An Interview With Gregg Olsen
August 18, 2014
An Interview With Gregg Olsen
Gregg Olsen has 3 Young Adult novels under his belt. Girls on Film: A Vengeance Novel is his most recent book from his new YA series. He also has Empty Coffin Series with two books.
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See his ENVY book trailer below.
You have written both fiction and non-fiction, including True Crime. When writing GIRLS ON FILM (RUN in the UK), did you feel that the knowledge you have of real life crime helped or hindered your plotting?
Definitely helps. Over my years I’ve had the privilege (and I do consider it so) to tell the true stories of people who have survived the unthinkable. That fuels all of my fiction. This book was no exception. There’s always a nugget of truth in all of my fiction. Early in my career, I wrote about a woman who’d been poisoned and family members were all but certain that her husband – the stepfather to a 15-year-old girl – was guilty. Ultimately, he was proven not to be the killer, but as I wrote GIRLS ON FILM/RUN I thought of that girl and all of the emotions she had that came with thinking that someone close to you was a killer. Of course, GIRLS ON FILM/RUN, is complete fiction, but the heart of any good story is the conflict and emotion that comes with the action. The plotting is organic, just like real life. I let my characters take me where they need to go. Sometimes, I’m not the boss. J
When writing crime fiction, inevitably you will lose characters you grow attached to. Do you feel an emotional attachment to any of the characters in the new book?
Yes. Rylee. I love her tortured spirit and her ability to be clever, kind, and yes, ruthless. For the right reasons, I think. As I wrote the book I was rooting for her all the way. She seemed more real to me than any character I’ve ever created. I like her and I want her to find happiness and strength in life in a very real way. I know where she wants to go…and I want to help her get there.
Rylee has to make some tough decisions on her journey to find her mother’s captor, including leaving her brother behind. Will we see more of Hayden in the next book?
I’m plotting HUNT right now and I will have some Hayden in it. As tough as Rylee is, she’s come to know different kinds of love. She knows that her brother and her connection to him is a mixed blessing for sure. She protects him in real ways, but most importantly in making sure her mother doesn’t tell him the truth.
Rylee’s discovery of who her real father is fills her with rage, and it is this anger that gives her the courage to track down her mom’s captor. Is there power in rage, or is it purely dangerous?
That’s a tricky question. Personally, I believe strong emotions, passions, are good if channeled in the right way. Who wants to live his or her life feeling nothing? Isn’t it better to take that emotional energy into something positive?
If you were going on the run and could only take one thing with you, what would that be?
A book. Kidding. An untraceable credit card. A sack of money. Actually, if I was on the RUN I’d take my dog Suri. She’s a mini dachshund – so she’s completely portable. She’s great company. And she is as fierce as they come. I wouldn’t need a knife, a gun, or any kind of weapon. Suri would take on even the most formidable foes. Maybe even a serial killer.
What inspires you to write?
My readers do. It’s really that simple. I write to reach people. There can be no other reason.
Do you have any tips for budding writers?
My advice is always the same. If you think you are a writer, then you are. To be a good writer you need to practice. When I say practice, I mean EVERY DAY. I tell new writers that whatever project they are working on must be tended to daily. Even if only a few lines. A paragraph. Whatever. Writing can be difficult and almost all writers look for ways to get out of doing the hard work of the job. If you make it a routine, a promise, a commitment, you’ll have something. I promise. I’m not saying it will be easy, but nothing worth doing really is.
Best,
Gregg Olsen
www.greggolsen.com
www.starvationheights.com
This entry was posted in A Guy's Perspective, Featuring Authors.
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