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Author Q&A
1. Why did you get involved in the Fresh Writers Program?
Tessa: I got involved because I love to write and it has always been one of my goals to write a book
sometime in my life. I thought that it was the perfect opportunity to see if I could make that dream come
true!
Ashley: I saw the signs and various people had asked me if I was going to enter because I enjoyed
writing and all and I thought about it but there was no concrete story idea in my head, then God
intervened and the entire story line was laid on my heart about a week before the entries were due.
Lee: I had already started writing the story just for fun. When my English teacher explained to our class
about the contest, I thought “what the heck. I’ll give it a try and see what happens”.
Josh: To hear about the FreshWriters contest and know it was happening at my high school was one of
those few right places, right time moments. I knew I had to capitalize on it. I knew I liked to write and I liked to think I was capable of good writing but there was nothing better to tell me if I was right or not than this contest. So I went in betting to win and terrified to lose but I’ve been fortunate enough to cash in the chips for the biggest and best opportunity in my life.
2. How was the experience?
Tessa: The experience was very exciting, but also very difficult. Since it took place during the summer,
there were many days where I found it hard to sit down at my laptop and just write. I would get
distracted very easily and sometimes it was just very hard to put my heart into words. On the other
hand, it taught me a lot about discipline, the publishing/marketing world, and myself.
Ashley: It was the most challenging, difficult, rewarding blessing I have yet to experience.
Lee: Having to meet deadlines was the only hard part of the process. Other than that, I had a lot of fun
writing the book and learning about the publishing industry from Mr. Jelen. I also liked that there were
four of us doing the same thing together. I had a lot of fun working with all of them.
Josh: I wrote my book in two months and twenty days, and I didn’t even write on each of those days.
To compare I’ve already been in this process for over a year, which means a computer chair and a blank
word document staring back at me have been the least of my experiences. It’s been about ideas and
the execution of those ideas, whether that’s a character and a plot or a marketing budget and a signing
event. It’s been an experience of trial and error, of patience, but over all of excitement. I’m 19 and I can look myself up on Amazon, how cool is that, right?! So sink or swim I’ll carry the lessons I’ve learned out of this over the rest of my life.
3. What was the inspiration/reason for your book?
Tessa: I read a book called Authentic Beauty two summers ago that totally changed my life and made
me want to live differently. I have a passion to share what God has done in my life and I also have a
passion to reach out to girls in their teens who are searching to fi nd something real and true that they
can believe in.
Ashley: I love Christian romance but basically God was my inspiration, he gave me the story and the
discipline I needed to not give up.
Lee: I didn’t have a particular “inspiration” for the book - I just thought I had a great idea and decided to
try and see where it went and it eventually became this reality. I really enjoy science fi ction and thought
it would be fun to write something myself.
Josh: I, like everyone else, had spent years in school reading about my parent’s and grandparents
generations great causes and moments in History. It got me thinking, what do me and my peers
have going for us? What were we going to be, the Lewinsky generation? Then 9/11 happened and I
learned right away that it’s better to be a generation of peace, because that peace saves suffering. But
nevertheless, this had happened to us and I knew that that was what my kids were going to ask me
about, just how I asked my parents about Kennedy and my grandparents about Pearl Harbor. I knew
what I’d tell them but then as time passed it seemed like a lot of the people around me seemed to forget
it even happened, maybe failed to realize just how historic and important our times were now.
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This page current as of May 24, 2007 8:43 AM |