Meet the YA Author Whose Characters Will Inspire You to Kick Butt
We are HUGE fans of girls-kicking-butt-on-an-adventure stories. Our weathered copies of Tamora Pierce’s novels are among our most prized possessions. So when we stumbled upon Erin Summerill’s Ever the Hunted, a story about a 17-year-old bounty hunter in training (yeah, seriously) who must avenge her father’s murder, we knew we had to chat with Erin ASAP. Today, she’s revealing her creative tips, books she’s dying to read and more. Scroll on for some words of wisdom from this brilliant author!
Brit + Co: Describe your book in six words or less.
Erin Summerill: Girl must hunt father’s accused murderer.
B+C: Where/when do you do your best writing?
ES: On my couch, beside the fireplace, accompanied by a chilled bottle of Coke Zero.
B+C: What’s your go-to cure for when you’re stuck in a creativity rut?
ES: I scan Pinterest for hours on end, searching for inspiring landscape portraits, interesting architecture and fascinating people. In other words, I web surf until I’m fed up with myself. Then I get down to business. Another thing that helps is music. I’ll create a playlist for each book I write and listen to it to set the writing mood.
B+C: What two lady heroes do you turn to for inspiration, and why?
CJ Redwine is a best-selling young adult author who writes gripping, action-packed fantasy books. She also runs Young Adult Book Central, a website where you can find loads of information on other authors, as well as writing tips. I’ve been able to connect with her online and learn from her. Sometimes this writing gig can be tough, but CJ has given me invaluable advice for how to meet deadlines, push forward and finish projects. (Photo via CJ Redwine)
The second is Ellen DeGeneres. I know she has no idea who I am, but she’s brightened my day more often than I’d like to admit. Writing can be filled with years of rejection. Rejection that makes you want to crumble and stop. Sometimes when I’m having a rough day, I’ll close my laptop, turn on her show and laugh for an hour. Her lighthearted talk show always makes me laugh.
But more than that, she’s impressed me with her kindness and generosity. I love that there always seems to be a little message embedded into each show. She’s inspired me to help others. She’s inspired me not to give up on myself. And she’s inspired me to not take myself too seriously. I think that’s important in the writing world. So though I will probably never meet her in person, she’s an everyday hero to me. (Photo via Leigh Vogel/Getty)
B+C: What’s your latest Instagram obsession?
ES: I’m obsessed with Martin Schmetzer! The man is a brilliant hand-drawn typography artist. His work is unreal. I drool over his Instagram account whenever I get a free minute.
B+C: Can you name a book that you think deserves a little more love + recognition?
ES: Enter Title Here by Rahul Kanakia is captivating. He tells a story of an ambitious teenage Indian girl that is willing to make tough choices to get what she wants. Author Rahul Kanakia’s writing is effortless and fluid. He is so particular with his word choice that I fall in love a little more with his artistic ability each time I re-read his debut novel. If you haven’t snagged Enter Title Here, you should!
B+C: What’s next on your to-read pile?
ES: Sitting on my desk right now is Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake. I’m a big fan of her writing, and I’ve wanted to dig into this book for awhile, but I’ve had to finish book two of the Clash of Kingdoms series first. Now that I’ve completed copy edits on Ever the Brave (book two), I can dig in!
B+C: What advice do you have for aspiring creative ladies?
ES: I think it’s said best in Galaxy Quest: “Never give up, never surrender.”
The hardest thing to do as a writer is to keep going. It will get tough. There will be hard days, and there will be loads of rejection. But if you can push through and finish that manuscript, or even finish the 10th manuscript, it will happen.
Got an author you’d like to see interviewed? Tweet us @BritandCo and let us know!
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(Featured photo via Erin Summerill)
