Savannah Ostler was born in a small town in the state of Utah. She has always enjoyed many different forms of the arts. It was from her love of the stage that she decided to attend East Hollywood High, a film school in Salt Lake City. 

In addition to acting, Savannah is also a singer, having produced and released three original pop singles, as well as performing at the world famous House of Blues in West Hollywood. 

Although Savannah has a passion for performing, her first love is, and has always been writing. She has been writing ever since she learned how to read and write. She enjoys many different forms of writing; poetry, lyrics,fiction, and screenplays. Savannah finds inspiration for her stories from many different outlets, including her own personal life experiences. 

Miss Ostler can be classified as a determined day dreamer. When she is not buried in her laptop writing, Savannah can be found at Disneyland, living out all of her fairytale dreams. 

She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and their two mixed chihuahua pups.

 

EXTRA CREDIT INTERVIEW WITH SAVANNAH OSTLER:

Joining LitPick today for our "Extra Credit" interview is Savannah Ostler, the author of "Happily Ever After High School" and its sequel "Once Upon a Time University."

Do you develop a solid outline before you begin writing, or do you usually get ideas as you go along?

I find myself doing a little bit of both, actually. Generally, I like to have at least a vague outline of the story, and then I go from there. When I'm writing, more inspiration usually comes, which is where I get a lot of my ideas.

Has someone you know ever appeared as a character in a book (consciously or subconsciously)?

Oh, all of the time! About half of the characters that appear in my books are based from people in my life. I never use their actual names though. If somebody has had an impact on my life, chances are, they have appeared in one of my books. It doesn't matter if they have had a positive or negative impact on my life... there's still a big chance that I based a character off of them.

In all seriousness though, most of the people who have influenced my life have been positive influences. I like to think that by placing them in one of my books, I am paying tribute to them. (Whether they are aware of it or not!)

What do you do when you get writer's block?

I like to listen to music—and not just casually listen. I like to BLAST it! I listen to a wide variety of music—rock, pop, hard rock, punk rock. Anything that will get my blood pumping and take me out of it.

If you could live in a book's world, which would you choose?

Oh, DEFINITELY the Harry Potter world!! I would want to go to Hogwarts!

What is your favorite book-to-movie adaptation?

That's a really good question... Again I think I have to go with the Harry Potter series. Specifically, the third Harry Potter movie, Prisoner of Azkaban. It was my favorite book in the HP series, and I think the way it was executed into a film was fantastic.

If you could have lunch with one other author (dead or alive!), who would it be?

I'm sure this probably won't come as a surprise given my previous few answers... haha. J.K. Rowling! She was the author that first inspired me to read, and at the same time, she was the author who first inspired me to write. I would have a lot of questions to ask her.

Wild Card question: According to your biography, you are a big fan of Disneyland. What is your favorite thing to do when you visit Disneyland?

Heehee I am a HUGE Disneyland fan! Disneyland is basically a second home to me. I like to do so many things while I'm there: ride rides, soak up the magical atmosphere, eat Dole Whip. I guess my absolute favorite thing to do when I'm at Disneyland is visit Sleeping Beauty's Castle, and Snow White's Wishing Well. Every time my husband and I are at Disneyland, we make a point to visit the wishing well, and we toss coins into the well while we make wishes. It's also special because this was the place where my husband proposed to me. It's a magical place!

Thank you again to Savannah Ostler for sharing with us! Check out her newest book Once Upon a Time University!

 

SIX MINUTES WITH SAVANNAH OSTLER:

Today author, actress, and producer Savannah Ostler joins LitPick for Six Minutes with an Author! Savannah’s debut novel, Happily Ever After High School, was released in January. Savannah has four dogs, is addicted to Diet Coke, and was named after the movie “Savannah Smiles.”

How did you get started writing?

I have been writing since I was 7 years old. I collected Ty beanie babies, and I always loved how they included short poems in their tags. So, I wrote my own poems for each beanie baby, and I had over 50 of them, I think. Might have been closer to 75! I remembered that I enjoyed writing up these poems so much that I started to write short stories, then after that, I wrote my first "long story" when I was 10-11. It was a 200 page fan fiction story based on my favorite Nintendo games, The Legend of Zelda and Banjo-Kazooie. It's probably so bad, but I had so much fun with it. I think my mom has it stashed away somewhere. I wrote some other longer stories too, one about a robotic cat, and then one about a group of homeless animals. I always thrived on writing and imagination, I loved the fact that you can turn blank sheets of paper and a pen into a story. A story about anything that you would like, with characters that you create. What could be more fun than that? 

I started taking writing more seriously when I was 14. I wrote a long story about two sisters, a tragedy, and dreams. I got so close to that story that I turned it into a screenplay. I've been pursuing it as a film ever since I was 16. It hasn't happened yet, but I will keep pursuing it, and even if I don't end up making the film, I will get that story out there in some way or another... maybe a novel.

Who influenced you?

My biggest influence is by far J.K. Rowling. Harry Potter and The Sorcerer's Stone was the book that got me reading at age 9. It was the Harry Potter series that I was glued to, and wanting to sneak some reading in class at school. I love her imagination and her writing style. I also love her personal story, how she went from a single mom living in poverty to creating one of the most successful series of all time. That inspired me. I thought, "Hey, if she can come up from nothing, anyone can. So can I.”

I am also deeply influenced by Walt Disney. He is my hero!

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

My favorite book is probably no surprise; it is the third book in the Harry Potter series, The Prisoner of Azkaban. Something about that book. The time travel elements, the surprising character of Sirius Black. It's my favorite! 

My favorite subject is probably no surprise, either. I'm all about the fairytales! My favorite character is Cinderella. I loooove Cinderella and her story. How she went from a peasant girl to a princess. It's inspiring! Plus, those glass slippers and ball gown. To die for! And who wouldn't want a fairy godmother?

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

I would advise aspiring authors to keep reading and keep writing. The more you read and write, the better your writing will be. It's also a good habit to try to write something every day - it could be something simple, like a poem, or even a synopsis, a review, a blog entry, or work on your manuscript - just write something. Also, never ever give up. Everyone gets rejected- even J.K. Rowling was first rejected for the first Harry Potter. Remember, it just takes one person who believes in your story. Just one! Keep on going. If this is what you really want to do, then be relentless. Don't stop!

Where is your favorite place to write?

My favorite place to write is very simple, in my "office" in my apartment. I set up my laptop on the table and just sit and write. I listen to music way too loud, drink too much Diet Coke, and write. Someday, I dream of getting a place near the beach, a place with a patio where I can sit and write outside, listening to the waves. Hey, we have to dream, right?

What else would you like to tell us?

I would like to say that dreams do come true, they can happen to you, if you keep on believing in yourself and never give up! Also, never give up on love either- because true love is out there :) 

Savannah, thank you for spending six minutes with LitPick! This has been a very enjoyable interview! We can’t wait to see what’s next from you!