Interview Roberta Olsen Major

by

Sue Thornton

1) I would like to ask you a few questions about your new release, Deluge

Deluged is the title of my May Young Adult release from Wings. :)

2) Who, if anyone, has influenced your writing?

Many of the authors I've read over the years have had influence over my writing, but the ones who have most influenced my writing of Young Adult stories are my own children, their friends, and the other teens with whom I have had contact over the years. I enjoy the cadences of their conversations, the interesting way they look at things, and the sound of their laughter. I think teenagers are probably the most interesting life forms inhabiting our planet.

3) After you've written your book and it's been published, do you ever buy it and read it?

I have gone back and reread a number of my own books. The most fun, however, is reading aloud from my YA titles to an audience of teens or preteens--and relishing their laughter in all the right places. I read one of the books in my YA fairy tale series in its entirety, The Prince In The Flower Bed, to a class of 5th graders and was delighted with their response. Deluged, however, is a little edgier than some of my previous YA titles. It is a contemporary suspense with dark humor and genuine peril.

4) Which comes first, the story, the characters or the setting?

It depends on the book. In the case of Deluged, I wanted to write an entire book covering less than a twenty-four hour period. I wanted to challenge myself as a writer, to see if I could do it, so Deluged began as a rather glorified writing exercise. I also wanted to write something "scary" without making it supernatural, and I wanted to write about a thunderstorm, because they cause all kinds of interesting twists to life in the part of the country in which I live. I like strong female characters, so I wanted Beck to be resourceful, but I also wanted her to have to rise to the occasion and learn some things about herself along the way.

5) What is the most rewarding thing about being a writer?

The process. And holding that finished product in my hands at the end of the journey is a delight!

6) What about your family, do they know not to bother you when you are writing--or are there constant interruptions?

Interruptions are a huge part of life. I have learned to work around them.

7) What kind of research do you do?

In the case of Deluged, not much. I had to verify a few things via the Internet, but most of the ambiance of the story came from my imagination, and from living and working with teens.

8) Do your fans' comments and letters influence you in any way?

No, but I enjoy them! I still cherish a letter I received from a young lady in another state who had written a 5th grade book report on my YA fairy tale, The Seventh Dwarf, shortly after its release. (She included a copy of the book report).

9) How much of your personality and life experiences are in your writing?

I think all writers have to inject bits of their personality and life experiences into their writing, or the end result has no spark. That's not to say the things that happen in my stories are based on actual events, but there are definitely glimmers that make the events ring true.

10) What do you do to relax and recharge your batteries?

Relax? Recharge? Those are foreign concepts. A huge part of my life has nothing to do with my writing. Perhaps my writing is the recharger. :)

11) Last but not least: Do you have any fun trips planned for this year that may influence your story ideas?

I have been fortunate in that I haven't needed travel to influence my story ideas. The journeys I enjoy most are the ones I've taken between the pages of a good book; hopefully, there are some young people who will say the same after having read Deluged.

Thank you for talking with us and good luck with your book.

Thank you. A new book is great fun. Deluged is my sixth Young Adult title and my eleventh book for Wings ePress, Inc. It has been a wonderful place to be for me as an author.