, Aimee, for visiting our group and hanging out with us all week, this was a BLAST!!

[Jesse]

Thanks Aimee for answering our questions
Congrats to the winners :)

[Harlee]

This was a great chat, so much fun! Congrats winners!

[Karen’s Library]

Woot woot! Congrats Cindy and Phaedra!!! How exciting!

And THANK YOU, Aimee!!

[Daniel]

Congrats to the winners!
And thanks for the great Q and A!

[David, Mr. Blue Eyes; He's the Best--Ain't no lie!! ;)]

Congrats Cindy and Phaedra! Awesome prizes!

[Lauren]

Congrats to the winners! :)

[Phaedra]

Woehoe!! Thank you! :D

[Levian]

congrats Cindy & Phaedra!
i'll be drooling all over your new books together with you. :p

[Sɑnɗrɑ☼]

Thank you so much Aimee!