Ask the Author: S.M. Lumetta

“You'll never know if you don't ask. ;)” S.M. Lumetta

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If you could travel to any fictional book world, where would you go and what would you do there?

S.M. Lumetta I'm going to Hogwarts. I don't know what I'll do there, but I'm probably going to hang out with McGonagall. She's a badass.

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My question is a two parter: We know that you use music to inspire you to write, but what type of music do you listen to while writing? What music do you listen to while reading?

S.M. Lumetta How did I not see this question, sooner?? I'm so sorry! But let me answer you now :)

I typically don't listen to music when I'm reading. If the book is good enough, I won't hear anything anyway. ;)

As for when I write, I have a few playlists. One is general, emotion-evoking (for me, anyway). It includes a lot of my favorites, just music I enjoy: Radiohead (always, because I love), Florence & the Machine, etc. But you never know. I throw all sorts of things in there. There could be Beastie Boys, Lizzo, Johnny Cash (honestly it's generally the only country music you'd find on my playlists), Childish Gambino...

That said, I have a few playlists for specific stories. Bodhi Beach books have a lot of surf and beachy rock like Dick Dale ("Misirlou"), The Bangles ("Bitchen Summer"), Weezer ("Hash Pipe"), Overseer ("Horndog"), Beach Boys... but also some songs specific to the plots/characters.

One of the books I'm writing right now is angstier, darker (not dark romance, but not romcom), so there's a lot more of my emo, haunting, and even industrial stuff. There's a handful of Billie Eilish, Dead Weather, Nick Cave, Band of Horses, the aforementioned Johnny Cash (his cover of NIN's "Hurt"), and yes, Radiohead (in this case, "True Love Waits").

This may be a lot more of an answer than you were looking for. ;P Sorry again for the delay!

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What is your all-time favorite novel?

S.M. Lumetta Ohhhh, I could never pick one. I love so many books for many different reasons. But I can give you a few of my tops: To Kill a Mockingbird, for sure. Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón is an incredible read. Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison blew me away, too. The Harry Potter series. The Soulless series by Gail Carriger. The PUCKED series by Helena Hunting.

I've got a question: can we count kids' books? Because I love Where the Wild Things Are something fierce. Yes. Answering my own question. We absolutely can. That one's up there, too.

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What’s your advice for aspiring writers?

S.M. Lumetta Keep writing, learning, trying. Not every day is going to be a good day. Take pride in the smallest of accomplishments because every step toward a dream counts.

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What’s the best thing about being a writer?

S.M. Lumetta Simply put, making things up. Worlds. People. Relationships. Problems. Every little detail is under my control. Then again, it's not. Sometimes the story and characters seem to do whatever the hell they want. Best laid plans, and all that...

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How do you deal with writer’s block?

S.M. Lumetta I keep writing — like the equivalent of additionally applying pressure to a something jammed shut until it busts open (possibly into a million pieces).

Basically, I write nonsense if I have to until it jogs something else loose. If I'm still stuck, I drink wine. Or sleep. ;)

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