Hello
happy readers! Getting back into the grove from my family
reunion / vacation I have an author interview that I was lucky enough to be able to
participate in with Hannah Bucchin. She
is a debut YA author with her new release title Paintbrush which I reviewed last month here. I really enjoyed the book and was thrilled to
get to ask the author some questions. I
hope you enjoy!
How would
you describe your book to someone who had never heard of it?
I
could probably go on and on about it, but if it had to be short and sweet: Paintbrush
is the story of Josie and Mitchell, two kids growing up in a hippie commune,
and the choices they have to make as they face their impending high school
graduation.
One thing I
really enjoyed was the whole Paintbrush community setting. How did you come up with the idea to use this
as the setting?
I
don’t remember how or when I first learned about communal living, but I do
remember thinking, “Wow, what an interesting place to grow up.” I love stories about characters who live
unusual lives, so this worked perfectly for me.
Speaking of
the setting the scenery sounded so attractive and beautiful it made this
strictly inside girl want to go out into nature, preferably with a hot guy to a
swimming hole. You seem like an
adventurous spirit, what is your favorite place you’ve visited thus far? Favorite activity?
Adventuring is my favorite
thing to do, whether that means taking a three month long backpacking trip or a
quick one hour hike! My favorite place I’ve
ever visited is probably Abel Tasman National Park in New Zealand – it’s miles
and miles of pristine, deserted beaches and blue water. My favorite activity is definitely swimming
in nature. It doesn’t matter if it’s the
ocean, a lake, a river, etc. – I love it all.
Do you see
part of yourself in Josie or Mitchell (or any of the others)? If so what parts?
I saw parts of myself in
both Josie and Mitchell. For Josie, I
identified with her love of home and her protectiveness of her family. For Mitchell, I identified with his love of
adventure. I’m probably more like Josie,
but there are definitely parts of me in both characters.
With the
dual POV how do you balance getting each voice to sound different and
distinctive? Do you like writing for one
over the other? If so who?
It
was more comfortable to write from Josie’s POV, which made it a little easier,
but I also liked the challenge of writing in Mitchell’s voice and from his perspective. I relate to different aspects of them both as
characters, so I can’t really pick one over the other.
Paintbrush has lots of real issues that
people struggle with daily be it family or even not knowing what you want to do
after school. Did you set out to write
about these meaningful issues?
There
were definitely certain themes that I set out to explore when writing Paintbrush. Struggling with deciding your future was one
of them – I feel like kids are being pressured younger and younger to decide
who and what they want to be when they grow up, which is hard. Most of the themes and issues I explored are
issues I struggled with myself during high school, and/or continue to struggle
with today.
What is one
of your favorite lines/scenes that you wrote?
One
of my favorite scenes in Paintbrush
is the cave scene between Mitchell and Josie.
I’m a sucker for romantic moments, but I wanted to create a moment that
was realistic and original without being too cheesy or cliché, which I hope
came through in the writing.
I think you
pulled that one off! If you could put
together a soundtrack for the book what are a couple songs you think would need
to be on it?
I love this question! I actually plan on one day soon making a Paintbrush playlist on Spotify. For now, a couple songs that inspired me
and/or relate to Paintbrush would
be: Alaska by Maggie Rogers, Flowers in
Your Hair by the Lumineers, and Home by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic
Zeros. These are three of my favorites
that I feel really capture the spirit of Paintbrush.
This is
your debut book, congrats by the way!
How has having your book published changed or effected your life?
Having
a book published hasn’t changed too much of my life (though my friends and
family are VERY excited for me, which is fun).
The biggest change is the amount of pressure I now feel (from myself,
mostly) to finish up my next project. It’s
good pressure, though!
I’m sure
they are and rightly so! Any tips for
aspiring authors?
Start
writing now! Don’t wait for the “perfect”
time of place or moment, because that might never come. Just sit down and start.
What are
you currently reading?
I
just finished The Serpent King by
Jeff Zenter, which was amazing. Next up
is The Underground Railroad by Colson
Whitehead, and then If Birds Fly Back
by Carly Sorosiak.
What about
TV? Any shows you’re obsessed with?
I
mostly watch comedy (though I do love Game of Thrones and Westworld). Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, Broad City, Silicon
Valley, and Veep are some of my current favorites. However, The Office will always be my number
one—I’m pretty sure I’ve seen every episode at least twice, and some of them
three or four times.
I love my
Game of Thrones! I know Paintbrush just came out but…what’s
next? Any projects on the horizon?
I’m
currently working on my second YA contemporary!
This one takes place in Maine and revolves around the lives of two
sisters.
Great I
look forward to learning more. Now how
can your fans reach you?
Well
there you go! I hope you all enjoyed all
of these answers as much as I did. I’ve added some new books and shows to my “check
out list” and heard some new tunes that helped me feel even more about this
book while adding a new place to my “want to visit” list. Share any thoughts and opinions below in the
comments!
Daughter of the Siren Queen (Daughter of the
Pirate King #2) by Tricia Levenseller
