Lisa, what’s your writing ritual like? Do you listen to music? Work at home or at a coffee shop or the library, etc.?
For me, all writing starts with a pot of tea. English Breakfast or a variation of something strong and British so I can channel the Queen’s English.
I like working in a dark room, with a single, dim light. Windows are optional. This is not the best for one’s eyes, but it calms me down and allows me to instantly access my imagination.
A blank piece of paper and a pen are the only necessities because I’ve trained myself to be able to write anywhere. I have to write every day; I learned that from Ray Bradbury. When it comes to craft, an artist has to be flexible and prepared. I usually have something to read with me, poetry or a magazine to collect words. Usually I look for nouns and adjectives that spark a sentence. This leads me into whatever fragment of the novel I’m committed to work on that day. I move around freely in the timeline of each story, until I have a solid first draft or outline. Then, more tea.
What do you hope readers will take away from RIPTIDE SUMMER?
To survive a riptide, the trick is not to panic and exhaust yourself, but to go with the flow of the current, keeping your eye on the shore. In this story, riptides and the undercurrent they create are also a metaphor for something bigger, something uncontrollable. Often, we ignore the danger signs of emotionally and physically hazardous situations. When you get yourself caught in something scary, that’s about to take you down, how do you deal with it? I think my readers know that trouble is inevitable. What I want them to absorb is how to avoid dangerous situations by seeing them coming and, if that’s not possible, how to deal with them assertively so that they triumph.
What are you working on now?
A supernatural thriller. A magical reality, with a pansexual protagonist.
ABOUT THE BOOK
Riptide Summer
by Lisa Freeman
Hardcover
Sky Pony Press
Released 5/16/2017
The year is 1973, and Nani is firmly established as one of the top girls in the State Beach lineup. She’s looking forward to a long, relaxing summer of days spent in the sun with her surfer boyfriend, and to secret nights with Rox, the lineup’s queen supreme.
But when surf god Nigel breaks her heart, and Rox reveals a secret that tears their friendship—and the lineup—apart, Nani is left to pick up the pieces. If she can’t recruit new Honey Girls to the lineup, the friends will lose their reputation as the beach’s top babes.
With the summer spiraling out of control, Nani starts to question everything she’s always believed about how to rule the beach. Maybe it’s time to leave the rules behind, starting with the most important one:
Girls don’t surf.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
LISA FREEMAN is the author of RIPTIDE SUMMER (May 2, 2017; Sky Pony Press) and HONEY GIRL (2015; Sky Pony Press) and resides in Santa Monica, California, only miles down the road from State Beach, where HONEY GIRL and RIPTIDE SUMMER take place. Lisa grew up amidst the Hollywood scene and emerged as an actress in such films as Back to the Future, Back to the Future II and Mr. Mom. It was here that her love for storytelling was born. After receiving her MFA and Pedagogy in the Art of Writing degrees from Antioch University, Lisa’s career as an educator and author flourished. On a typical afternoon, you’ll find her writing in her studio under the shade of a 100-year-old pepper tree, tea in hand and three small dogs at her feet. You can visit her at lisa-freeman.com.
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Have you had a chance to read RIPTIDE SUMMER yet? How do you get inspiration for new words? Have you tried Lisa’s method of looking through magazines? How do you deal with troubling situations? Will you handle trouble in the future as if it’s a riptide? Share your thoughts about the interview in the comments!
Happy reading,
Emily, Jocelyn, Anisaa, Sam, Martina, Erin, Susan, Shelly, Kelly, Laura, and Lori Ann
