Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
My name is Andrea Perno. I’m a full time Art teacher for Kipp Ujima Village Academy in Baltimore, Maryland. I’m also a freelance illustrator, and a science fiction writer for Beau Coup publishing. I have written two books that are currently out. One, THE LAST DROP, is part of a young adult, trilogy. The second book of the trilogy I aim to have finished by mid October of 2015. The other book, REMOTELY UNPLUGGED, was published this February 2015.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book, REMOTELY UNPLUGGED, is a science fiction, thriller. It was inspired by a horse back riding trip I took in Banff, Canada. If you know Banff, it’s one of the world’s largest national parks. It’s very remote. You can only enter the park on foot, horseback or bike. No motorized vehicles are allowed in the park. I took the trip with a good friend of mine and spent six days horseback riding for about eight hours a day, following a guide we knew pretty much nothing about, in the remote wilderness of Canada. The one thought that kept crossing my mind was, jeez, what is this guide was a serial killer? No one would know where to look for our bodies. With a little added sci-fi flare, REMOTELY UNPLUGGED was born.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Strange writing habits…that’s tricky because it’s really the characters who have the strange habits. For example, not only do they tell me what to write, they tell me when to write (that could be at 3:15in the morning…thanks Avery. The boss loves it when I come to work and can’t talk to people in a “human” fashion before 9:00am.) I also do a lot of writing in the car to and from work. Part of that is just long commute. But part of it, I feel, is also a zoned out, listening to, but not really listening to, pop radio music and letting the characters have space to invade my mind. Space they would not otherwise have when I’m teaching middle schoolers during the day.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
All of Gary Paulsen’s work, particularly, HATCHET, have influenced my writing. I’m also a huge Jim Kjelgaard fan. But, probably my most influential authors are Suzanne Collins (HUNGER GAMES) and J.K Rowling (HARRY POTTER)
What are you working on now?
Right now I’m tirelessly working on the second book of, THE LAST DROP, trilogy. I’m also working with a screenwriter in LA to translate THE LAST DROP into a script worth pitching to Hollywood. *Fingers crossed*
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I don’t think there is one “best” website I’ve found to promote my books. Word of mouth and being able to work with talented and generous bloggers has been very successful. Goodreads, Facebook and Twitter have also been great places to promote. I always keep my ear to the ground for great places to get the word out.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Advice for new authors…This may be the most long winded response, but here goes:
1.) Write every single day. No excuses. No matter what. No, I’ll do it tomorrow, I’m too tired, I should walk the dog, I have to cook dinner yatta yatta yatta. If you’re saying those things you don’t want to be a writer bad enough. You should walk the dog? You better have a notebook in your back pocket ready to take notes. Oh, you need to cook dinner? That laptop better be propped within typing distance so you can switch back and forth between writing and stirring the Béarnaise sauce. And lord knows I can’t count the times I’ve been so tired I’ve fallen asleep with the laptop across my chest. I usually wake up to find I’ve written at least one sentence and a whole lot of aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa…it’s still a win.
2.) It doesn’t matter what anyone thinks and yet IT MATTERS what someone thinks. My second piece of advice to aspiring authors is to find other, like-minded people who are doing the same thing. Talk to people. Share ideas. I spoke to one guy who was in the process of writing his own book. He said he didn’t want to share his ideas or his thoughts because he was afraid it would “disrupt my process” or that I would “steal his ideas.” Needless to say, I gave him a piece of my mind. We as writers are in this together. We don’t “steal” another person’s story. And disrupt the process? YES PLEASE. You might say something profound that makes me think of something different!
Bottom line, build a support system with friends, family, co-workers (because rarely can you quit your job and just write…at least at the start of it all.) and the oddballs you find online that you know nothing about (and that’s the best part). Get every one of them to read your drafts…all seventy five thousand of them, and give you advice. HARD advice.
3.) This one relates to number two. Grow a thick skin. My younger brother, Michael, gave me a brilliant piece of advice when I was starting my first book. I was handing it out to beta readers and family members who, (now granted I had told them to be harsh) were crushing my soul and making me feel like my work was complete garbage. (By the way, the first draft IS GARBABE. So let’s not sugar coat it.) Anyway, I was having an “I’m worthless and this isn’t worth the headache and the criticism,” moment when he literally swiped the computer off my lap, went to the end of the page I was working on and typed: “No matter what other people think or how they feel the story should progress, it is still YOUR story. You got this.”
I add that quote at the bottom page of every manuscript I’m working on. It matters what people think of your work, but at the end of the day it is still YOUR work. People are going to say all sorts of things, good and bad, through the beta reading and editing process and beyond when the book comes out. That’s part of the process. Something to cry over and be inspired by. Trust me it’s worth it. This leads me to my last piece of advice.
4.) The single most important advice I have for aspiring authors is to “just do it.” Some of you know what I’m referring to here. If you haven’t seen Shia LaBeouf’s motivational speech, click this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nuHfVn_cfHU He may not be the best spokes person in the world and I don’t condone some of his life choices, but he is a profound artist in his own way and his advice is sound. Plus it’s said with the passion and intensity I strive to live my whole life with.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
The single most important advice I have for aspiring authors is to “just do it.” Stop talking about it and just write.
What are you reading now?
I’m reading, SNOW CRASH, by Neal Stephenson.
What’s next for you as a writer?
What’s next is I will finish my trilogy and then I will begin another separate sci-fi/fantasy novel that I have in mind.
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
The Hunger Games, Harry Potter, and Where The Red Fern Grows.
Author Websites and Profiles
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