Witchling Wanderer: Interview with Mindy McGinnis

I'm very excited to have Mindy McGinnis on my blog today for an interview! She's the author of Not A Drop To Drink, In A Handful of Dust, A Madness So Discreet, and The Female of The Species, which releases the 20th of this month!!

The Female of The Species by Mindy McGinnis

Publication Date: September 20, 2016
Publisher: Harper Collins/Katherine Tegen Books
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Thriller
Buy Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository

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Alex Craft knows how to kill someone. And she doesn’t feel bad about it. When her older sister, Anna, was murdered three years ago and the killer walked free, Alex uncaged the language she knows best. The language of violence.

While her crime goes unpunished, Alex knows she can’t be trusted among other people, even in her small hometown. She relegates herself to the shadows, a girl who goes unseen in plain sight, unremarkable in the high school hallways.

But Jack Fisher sees her. He’s the guy all other guys want to be: the star athlete gunning for valedictorian with the prom queen on his arm. Guilt over the role he played the night Anna’s body was discovered hasn’t let him forget Alex over the years, and now her green eyes amid a constellation of freckles have his attention. He doesn’t want to only see Alex Craft; he wants to know her.

So does Peekay, the preacher’s kid, a girl whose identity is entangled with her dad’s job, though that does not stop her from knowing the taste of beer or missing the touch of her ex-boyfriend. When Peekay and Alex start working together at the animal shelter, a friendship forms and Alex’s protective nature extends to more than just the dogs and cats they care for.

Circumstances bring Alex, Jack, and Peekay together as their senior year unfolds. While partying one night, Alex’s darker nature breaks out, setting the teens on a collision course that will change their lives forever.

Describe The Female Of The Species in 140 characters or less.

Dexter, if Dexter were a teenage girl that went after rapists.

Do you have your books figured out from start to finish before you begin writing or do you just figure it out as you write?

I figure it out as a go. I’m a pantser which always autocorrects to panther. That’s confusing for people.

From writing a High Fantasy, contemporary, science fiction, and historical fiction, which has been your favorite genre to write? And which has been the most difficult so far?

My favorite to write is contemporary, because there’s very little research involved. There were times while writing my historical, A MADNESS SO DISCREET, where I would have to do 15 minutes of research to be able to finish a line of dialogue. Even so, the high fantasy, GIVEN TO THE SEA was by far the most difficult. It seems like it should be easier, since I’m the one making up all the rules, but that also means there are no “knowns” to your audience. So, if I’m writing a contemporary and I say that my main character attends an affluent private school and drives a Benz, you already can assume quite a few thing about her. If I tell you she’s from the village of Hyllen and she’s the Given you’re like.... um, explain?

Do you have a special time to write? And do you set daily goals for when you write?

I recently resigned from working full time, so I used to only write in the evenings. Now though I have to set up a whole new schedule. I have no idea when I write now! Usually I set a goal for 1k words every time I sit down.

From the summary to the reviews, The Female of The Species just sounds so dark and intense and compelling, what are you hoping your readers take away from it?

A better understanding of how the other sex views the world around them, and how our actions affect others. Because of multiple POV’s, both female and male, that stands true for readers of either sex.

What are your thoughts on social media for marketing books?

I personally love it. I enjoy interacting with my fans and readers, and if it helps sell books that’s great!

Who are some of your favorite authors that you feel are influential in your work?

Stephen King, for sure. I grew up during a time when there weren’t a lot of bridge books to move you from “safe” literature for younger readers. I went from Sweet Valley High to The Shining so... yeah that might explain some things.

ABOUT MINDY MCGINNIS:

Mindy McGinnis is a YA author who has worked in a high school library for thirteen years. Her debut, NOT A DROP TO DRINK, a post-apocalyptic survival story set in a world with very little freshwater, has been optioned for film my Stephanie Meyer's Fickle Fish Films. The companion novel, IN A HANDFUL OF DUST was released in 2014. Look for her Gothic historical thriller, A MADNESS SO DISCREET in October of 2015 from Katherine Tegen Books. Mindy is represented by Adriann Ranta of Wolf Literary.

LINKS:

Website | Twitter | Facebook

GIVEAWAY:

3 Finished Copies of THE FEMALE OF THE SPECIES (US Only)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Follow the rest of the tour schedule...

Week 1:

9/12: Swoony Boys Podcast - Review

9/13: A Reader Under the Sea - Q&A... You Are Here!

9/14: Pretty Deadly Reviews - Review

9/15: Brittany's Book Rambles - Guest Post

9/16: Lekeisha the Booknerd - Review