Author Gin Price joins LitPick for a Six Minutes with an Author interview! Gin’s book, On Edge: A Forerunner Mystery was published in February. She has written in other genres but really enjoys Young Adult Fiction. Gin juggles her partner, kids, reptiles, a cat, and writing.

How did you get started writing?

The first story I ever told was to a girl named Katherine, on the swings at my elementary school. I can’t remember why I started to tell her this fictitious story, perhaps I was just glad to have her attention for a little while and feared to lose it. Whatever the reason, I cooked up this elaborate lie about this young couple in love and the trials they went through to be together despite their parents’ wishes. Every day for a week Katherine would come to me wanting to know what happened next. That week defined my life from that moment on. A few years later, I started writing fiction in my journals and from then on, I’d always have a project or two hanging around.

Who influenced you?

I think most authors can pinpoint a single author they read or teacher that they felt inspired by. I have some of those, but when I think about who influenced me to follow my dreams the answer is simple: family members past. Growing up I lost a lot of relatives and loved ones. It’s a morbid joke in my family that we personally saw to the success of the funeral parlor in our town. So many were gone too soon, having never realized their full potential, and those who did live a longer life, never quite got to where the wanted to be. They were good people who never dared to overreach but inspired those around them to do so just by being kind and supportive. Every goal I reach…they are the ones I think of and thank.

Do you have a favorite book/subject/character/setting?

Even a few years ago I would’ve said yes to this question. I would’ve had a different answer depending on who was asking and how I wanted to be perceived at the time. Now I no longer worry over the answer. I have several favorites, from picture books to classics. The only book that really matters is the book I’m reading at any given moment, as it always (good or bad) inspires me to pick up another one.

What advice do you have for someone who wants to be an author?

Stop talking about what you would like to do and do it. Don’t start to write a book and go back and edit before you finish. Make notes on the side but keep going forward with the story. The second you start to edit, the chances you will finish your novel dwindle.

Where is your favorite place to write?

In a nice quiet place where no one knocks on the door asking for a cookie after I said “don’t bother mama for anything that isn’t an emergency.”

What else would you like to tell us?

One of the underlying elements of On Edge is schools merging due to lack of city funds. This isn’t always a problem in most areas, but in major cities and cities with street tension, politics often override the safety of our youth. For adults, they often feel as if they can handle rival schools being thrust together with added security measures. For our youth, they know better. It would be nice if their concerns and voices could be heard before students die. Unfortunately, this is a late message, as already our economy seems to be stabilizing, but there will come a time when it will happen again. The more we talk about it now, the more we can be prepared. Thanks for letting me visit today! Peace.

 

Gin, thank you so much for spending six minutes with LitPick! We enjoyed getting to know you and like your advice to would-be authors.