Ask the Author: Jessica McHugh
Answered Questions (4)
Jessica McHugh
Beverly Clearly's "Ramona Quimby" books had a huge impact on my edgy series the "Darla Decker Diaries." Although Darla's older than Ramona, they both encounter relevant problems to girls their age. Also, I remember one of the Ramona books being the first one to make me sob while reading. After a bunch of those novels, the beloved family cat Picky-Picky died. I seriously felt like my cat had died. I was emotionally invested in all of those characters, and I definitely hope I can bring that to the Darla Decker books.
Jessica McHugh
As important as I think beta readers are, I also think I'm sometimes too impatient to wait for someone's opinion before I submit--though there have been exceptions.
I have a "Darla Decker Diaries" beta reader who's invaluable. I really needed someone who'd be willing to read the entire series and be on the lookout for continuity problems. She really saved my ass when I was approaching my deadline on the last book.
I've had a few people read my short stories before submission, but it's a rarity. I usually only ask for a beta if the story is written in a format I'm not comfortable with yet. But I definitely use them a lot more than I used to. Beta readers rock!
I have a "Darla Decker Diaries" beta reader who's invaluable. I really needed someone who'd be willing to read the entire series and be on the lookout for continuity problems. She really saved my ass when I was approaching my deadline on the last book.
I've had a few people read my short stories before submission, but it's a rarity. I usually only ask for a beta if the story is written in a format I'm not comfortable with yet. But I definitely use them a lot more than I used to. Beta readers rock!
Jessica McHugh
The original inspiration for The Green Kangaroos came from my personal experience living with an addict in my family. It was a rough time all around dealing with this family member's lying, thievery, and all around dickishness to the people who loved and only wanted to help him. He was also the middle child, so we definitely had a copy of Judy Blume's "The One in the Middle is the Green Kangaroo" in the house growing up.
After doing some research, I discovered many middle children end up with emotional issues of some sort. Not all, of course, but enough that I thought it a relevant issue for discussion.
As I've had the basic idea for this novel in mind since 2007, the bizarro/sci-fi/futuristic element took me by surprise. I started outlining without a direction in mind, and it all just fell into place before NaNoWriMo 2012 started. Then I just let my mind go crazy during the month, and I was quite pleased with what poured out.
But it all started with an addict I knew and loved. And because I didn't want to punish him by writing this book, I decided I would play him (iow, write in 1st person POV). Of course Perry Samson is much, much worse than the inspiring family member, which I believe was due to my inner addict taking over. ;)
After doing some research, I discovered many middle children end up with emotional issues of some sort. Not all, of course, but enough that I thought it a relevant issue for discussion.
As I've had the basic idea for this novel in mind since 2007, the bizarro/sci-fi/futuristic element took me by surprise. I started outlining without a direction in mind, and it all just fell into place before NaNoWriMo 2012 started. Then I just let my mind go crazy during the month, and I was quite pleased with what poured out.
But it all started with an addict I knew and loved. And because I didn't want to punish him by writing this book, I decided I would play him (iow, write in 1st person POV). Of course Perry Samson is much, much worse than the inspiring family member, which I believe was due to my inner addict taking over. ;)
Jessica McHugh
I stopped believing it exists. That's also how I dealt with the monsters I thought lurked beneath my bed.
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