Sixteen Blog Tour

 [Interview with Emily Rachelle]

First, why don’t you tell us about your debut novella, Sixteen? 

Well, the short version is that Sixteen is a coming-of-age story about a sixteen-year-old girl in the 1990's. Here's the long version:

Nicole "Nikki" Johnson has never gotten along with her mother, so when she meets a great new guy, it's no surprise that Matt's age is all her mom sees. Just because he's twenty-four and she's sixteen doesn't mean he's a creeper! Thankfully, Nikki's dad allows Nikki and Matt to be together and see how things work out. Their relationship is fantastic and Nikki is on cloud nine...

Until the Fourth of July picnic, when things go too far. Now a very changed Nikki has to make choices that will affect her every relationship - with Matt, her parents, her best friend, and most importantly, God.

Where did you get the idea for Sixteen? Any specific inspirations?

I don't really have one thing I can point to -- several different factors all lined up, and lined up in the perfect timeframe, to cause Sixteen's creation. I don't want to say too much, since there's a whole other blog post on "The Story Behind Sixteen." Basically, take a new high schooler just discovering the world of writing outside school. Add in a move from Okinawa, Japan to Georgia, USA. Throw in abortion, the pro-life movement, and Mother's Day. That all adds up to the (admittedly not so great) first draft of what's now Sixteen.

What was your writing schedule for Sixteen? And how long did it take to write?

First: I don't set writing schedules. I always fail deadlines. I've given up NaNo. So I can't answer that.

Second: Partly due to the previous fact, I don't generally keep track of the timing of my writing, even in past point-of-view. All I can say is I know the very short first draft of the story took me about a week or two. Then I realized it was nowhere near ready for anyone to see, and hid it on my computer. Nearly a year later, I found it there on accident, and decided to read over and do revisions. (Easiest rewrites I have ever done, and probably will ever do, in my life. Still don't know how that happened.)

Not until after I gave it to Mom for a gift did I really pursue self-publishing, which came with a whole lot more work. Editing took longer than writing and rewriting combined, mostly because I hate editing. (But I love my editor. It's an odd feeling.) I refuse to disclose just how long I dragged that out.

This is something I ask every author I talk to, when did you first realize you wanted to become a writer?

I still don't intend on making a living off my writing. It's never been my plan. So "career writer" was never a realization of mine. However, I discovered writing in fourth grade, and knew I wanted to stick with it when I wrote a kids' chapter book about talking rodents in seventh or eighth grade.

Of all the characters in the story, which is your favorite? Who did you most enjoy creating?

My favorite's probably Nikki - although the more I think about Christy, the more difficult a decision this becomes. Nikki's a rebel and a wild child and, quite honestly, everything I'm not. Christy's the kind of girl I could hang out with and have heart-to-hearts over popcorn at a sleepover.

Enjoying creating a character is a very different matter. I'd have to say Mr. Johnson, Nikki's dad. It's an answer that surprises even me, but I feel like his quiet, soft, wise manner balances the craziness of so many other characters. He almost never gets angry and always listens to every side of the story. He understands people's character and desires better than they themselves do at times. Most importantly, he keeps Nikki and her mom connected during their head-butting and acts as a sort of middleman. He can see both sides and does his best to keep both balance and peace in the Johnson home. Writing his parts is like breathing a sigh of relief after every Mom-Nikki spat.

If you could go back and do it over, is there anything about your novel that you would change?

I'd give some of the minor characters more time in the story. Matt, as the love interest, already have several scenes, but of course there can never be too many sigh-worthy scenes with the hero. His younger sister Abigail is a darling that would totally melt readers' hearts, and everyone loves her. And I feel like Claire Monroe could become a really awesome character. She'd totally rock a few scenes of her own. I've seriously considered writing a book just for her, but the right story has yet to grab the two of us. If it ever does come along, trust me, I will get it out there.

What do you feel makes a great story?

There's a saying in writers' groups that "no tears in the writer, no tears in the reader." I don't believe in that 100% - I enjoy writing too much to cry over my characters' heartbreak. Maybe I'm heartless, but I really do look at the story from an outside perspective. I don't get caught up in writing the way I do when I'm reading or even watching a television show. That might be due in part to the fact that I plan out all major story events before writing any of the story, so I have time to prepare for the emotion onslaught.

However, that saying does hold at least partial truth. The writer has to feel the emotion of the readers and the characters -- which may not always be the same emotions, but often are. You can't be grinning ear to ear when writing a sorrowful scene, unless it's from the villain's point of view. Nor can you be glum and moody and depressed while writing the big romantic moment. It just doesn't feel right.

 Last question and it’s a fun one. Is there any particular author or book that influenced you in any way either growing up or as an adult?

As a person in general? Too many to count. But as a writer? Well, I read Pride and Prejudice while doing the first rewrites of Sixteen, and readers familiar with that classic might notice a few similarities between Lizzie Bennet's parents and Nikki's. I've noticed other instances of similarities between my current writing project and whatever book I just finished.

To be a bit more general... I don't know, actually. I think every book a person reads has some influence on them, be it great or small, negative or positive. This holds true for writers just like any other reader - and, yes, that influence can often affect their own writing. That's the beauty in books. They always affect the reader, and they affect every reader in a different way.

                                                               

   

COVER

 [About the Book]

Nicole "Nikki" Johnson has never gotten along with her mother, so when she meets a great new guy, it's no surprise that Matt's age is all her mom sees. Just because he's twenty-four and she's sixteen doesn't mean he's a creeper! Thankfully, Nikki's dad allows Nikki and Matt to be together and see how things work out. Their relationship is fantastic and Nikki is on cloud nine...
Until the Fourth of July picnic, when things go too far. Now a very changed Nikki has to make choices that will affect her every relationship - with Matt, her parents, her best friend, and most importantly, God.

[About the Author]

Born in Panama, Emily Rachelle has traveled throughout the country and the world with her Air Force family. Currently, she lives with her parents and three brothers in middle Georgia. While Emily enjoyed reading as far back as she remembers, writing didn't come to her until she learned the forms of poetry and the basics of story in fourth grade. Since then, she's written scripts for homeschool dramas, poems for birthday presents, and stories for friends and family to enjoy. Sixteen is her debut into the professional world of words. You can find Emily at her blog, Emily Rachelle Writes, Emily Rachelle Writes.


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LINKS:

 Emily Rachelle Writes

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