Q&A Session with Janet Gurtler, author of 16 Things I Thought Were True [Blog Tour]

Author Janet Gurtler visits The Hiding Spot today as part of her #16ThingsIThoughtWereTrue blog tour! Janet is the author of multiple contemporary YA titles and I'm happy to promote her newest book!

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Young Adult Author. Cranky before coffee intake. Books to date include, I'M NOT HER, IF I TELL, WHO I KISSED and HOW I LOST YOU! I'm a board member of WGA and member of SCWBI, CANSCAIP. I eat too many carbs. I love socks. Little kids crack me up but mean adults are on my naughty list.

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Did you have trouble writing any of your characters or specific scenes within the novel? Alternately, were any characters or scenes particularly easy to write? 

This novel actually came pretty easily.  I don’t remember having difficulty with any particular scenes.

Amy was really easy to write because I loved having her say really inappropriate things without any guile.  She was the complete opposite of repressed Morgan and fun to write. I loved the scene where the three of the are in a cow field trying to get Wi-Fi reception and also on the ferry when Amy is whale watching. 

Has the title changed or stayed relatively the same as your novel journeyed towards publication?

This title was actually the brain child of the editorial team over at Sourcebooks. My titles are never picked. I suck at titles. :)  The title was actually finalized before the book was finished!

Many people dream of their ideal jobs while working somewhere less desirable to make ends meet, never realizing what great experience those jobs of necessity are for their future. What jobs did you have on your way to becoming a published author? Is there a certain work experience that has shaped your writing?

I was a professional sales representative for many years before being published. (I’m kind of old) These positions definitely helped me develop the tough skin you need to become a published writer. I learned how to bounce back from rejection in a sales job.  I was also a disc jockey when I was in college, which helps with speaking engagements I sometimes get to do now.

What book or author has most influenced you as a writer or in general?  

I would have to say that S. E. Hinton really influenced me as a writer, because her books were the ones I LOVED as a teen. I am drawn to realistic fiction about the grittier things in life and her books definitely made me feel things as a reader that I try to get my readers to feel.

 If you had to pick a favorite word, what would it be and why?

Ohh. Good question.  Isosceles triangle because of the way it rolls around on your tongue.

My blog is dedicated to my personal hiding spot, books. Who, what, or where can be credited as your personal escape from reality?

Well, like you, I also like to escape into books. Growing up and into my twenties I would definitely lose myself for days at a time in books. Another favorite escape for me is going to movies at the movie theater.  I love disappearing in the dark, and being temporarily transported to another world. 

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Learn more about Janet and her books here.