NewInBooks

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.

Connect with Andrea
Author Site
Facebook

Connect with Gina

Author Site
Facebook Buy The Book

Buy The Book

Sign up for our email and we’ll send you the best new books in your favorite genres weekly.