Jennifer, what did this book teach you about writing or about yourself?

For years, I have been saying there are two types of books too challenging for me to ever try to write: mysteries and series. Turns out, I enjoy taking on the challenge of both. Writing mysteries has taught me a lot about tying up plot points, and writing series books has taught me a lot about plot pacing as well as character consistency. I think I still have a lot of learning to go in both genres, but always having something new to learn and tackle is one of the things I like most about writing.

How long or hard was your road to publication? How many books did you write before this one, and how many never got published?

It was about as long and hard as the road gets. I started writing in hopes of publication in November 2000. I wrote a mystery and two women’s fiction books before I finally landed an agent six (almost seven) years later. It wasn’t until 2009 that I finally found success, and that was with Hate List, my novel about the aftermath of a school shooting. There were four books that never got published before Hate List, and there have been many half-written books that have never been published since Hate List. Writing is a lot of trial and error, a lot of sticking to it, and a lot of licking your wounds and getting back in the fight.

What’s your writing ritual like? Do you listen to music? Work at home or at a coffee shop or the library, etc?

I am fortunate that I can write just about anywhere. I love to work at our beautiful library, and I love my “outdoor office” (aka: the neighborhood swimming pool) during the summer. But I have been known to write in airports and hotel lobbies and even in my car. I do most of my writing in the recliner, though, laptop open on one half of my lap; cat sleeping on the other half.

What are you working on now?

I am finishing up revisions on the third and final Nikki Kill book, BREAK US. Of the three, it is the one that came the easiest, and the one that felt most satisfying to complete. I really like the way the story ended, and the growth that Nikki experienced.

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