Our FIVE ON FRIDAY guest this week is celebrated author Janette Rallison. Janette is the author of several books for both Middle Grade and Teen readers. Her newest book Just One Wish is on sale just this week!
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When did you know that you first wanted to be a writer?
My mother wanted to be a writer. Some of my earliest memories are of her typing at the type writer. So really, I always wanted to be a writer because that’s what I saw my mother do. I thought it was a normal job. Sadly, she died when I was six years old and never got to see her dream come true. I know she would have been thrilled that I became a writer.
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What book or writer do you feel influenced you the most?
Hands down, Ellen Conford. I read all of her books as a teen and loved her easy writing style and the way she made me laugh. Each time I got a new one it was like a treat. There was a lot of romantic comedy going on in her novels. Since those are the kinds of books I liked reading, that’s the kind of stuff I write.
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What book or books are you currently reading or have recently read that you’d recommend to others?
Mike Spradlin’s The Youngest Templar comes to mind. (An excellent choice! MPS) Although if you’re looking for a good romantic comedy The ABCs of Kissing Boys by Tina Ferraro is a great one.
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If you could offer one piece of advice for aspiring writers, what would it be?
Read my books. In fact, buy them all. Oh, you mean advice that isn’t self serving? Actually, it would be to read all sorts of books. (But, you know, mine included.) The more you read, the better writer you’re going to be.
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Can you share with us your next project or any information about the next book you’re working on?
My next book, Just One Wish comes out March 5th. It’s a little different than my other romantic comedies because it has a more serious element to it. The main character, Annika, has a little brother with a brain tumor. His greatest wish is to see the actor who plays Teen Robin Hood before he goes into surgery and Annika wants to make his wish come true. She drives to Hollywood to find and convince the actor to visit her brother. This ends up leading her all sorts of places, including on the set where she pretends to be an extra. It’s all great fun, so I hope my readers really like this one.
