Interview with YA author Becca C. Smith

Today's guest is YA author Becca C. Smith. She writes young adult novels, and is here to talk about her newest book, Riser.

Bio: 
Becca C. Smith received her Film degree from Full Sail University and has worked in the Film and Television industry for most of her adult life.

Becca is the author of the teen horror/sci-fi novel, Riser. She is also the co-author of the teen graphic novel Ghost Whisperer: The Haunted and also wrote and illustrated Little Family Secrets, a graphic novel based on the true story of her great aunt who was famous for murdering her husband.

She currently lives in Los Angeles, CA with her husband and two cats Jack and Duke.

Welcome, Becca. Please tell us about your current release.

Black swirling holes churning madly in the center of every corpse.This is how eighteen-year-old Chelsan Derée sees the deceased.Her ability to connect to the black spinning holes allows her to control every dead thing within a four-mile radius.

But that’s the least of her problems. It’s 2320 and Chelsan Derée has to survive another year of high school, which for her is pure and utter torture, mainly due to the fact that her schoolmate Jill Forester’s favorite activity is making Chelsan’s life a living hell. If that isn’t enough, Chelsan’s impossible crush on Ryan Vaughn makes her brain do somersaults on a regular basis, especially since she is positive he doesn’t know she exists. And being eighteen Chelsan has to deal with the pressure of whether or not she should take a little pill called Age-pro, which cures aging, making the world eighteen forever and highly over-populated.

When Chelsan’s mother, Janet, is brutally killed, along with everyone else in her trailer park, Chelsan finds out that she was the intended target.

Chelsan must use her power to raise and control the dead to save herself, protect her friends and take down the man responsible for murdering her mother.

What inspired you to write this book?

I really started getting into YA books. I couldn’t seem to read enough of them and it inspired me to write my own. Riser was actually based on a TV pilot I wrote years before and I thought it would work nicely as a teen sci-fi novel

What exciting story are you working on next?

I’ve actually written two books in the Riser series and I’m currently working on the third. I hope to have it released by August or September this year. It’ll be the end of the first trilogy. Now that I’ve created a “world” I can write other trilogies within that universe. I’ve already thought of the first book of the trilogy revolving around a three-hundred-year-old assassin, so that should be a lot of fun!

When did you first consider yourself a writer?

I started writing at age 5. It’s something I’ve always done and honestly, I can’t imagine doing anything else. Writing is a complete joy and escape for me. I love creating new and interesting worlds that others can escape into as well. I’m a Hungry Hippo when it comes to writing and reading! I just can’t get enough!

Do you write full-time? If so, what's your work day like?  If not, what do you do other than write and how do you find time to write?

I always write. I often equate writing to breathing for me, lol. Even when I have full time jobs, I write at least a 1,000 words a day. When I have free time, I’ll sometimes write all day. I also like to draw. I wrote and illustrated a graphic novel, Little Family Secrets based on a true story.

What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?

I’m not sure if I have any quirks per se, but I do love writing outdoors, if that counts. At parks, the front yard, the balcony, as long as I have my iced mocha and something to write on I’m happy!

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?

I only ever wanted to be two things: a writer, or an astronaut. And I’m not an astronaut, lol.

Anything additional you want to share with the readers?

I’m also a sucker for younger YA books as well! I actually have just published a YA book for younger audiences called, Alexis Tappendorf and the Search for Beale’s Treasure. It was a lot of fun writing it. It’s full of code-breaking, hunting for treasure and adventure!

Thanks for stopping by today, Becca.