Interview with Andrea Smith and Gina A. Jones, Authors of Wasted

What can you tell us about your new release, Wasted?

Andrea:

I am so excited about this book. First of all, it was so great to co-write this with one of my favorite authors, Gina A. Jones. Together, I feel as though we brought these characters to life. I could feel Emmett’s pain and indecision; Gina wrote Olivia perfectly, a young woman who feels as though she’s a nobody, and has built an emotional wall of protection. Emmett, much to Olivia’s surprise, dismantles that wall through no intended effort, it is truly a mating of the souls.

Gina:

Wasted is a story of dreams that come with heartaches, love that is forbidden, and a mystery hidden inside the drama.

What or who inspired you to become an author?

Andrea:

I’ve always enjoyed writing and reading, but the real impetus behind my self-publishing was getting booted out of Corporate America in 2012. I cried for a solid week, and then began tapping away on my laptop as a means of distraction and therapy. Six weeks later, I had a 700+ pages novel! I had a lot to learn along the way, but being fired was a blessing in disguise!

Gina:

I think after listening to the audio of the Fifty Shades trilogy, I realized I wasn’t alone in my ideas and thoughts. I’ve always been a day dreamer and lived in my own head most of the time. Stories would fly around in my mind. This was when I decided to begin putting them down on paper. After I released my first trilogy, it was satisfying to have others read/hear my characters that lived inside me.

What’s on your top 5 list for the best books you’ve ever read?

Andrea:

Shanna – by the late Kathleen Woodiwiss
Twilight Series – by Stephenie Meyer
Black Lies – by Alessandra Torre
Unteachable – by Leah Raeder
Love, Michael – by Gina A. Jones

Gina:

Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reed: A very different concept for storytelling through interviews.
This Man trilogy by Jodie Ellen Malpas: Looking back, it was a bit cheeky but I fell in love with the love that Ava and Jesse had for each other.
The Life We Bury by Alan Eskens: A heartbreaking story connecting a dying man in prison and a young college student through an essay.
Room by Emma Donoghue: A story told through the eyes of a young boy who never knew there was a world outside the small shed he was born in.
You by Caroline Kepnes: All in all, I was always rooting for Joe Goldberg, even though it was wrong to kill people. How an author can make you feel that way!

Say you’re the host of a literary talk show. Who would be your first guest? What would you want to ask

Andrea:

My first guest would be Ruark Beauchamp, the MC from Shanna! And what I would ask him is . . . oh, I can’t tell you – it’s just soooo personal!!

Gina:

How novels with poor plot, lack of imagination and drama become so successful. But I realize it’s just another swamp.

What’s your favorite thing about writing?

Andrea:

When I get to the point in a book where the characters take over and I’m simply a vessel for their story.

Gina:

To let your imagination run wild with no limits, and then connecting the impossible to make everything plausible is the challenge I live for when writing. To write the unexpected.

What is a typical day like for you?

Andrea:

Hunched over my laptop tapping away, with reruns of Ally McBeal playing on my television!

Gina:

Coffee, yoga, run, write. I’m also a narrator, so there are days I’m locked inside a closet talking to myself.

What scene from Wasted was your favorite to write?

Andrea:

The scene where the band has their first live concert in Seattle after the successful release of their first album! Olivia is a nervous wreck, the guys are all like ‘no big deal.’ but it turns out to be a HUGE deal!

Gina:

With all books I write, it’s the bringing it home and connecting all the dots or red herrings in a story. With Wasted, it was Olivia’s discovery of who she really was and a life she missed.

Do you have a motto, quote, or philosophy you live by?

Andrea:

In God, all things are possible.

Gina:

You don’t quit when you’re tired or scared. You quit when you finish the job.

Andrea Smith and Gina A Jones are the authors of the new book Wasted.

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