Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Chenoa Franz has been writing and publishing under a pseudonym until recently, when her daughter asked her to write a book for young adults and to publish it under her own name. Together, they began discussing possible storylines. Struck by inspiration and her daughter’s persistence, the story of Visualized Reality began to take form.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
In the vein of Bradbury and others, Chenoa initially wanted to address the growing concern of a nation of non-readers. As a child, one of the greatest gifts of reading was the power of her own imagination. No movies ever measured up to the stories that she visualized while reading the authors’ words. And it is now a real tragedy that we have failed to fully teach the joy of reading—the gift of reading—to today’s youth.
Undeniably, reading fuels creativity and critical thought. But it also can provide an escape from boredom, stress, and reality. Now more than ever, our children need healthy tools and resources to help them endure the challenges that our world presents them day after day.
Equally important, we need to teach them to evaluate the world and think critically. But with the emphasis on standardized tests, we have seen a gradual depletion in these more crucial skills. Critical thought and creativity have fallen by the wayside. And this creative thought drives the film industry, the publishing industry, and education. So when we, as a society, fail to value creativity and the arts, what is left? This question was a central focus while developing Visualized Reality.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I feel like my creativity functions best when I am removed from all technology distractions. So the shower and my car tend to be common locations for me to develop ideas, characters, and scenes. Is this totally bizarre?
What authors, or books have influenced you?
I love the entire dystopian genre. I am also a ridiculously big fan of Dean Koontz. I own nearly all of his books and have an entire bookcase devoted to his books.
What are you working on now?
I’m in the very early stages of a new novel that cannot exactly be termed dystopian. It will take place in a tiny community that has been developed outside of their corrupt and disintegrating society. Like Visualized Reality, it will also be a young adult book.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I have had a variety of success from a number of promotional websites, including Awesome Gang.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Don’t lose focus and remain persistent. It’s so easy to become discouraged and to shove projects onto the back burner when they don’t produce the reader-base for which you’d been hoping. Push through and keep plodding.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
I recently read Anne LaMott’s Bird by Bird. It is full of “best advice.”
What are you reading now?
Dean Koontz (always a safe bet for me) – The Whispering Room
What’s next for you as a writer?
Lots of marketing and promotion (ick) and some further development of my next project. I’m a ridiculously analytical person, and I am no less ridiculous or analytical as a writer. I do extensive character sketches and plot development. I draw maps for my settings. I work up detailed outlines and occasionally will have an entire scene written within my outline long before it is time to actually incorporate that scene in the book. I even will often work with my graphic designer to put together a cover prior to writing.
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?
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz, and Outlander by Diana Gabaldon. (I’d take the Koontz and Gabaldon series in their entirety if permitted.)
Author Websites and Profiles
Chenoa Franz Website