Find Out Friday: Janette Rallison

Janette’s Books:

Just One Wish (Click to read my review)

My Fair Godmother

Revenge of the Cheerleaders

How to Take the Ex Out of Ex-Boyfriend

It’s a Mall World After All

Fame, Glory, and Other Things on My To-Do List

Playing the Field

Life, Love, and the Pursuit of Free Throws

All’s Fair in Love, War, and High School

Interview~

General questions:

What inspired you to write books for young adults?

I have five kids and wanted them to be able to read fun books without all the heavy, dark, and edgy stuff that's in a lot of young adult books these days. People are always talking about the declining reading rate among teens. I think if kids have fun books, they'll read more often.

What is your favorite young adult book?

All of mine. But there are a lot of YA books I love. The Princess Bride is one of my all time favorites.

What's your favorite part of being a writer?

When you're writing and everything just flows perfectly--it's almost magical. The antithesis of this experience is when I get revision letters from my editor and he tells me in great detail all the things he wants me to change.

Which of your books is your favorite?

This is like asking which child is my favorite--I love them all! But I do think My Fair Godmother will always have a special place in my heart because it was so much fun to write. Dragons, knights, princes, and ogres—what could be better?

Are you working on any other books?

I'm always working on something else. It's sort of a compulsion.

Have you always wanted to be a writer?

Yep. Of course I also wanted to be a figure skater and an astronaut. Those goals somehow never materialized.

Just One Wish questions:

What gave you the idea for Just One Wish?

I started with the idea of having a sister pretend to have a genie in order to grant her little brother a wish, and the rest of the story grew from there. The idea came about probably because I had two older sisters and an older brother who were constantly pulling my leg about something. Every day on April Fool's my older brother would excitedly wake me up and tell me we had no school because it had snowed. For years I would believe him--even if the day happened to be a Saturday. What can I say; I've never been that clear-thinking in the morning.

In Just One Wish, Annika tells Jeremy she has a genie in order to help, not torment, her brother. She thinks it will help him with his surgery. Of course the whole thing back-fires on her when he asks that a famous actor come visit him.

Have you ever had a family member with cancer?

Yes, my mother died of cancer when I was six years old--which also had an influence on this story. I've never really been satisfied with those stories where someone dies and then someone tells the main character: They're not really gone because they'll always be a part of you. I was not old enough to feel that my mother was a part of me. (She became ill when I was two, so my only memories of her are when she was sick.) I didn't want my mother to just live on in me; I wanted my mother to live on in heaven. I believe that one day I'll meet her again. We'll have a lot to catch up on.

Annika is an unusual name, what made you decide to use it?

One of my friend's daughters is named Annika and I thought it was a darling name so I stole it for my character.

What about writing Just One Wish did you like best?

My favorite scene in the whole book is the one that takes place in the trailer (and on top of the trailer.) It was lots of fun to write--and by the way that disorganized writer who shows up in the trailer--that's how I am in real life.

Thanks so much Janette! I’m looking forward to reading more of your books.

Click here to visit Janette’s website.

This is my first ‘Find Out Friday’. I’m hoping to make this a weekly post. If you’re an author and are interested in being interviewed for ‘Find Out Friday’ please email me at kelseythebookscout@gmail.com and we’ll set something up.