Interview: Lisa Schroeder

Here is an interview with the fantastic author Lisa Schroeder! She is joining me during my ghost and faery week for her ghost books. I've loved her books for years and suggest you pick any of them up! My favorite is I Heart You, You Haunt Me, but they're all great! I've been reading her books for what must be years, and I'm thrilled to have this interview with her.

I have two giveaways going on right now! Check out the angels giveaway, and the faeries and ghosts giveaway.

Before I present the interview here's a bit about Lisa.

Taken from her website

Lisa Schroeder is a native Oregonian which means her childhood summers were spent camping, fishing, reading books (of course!) and playing in the sun, when it finally came out. These days, Lisa spends her summers, and every other part of the year, sharing all of the wonderful things Oregon has to offer with her husband and two sons. She is the author of numerous books for kids and teens, including CHASING BROOKLYN (Simon Pulse, 2010) and IT'S RAINING CUPCAKES (Aladdin, 2010).

Now for my interview with her:

What questions do you not like answering in an interview?

*checks your questions* :) I don't really like the - what are you working on now - question. I have to be careful about what I say regarding that, because I've found the closer I keep it to myself, the better. I don't write well the more people who know what I'm writing. Feels like there are then expectation around it or something, even if they aren't.

Where is your favorite place to write?

At the beach in a beautiful beach house with someone serving me my meals and giving me a back massage every couple of hours. But, since that is almost impossible to come by, my office. Once in a while, I go out, to a coffee place or something, but I'm sort of a creature of habit, so my office works best.

Did you ever tear up while writing any of your books?

I have a couple of times, yeah, but not a lot. I don't even know if I could tell you exactly when. I think at the end of The Day Before, I got teary because I knew I'd reached that point where the day was over. I felt their pain at what came next, for both of them.

What is the most touching thing a fan has ever said to you about your books?

Wow, I've gotten so many amazing notes from readers. And I am thankful for every single one. I think the one that stands out the most was the one I got from a 12 year old girl who had lost her dad from a roadside bomb in Iraq. She said my book I HEART YOU, YOU HAUNT ME really helped her to know her dad would want her to try her best to be happy, and to keep on living. I've gotten quite a few notes from readers who have lost someone close, and could really relate to Ava and what she went through. Even people who haven't lost someone will tell me the book helped them to appreciate their loved ones more. I never imagined how much that book would touch people. Here it is, almost four years later, and I still get notes about that book.

Did you ever feel a particular attachment to a specific character of yours?

All of them? :) In an odd sort of way, they feel a little bit like family to me. I mean, I write characters I love, because, I have to, or I won't do them justice. Each one of them has a special place in my heart.

What do you like about ghosts?

Haha, this question makes me laugh. Because honestly? I don't really like ghosts. When I started writing my ghostly stories, I was like, can I do this? I don't like scary things! That's partly why Jackson was never really scary. I wanted to write a different kind of ghost story. One where the main character was happy to have him around rather than afraid. In CHASING BROOKLYN, Gabe had to be scary. It was hard for me to write some of the creepy scenes. But I'm proud of that book and how it turned out, so I'm glad I was able to write it despite being a total wimp!

What is your favorite part of writing about ghosts?

I think trying to figure out how they might communicate to someone when they can't communicate. I was worried people wouldn't buy into the things I came up with, but it turns out, people are pretty accepting of weird things ghosts do! Who knew? 

What was your favorite costume you dressed up in for Halloween?

I was a fantastic nerd one year. I even won a prize! I had the pocket protector, pants too short, the glasses, a sign that said, "Kick Me" on my back. I'm not good at planning for Halloween. Most years, I go into my closet and think, what can I throw together. Many times, it's bad. So it's always fun when it actually turns out fairly well.

Thanks for having me here!!!

Lisa

Thanks so much Lisa! I'm so glad to have had you here celebrating Halloween!