Tuesday, October 13, 2015

Author Interview With Courtney Psak



Courtney Psak

Author of Thirty Days to Thirty




Hello Bookworms! Alright, so I was extremely fortunate enough to have Courtney Psak agree to have an interview here on my blog! I have said before on my Instagram as well as Facebook that I had a couple authors lined up, so please welcome our first author!

Courtney had contacted me and asked if I would read and review her debut novel Thirty Days to Thirty. So of course like any other book blogger, and book reviewer, I checked it out. Immediately I was interested in this novel, as it sounded like a fun, and heartwarming read. If you would like to read my review for it, you can find it here. I absolutely loved this book, and it honestly made me think about what I would like to have accomplished by the time I am 30. So without further ado, lets get onto this interview!!

Q: Were you a reader before you became a writer?
A: Yes. When I was in Kindergarten I was in the local paper for reading 100 books in one summer. Grant it they were full of lots of pictures, but yes I was a reader first. I wrote my first book when I was in second grade about a royal family of mice and the prince has to go on a journey to rescue his parents.

Q: Do you prefer reading or writing now?
A: I would say that I'm equal on both of these. I like to read, which in turn inspires me to write. When I get stuck on writing, I like to read because it inspires me again.

Q: Who is your favourite author?
A: I'm pretty eclectic when it comes to favourite authors. I like reading James Patterson, Sophie Kinsella, Liane Moriarty, but with my kindle I always will read two books at once. So I'll read a modern author but then will also read a classic. So I also love Raymond Chandler, Agatha Christie and Oscar Wilde.

Q: If you collaborated with any author on a novel, who would you like to co-write with and why?
A: I would love to write a thriller with James Patterson. He knows how to collaborate with other authors and he has the style of writing that keeps the story moving quickly, which I like.

Q: Where do you get your inspiration from?
A: I'd like to say I get my inspiration from everywhere. I feel I get it from reading a variety of authors but also life experiences.

Q: What was the idea behind Thirty Days to Thirty?
A: Five years ago, when I was turning twenty-five, I realized a lot of my friends, including myself, started to get the 'quarter life crisis.' We were upset over the fact that we were not where we thought we would be by this point in our lives. What I started to realize though, was that when life happens, it's going to bring you places you've never could've imagined you would be. In the process of trying to be a particular version of ourselves, we in fact, discovered who we really were. It made us all realize that it's not necessarily about the goals in life, but what you learn along the way.

Q: Who or what made you decide to write/become an author?
A: I don't know if it was so much of a decision as it was something I always did since I was little. It came naturally to me the same way someone realizes they like to paint or sing. I finally pulled the trigger on publishing this book since I am getting close to my thirtieth and considering the spirit of the story, I figured I would take my own character's advice and accomplish one of my all time bucket list items.

Q: When writing Thirty Days to Thirty, were there any real life experiences put into the novel?
A: No, not really. I wanted to keep the characters as original as possible.

Q: Do you ever see yourself writing novels/series in another POV? Like Jamie McGuire or E.L. James did?
A: It's definitely an interesting take. I liked it done best by Emily Giffin. She took her book Something Borrowed and then wrote Something blue which takes the antagonist of Something Borrowed and continues the story with her. To see her progression in the next book humanizes her more. Most people, who after reading the first one, surprise themselves by sympathizing with her. If people were interested, I could see myself doing that with Jill's best friend Liz. Jill was single and under Thirty where as maybe seeing Liz's story continue as a married woman under thirty with three kids could provide a new perspective. **Side note, I personally would love to read that Courtney!**

Q:What is the hardest thing about writing?
A: I think the hardest part of writing is myself. I am constantly my own worse enemy and can get easily discouraged. What I need to constantly remind myself is I'm not going to be the next great American author, but that doesn't mean I can't still write for myself.

Q:What is your favourite ship from the novels you have read? (so relationship of characters)
A: You you mean my favourite type of relationship between characters or my favourite character's relationship? Either way I guess it would be the relationship between Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet in Pride and Prejudice, I liked the development of both characters and how Jane Austen makes it clear to the reader that not everything is as it seems. Both are pretty stubborn, which I can relate to and I like the idea of slowly revealing a character rather that putting everything out in the open right away.

Q: Any advice on budding authors?
A: I'm still learning this myself, so I'm not sure yet. When it comes to the marketing aspect, it has been a learning experience for me. As a self publisher it's important to understand and learn the entire process so in the future you know what works best for your ideal audience.

Q: Paperback, Hardcover, or EBook? (Which do you prefer?)
A: I love the look of hardcovers, but considering I usually read multiple books at a time, the kindle works best for me.

Q: Three words that describe your debut novel?
A: Hmm, Heartwarming, Charming, Romantic comedy is what I seem to be getting most in my reviews.

Q: What draws you to Jill as a character, and what made you decide to make her as the main POV?
A: I was drawn to Jill because I myself at twenty-five hit this 'quarter-life crisis' where I was upset that I wasn't where I thought I would be at that point in my life. It wasn't until I noticed friends going through the same issue that I kind of came to this realization that none of us are where we thought we would be because when life happens, it's going to take you places emotionally and physically that you never thought you would be. I felt Jill was a character many readers could relate to. **Side note, I completely agree, and even though I am younger than Jill in the novel, I could completely relate to how she was feeling mentally and emotionally**

Q: Fun Facts about you?
A: This is always a tough one. Let's see, I'm a bit of an adrenaline junkie. My favourite bucket list item that I've accomplished is heli-skiing and I still hope to sky dive one day. I love to experience new things, so I love to travel and immerse myself in different cultures. I also love scary movies, I'm left handed and I can touch my tongue to my nose that at the very least impresses my niece and nephew. **I am also Left handed, and love to travel!**

Q: Three words to describe yourself?
A: Heartwarming, charming.....Just kidding! Let's see, adventurous, perceptive, witty maybe?

Q: Do you have any new stories in the works?
A: I'm editing one story now that I wrote. It's about a famous young Hollywood socialite that ends up on a reality show that is focused on her ex-boyfriend and best friend getting married, while she is the maid-of-honor. **That sounds amazing!! I cannot wait to read it!**



And this is the end of our interview with Courtney Psak. I am thrilled to have connected with an author like you, and I absolutely love being able to interact with authors like this! I just want to thank not only her for this amazing opportunity, but also to all of my readers, who continue to follow me, and allow me to do these amazing blogs that I have been doing. I hope you have enjoyed my first ever interview, and I really urge you to go check out Thirty Days to Thirty!

So until the next time, Keep Reading!
Your Graduated Bookworm!! :)

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