An Interview With Nicole McInnes About Her Debut BRIANNA ON THE BRINK

Today it's my delight to showcase an interview with Nicole McInnes, the Class of 2k13 debut author of BRIANNA ON THE BRINK. This sounds like a wonderfully compelling novel that I can't wait to get my mitts on. Here's Nicole:

Congratulations on the publication of your novel, BRIANNA ON THE BRINK. Gosh, I love that cover. Can you tell us a bit about the story and what inspired it?

You bet! Here’s the scoop: Sixteen-year-old Brianna Taylor finds herself lost, alone and with a major surprise in store after a one-night-stand. Just when she’s got nowhere left to turn, help arrives from the one person who is closest to her big mistake, but accepting that help will leave Brianna forced to choose between clinging to the ledge of fear and abandonment – or jumping into the unknown where a second chance at hope might just be waiting.

As far as what inspired the book, I was just really intrigued by the idea of what it would be like to be “cast out” of the life you once knew – partially because of your own actions and partially because of circumstances beyond your control. Thinking about this made me wonder what it would be like if the only people willing to help you were the people you had treated most cruelly.

How long have you been writing for children/teens? Have you written other books or is this your first effort?

I’ve been writing YA for the past several years. Before that, I was writing adult literary fiction, but what I kept hearing back from editors was that the stories felt more like they wanted to be YA, considering the ages of the characters, the voices, etc.

Can you describe your path to the publication of BRIANNA ON THE BRINK?

The path was long and bumpy, but once I figured out that I had a knack for YA, it smoothed out considerably. I have a wonderful, very editorial agent who helped me develop the first draft of BRIANNA ON THE BRINK into something that could be submitted to editors. Then, I was lucky to have the manuscript snapped up by Sylvie Frank, who has such a feel for YA and guided the manuscript on its final journey to published novelhood.

Do you have any advice for beginning writers?

Persist.

I love that - short and sweet, and oh, so true. Can you tell us something about your personal life – inspirations, plans for the future, goals, etc.?

I get huge amounts of joy from watching my kids grow up and from nurturing relationships with the most important people in my life. I plan to continue doing these things along with continuing to form new bonds with other readers and writers. The bookish life is such a rich one, filled with amazing people who love to read, write and talk about words and ideas.

Do you have any new writing ventures underway?

I do! I’ve recently wrapped up a manuscript that I’m excited about, and I have yet another one in the works. All of this is happening against the backdrop of BRIANNA’s release, so it’s a busy time. Both the new manuscript and the work-in-progress are also contemporary young adult.

Do you have a website where readers can learn more about BRIANNA ON THE BRINK?

Yes, thanks so much for asking! More information – including links to the various social media sites where I like to hang out - can be found at www.nicolemcinnes.com