Interview With Author Debbie Schrack
Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I started out writing later in life after my kids were grown. I didn’t publish a novel until I was 63. My debut novel Saving Sophie, a YA contemporary romance, was published in April 2022. I have a new book, a YA drama/suspense called Over the Fence coming out in 2023. They are both published by Fire and Ice.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Saving Sophie is about a seventeen boy named Gabe whose half-brother Josh causes a serious drunk driving accident that kills four family members and leaves a 16 year old girl named Sophie an orphan. Gabe ends up tutoring her to try and make amends for what his brother has done, while not revealing who he is. Sophie has a brain injury, amnesia, and epilepsy. Her character is inspired by many of the learning disabled children I taught during my teaching career.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I write every day in short spurts and I have the really bad habit of going back over everything I’ve written and editing it before I go further. I get a lot of great ideas for my writing while I’m in the shower.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
I love Dick Francis and Robert B. Parker. They don’t write in my genre, but I love the way they say so much with so little words. In YA, I love Jason Reynolds. He really inspires me to write about things that matter.
What are you working on now?
I am going through the final editing stages with my new novel Over the Fence. It’s about a seventeen-year girl who was abducted when she was six years old and is being held captive in a suburban home in Minnesota. She forms a bond through her backyard fence with another seventeen-year old girl whose older sister is a victim of domestic violence.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I have used Book Marketing pro a lot. I have also used Tweet your Books, Voracious Readers, Book Reader Magazine and Pretty Hot Books.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Since I just published a book at age 63, I feel like I am the poster child for the old adage “Never give up!”
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
From Jason Reynolds: “Excellence is a habit. The way you live your life is the way you approach your novels…If you work to be great at every part of your life, writing a novel will feel natural to you. Excellence can’t be turned on and off.”
What are you reading now?
An old John Grisham book I found in a free bin at the library. I thought I had read them all!
What’s next for you as a writer?
I have just started a new YA novel, and I will be doing a lot of marketing for Over the Fence.
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?
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
The Edge by Dick Francis
The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton
Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds
Author Websites and Profiles
Debbie Schrack Author Profile on Smashwords
Debbie Schrack’s Social Media Links