Interview With Holly Schindler

Welcome Holly to Princess Bookie!! Glad to have you here today!!!!

What do you like to do when you’re not writing?

You know, there’s so much work involved in writing, you start to feel guilty if you’re not directly involved in drafting new work, revising old, promoting current books out on bookstore shelves…

That having been said, though, I’m a huge reader (of course), and really have a love of all things vintage: classic movies, old costume jewelry, vinyl records…

I also spend an inordinate amount of time with my dog (a Pekingese named Jake), and because I’m so often glued to my keyboard in my office, I try to get outdoors as often as I can. 

I’m an enormous music fanatic, too—playing, listening, scouting out new bands to fall in love with…I’d have to say music really is my “refresh” button, the way I unwind, relieve stress…after several hours of writing, a short music break really helps me get my head back in the game…

What does your family think of your writing?

Actually, when I got my master’s in ’01, my mom asked me to stay home and devote full-time attention to my writing.  She asked me to forgo the full-time job, and to let her feed me while I got my writing career off the ground.  It was all I wanted to do—ever since I was little—and she knew it.  She didn’t want the dream to get derailed by day-to-day concerns about job, rent, groceries…

Even though I had no financial concerns and all the time in the world to devote to my writing, it still took seven and a half years to get the first book deal! 

What is your work schedule like when you’re writing?

I write all the time.  All. The. Time.  Really.  Since graduating in ’01, I’ve had one day off from writing—I took May 1, 2010 off, to celebrate the release of my debut, A BLUE SO DARK.

I have one of those AlphaSmart Neos—the thing’s pretty low-tech, but pretty fabulous, too!  It runs on AA batteries, and I can take it anywhere to keep up with my work. Even when I have to be away from the house, I take the Neo with me—you wouldn’t believe how much writing I can get done in the passenger seat of the car.

How did you come up with the title PLAYING HURT?

Okay, so my mom’s also my first reader—and so far, she’s titled both my published books.  

A BLUE SO DARK was actually titled THE OCEAN FLOOR when it was acquired.  My editor was really lukewarm about it, though.  He encouraged me to troll the manuscript for phrases that would make good titles.  Mom and I both read the manuscript and made lists of phrases.  I shot my editor several I liked from those lists.  He was wild about A BLUE SO DARK, which—yup—was on Mom’s list.  She was the first to suggest it.  She was also the first to suggest PLAYING HURT as I was writing it…Flux kept that title once the book was in development.

What was the hardest part of writing your book?

The years of rejection.  I first drafted PLAYING HURT several years ago—around ’04 or ’05.  I reworked that book several times over the years—and in-between rewrites, I submitted the novel to editors and agents alike.  I know my debut, A BLUE SO DARK, was rejected over 80 times.  And I’d say that PLAYING HURT was rejected at least twice as much.

…But then again, if I hadn’t gone through all that rejection, I never would have included Clint’s voice.  Chapters written from his POV weren’t included until the last rewrite—in ’09!

I’m going to break the rules a bit and combine the last two questions:

Do you have anything specific you want to say to your readers? And, If you could have dinner with one person, dead or alive, who would it be and why?

I want to thank my readers whole-heartedly.  Seriously.  My readers have just been incredible.  They’ve cross-posted reviews, recommended my books, hosted giveaways, and gotten in touch to let me know how much they’ve loved both A BLUE SO DARK and PLAYING HURT. 

So—if I could host the dinner party of my dreams, it’d be with my readers.  All of ‘em.  I’d reaaaally love the opportunity to meet all of you face-to-face and just tell you all how much your support has meant to me.

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PLAYING HURT  

Star basketball player Chelsea “Nitro” Keyes had the promise of a full ride to college—and everyone’s admiration in her hometown.  But everything changed senior year, when she took a horrible fall during a game. Now a metal plate holds her together and she feels like a stranger in her own family.

As a graduation present, Chelsea ’s dad springs for a three-week summer “boot camp” program at a northern Minnesota lake resort.  There, she’s immediately drawn to her trainer, Clint, a nineteen-year-old ex-hockey player who’s haunted by his own traumatic past.  As they grow close, Chelsea is torn between her feelings for Clint and her loyalty to her devoted boyfriend back home.  Will an unexpected romance just end up causing Chelsea and Clint more pain—or finally heal their heartbreak?

A BLUE SO DARK  

Fifteen-year-old Aura Ambrose has been hiding a secret. Her mother, a talented artist and art teacher, is slowly being consumed by schizophrenia, and Aura has been her sole caretaker ever since Aura’s dad left them. Convinced that “creative” equals crazy, Aura shuns her own artistic talent. But as her mother sinks deeper into the darkness of mental illness, the hunger for a creative outlet draws Aura toward the depths of her imagination. Just as desperation threatens to swallow her whole, Aura discovers that art, love, and family are profoundly linked—and together may offer an escape from her fea