Ask the Author: Frank Morelli
Answered Questions (8)
Frank Morelli
I graduated from a college in Central Pennsylvania that is not too far from a town called Centralia, where an underground mine fire has basically turned the place into a ghost town. I'm currently using elements of this real-life town that I saw with my own eyes in the setting of a new YA novel I'm currently writing. I can't wait to share more details about this work in progress that includes the supernatural, a dash of romance, and a healthy dose of baseball.
Frank Morelli
I'd be lying if I said I wouldn't go to Hogwarts if given the chance. What would I do there? The real question is what WOULDN'T I do there? I can't tell you for sure, but I can guarantee my stay there would begin with an almost immediate descent into a food coma after gorging myself with chocolate frogs. Don't judge. I like chocolate even more than magic. Then again, aren't they one and the same?
Frank Morelli
Usually I see something that makes me angry, upset, or feel like an injustice has been done to someone. That lights a fire under me and helps me to build the necessary vehicles to deliver the kind of message I'm looking to convey. Once the idea is in my head and I have the requisite emotion behind it (often anger), the only way to unleash my fury is by tapping words out on the page....and then I have no choice but to write until my message is fully out there in the world. That said, I don't often have the luxury of waiting for inspiration to come to me. I write even when I'm not inspired because you're not a writer if you're not writing. Like, all of the time.
Frank Morelli
Interacting with readers, without a doubt. It's the best way to get a feel for the impact your writing is having on actual people. There's nothing more rewarding than hearing from a reader how your words made them feel or think or react. Those moments are worth their weight in gold.
Frank Morelli
Well, No Sad Songs just hit shelves on Tuesday but I'm already thinking about my next project because I'm kind of addicted to this writing thing. My next novel is also young adult contemporary fiction. It follows a high school ice hockey star from Minnesota whose family gets uprooted by domestic abuse and he is forced to flee for his safety. The only problem? He ends up in the heartland of Carolina, where hockey dreams dry up like tobacco leaves. One of the challenges I took on with this book was attempting to relay key moments in the story through my protagonist's screenwriting, so that many of the high action scenes read like you're watching a film. The story is also filled with references to classic film, as my protagonist is more than just a hockey player. I'm really excited about this project. I expect it will hit shelves some time in early 2019 and I'm already counting down the days before I get to share it with you all.
Frank Morelli
I forced myself to stop believing in the concept of writer’s block. When you get to the point where you have deadlines to meet, whether self-imposed or thrust upon you by an editor, there’s really no time for writer’s block. It's not like you can’t sit around sipping drinks and waiting for inspiration if you ever want to finish something as complicated as a novel. You have to drop your butt in the chair everyday and write, even when it feels like all you’re doing is splattering gibberish on the page. Some of my best writing has come in these moments, and it made me realize writer’s block only happens when I'm actively fighting against myself. When this happens in a baseball game, a coach would tell his hitter, “You’re gripping the bat too hard.” When it happens to a writer, the writer has become the hitter and the coach. You can read more from this interview at: https://touchmyspinebookreviews.com/2...
Frank Morelli
Create your art for no other reason than to bring your ideas into the world. Don’t do it for fame or fortune or because you want to prove something to other people. Do it because you love it and because it makes you feel incredible when you paint the last brush stroke or strike the final note or write the closing line. That’s what we’ve been doing as a species since the beginning of time. Be proud to be part of the tradition. If you live your artist’s life in this way, there’s a good chance everything else will fall into place. Have faith and keep working.
Frank Morelli
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