So, I got talked into doing this by the talented and hardworking author Shannon Lee Alexander, who you’ll all be hearing lots about this fall, when her debut novel Love and Other Unknown Variables takes the young adult world by storm. Here’s her post in the blog hop.

I’m supposed to answer these four questions:

1) What am I working on?

I’ve started drafting what I think will be a stand-alone young adult thriller. The working title is SURFACE TENSION. It’s about a teenager who sees a group of terrorists causing a plane crash from the ground. He’s the only one who knows how they’re crashing planes, and they want him dead.

2) How does my work differ from others of its genre?

My ASHFALL three-and-a-half-ology is different from much apocalyptic fiction in that it could really happen–in fact, it will happen someday. I meticulously research nearly every detail in my novels–from the geology of the volcano to survival strategies and the sociology of disaster communities–to lend my work verisimilitude that isn’t always present in other apocalyptic books.

3) Why do I write what I do?

I write young adult fiction because that’s what I read. I started when I was ten, reading Peck, Cormier, and Blume, and never quit.

4) How does my writing process work?

I sit down in the morning and try to write 500 words. If I get 500 words, I give myself a reward. I’m such a nerd that my reward is usually a walk to the library. Then I sit down at the library and try to write another 500 words. If I get my second 500 words, I get to eat lunch. Yum, lunch.

I was also supposed to invite three authors to follow the week after this post. And I did, I really did. But one of the authors I invited doesn’t even have a blog (doh!) and the other two had already been invited to do the blog hop by someone else. And I’m flying to Arkansas tonight for three full days of school visits, so I’m throwing in the towel. Sorry about that.

I do happen to know that Yvonne Ventresca will be posting about her writing process next week on her blog. You should check out her forthcoming novel, Pandemic. It’s awesome! Some dude said something like this about it:

““The best novels are multi-layered, presenting the reader with new questions at every turn of the page. Pandemic is truly exceptional in that regard–its teen protagonist, Lily, is struggling with a dark secret from her past, her first tentative romances, and a horrifying pandemic that throws her town into utter chaos. Ventresca’s debut novel will appeal to those who love realistic coming of age stories, romances, or disaster fiction. Bravo!”

Pandemic will be available in May 2014. Shannon’s book, Love and Other Unknown Variables, will be available in October 2014. Enjoy them both!

EDIT: I’m not as big a slacker as I thought, because now Jesi Lea Ryan is joining the blog hop, too! Here’s her blog.

If you’d like to read Jesi’s work, I suggest starting with Arcadia’s Gift. Here’s what some dude said about it, “Cady–short for Arcadia–is an appealing heroine, and I enjoyed cheering for her as she confronted the tragic death of her twin sister, the collapse of her family, the vicissitudes of teenage romance, and the amazing discovery of her gift.”

Enjoy!