RoguesAngels: Just a Girl in the Whirl by Annie Wood

Please welcome Annie Wood author of Just a Girl in the Whirl

Annie Wood will be awarding a $40 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

Just a Girl in the Whirl

byAnnie Wood

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GENRE: Young Adult

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INTERVIEW:

What or who inspired you to start writing?

I’ve always felt like I was born a writer but the truth is my dad is a playwright so I’m sure that influenced me in many ways. I used to fall asleep to the sounds of his fingers pounding away on his vintage typewriter. It lulled me in the same way as rain hitting the roof. I’m also an actor and an artist but inside of my heart and mind, I’ve always felt that I am a writer first.

What elements are necessary components for this genre?

I think when writing young or new adult it’s important to put yourself in the shoes of your main character. To remember deeply, not just what it was like to be 17 for you, but also remember your friends at the time and the relatable experiences of growing up. And to never talk down to kids or teens, and to never lecture.

Just be honest. Be real.

How did you come up with your idea for your novel?

I was at a panel discussion with screenwriters and one of them told a story about how he used to take his daughter out every week to a restaurant so they could just have one on one father-daughter time. I thought that was so sweet. But then my writer (and also ADHD mind) started wandering off and creating a “what if” story of my own. I asked myself, What if the father abandoned his daughter and what if he comes back and wants to reconnect by taking her out to dinner? Now he’s doing it because he needs something from the daughter. He is after forgiveness.

What expertise did you bring to your writing?

In the story I make the father an addict, the mother bi-polar and our protagonist is a poet with some OCD tendencies. My older brother was an addict and I tried to save him. It didn’t work. I wrote about it here: https://psiloveyou.xyz/this-is-what-i-learned-from-trying-to-save-my-brother-from-addiction-b8840ec41553?sk=a4bc0f0a3f253a2f809e447c3034e32b

I relate to my lead because I too am a poet and feel everything intensely. In fact, a few of the poems in the book are ones I wrote when I was teenager.

What would you want your readers to know about you that might not be in your bio?

I was recently diagnosed ADHD as an adult. I was never tested as a kid but it explains so much of how I am and the way I create. I understand the challenges of thinking differently but I also appreciate the gifts it brings. Now that I know more about myself, It can only help my future stories. I like that we live in a world now that talks openly about things like this.

As far as your writing goes, what are your future plans?

I’m working on another YA book, Memory Ghosts.It’s about a girl grieving her mother’s suicide. The girl meets an 80 year old Jewish/Buddhist woman who hires her to assist her on a long journey by foot in Los Angeles. In this book our protagonist is an artist and she draws and paints to express herself and understand herself better. I’m a visual artist as well so this book will be illustrated with my artwork. I thought it might be a graphic novel but I think it will be more of an illustrated novel.

Can you give us a sneak peek into this book?

Just a Girl in the Whirl

dreamtocry

It’s night. I’m sleeping.

I’m dreaming.

Dream Lauren is busy writing from up top herfavoritetree.

She looks down and winks at me. Real Me would never wink. Bad guys in movies wink. Still, this dream version of myself winks and it wouldn’t matter to her whether Real Me approves. Dream Lauren is not bothered by what other people think of her. Even if that other people is just another version of her.

In every dream, Dream Lauren drops down pages from her journal, and in every dream, I stand below with my arms outstretched, always ready to catch them as they float down.

She feels it build up inside her,

an inner quake setting off a tsunami that will destroy

everything

its path.

a rise in the belly, coming in tidal waves. A tickle in the nose,

that isn’t an oncoming sneeze. She trained herself to ignore, to respond quickly.

She puts up sandbags to keep it away. her smile is her glass wall.

She can’t afford a crack in the surface. She’s gotten so good at pretending.

She can feign indifference with the best of them.

I wake up and grab my journal, and make a beeline for the bathroom in order to write it all down before I forget.

What is the best and worst advice you ever received? (regarding writing or publishing)

I don’t really seek out much advice, to tell you the truth. I’ve been writing my whole life so I believe I need to just focus on my own thing. But the best sentence I ever heard about writing was simply -writers… write. It seems obvious but a lot of folx talk about writing more than they actually write. For wonderful advice about writing I highly recommend the book Bird by Birdby Anne Lamott.

Do you outline your books or just start writing?

I find outlining challenging. It hurts my head. However, I’m a big fan of Blake Synder’s books in the “Save the Cat” series about screenwriting. I do a “beat sheet” for my screenplays then I dive in. Every novel I’ve written so far was a screenplay first. So, in a way, my outline for the book, is the screenplay. It works so well for me I think I’ll just keep doing it like this.

How do you maintain your creativity?

I call myself a “creative compulsive.” I never have to think about maintaining it because it’s constantly flowing. Sometimes too much! I can’t do it all so I have to somehow figure out which things to pursue, which is just about following my gut. Creativity is my fav topic. I have a course onSkillshare called “Zen and the Art of Creativity” and one on Listenablecalled “Seize Your Creativity.”

Anything else you might want to add?

I have a monthly newsletter called ANNIE LIKES! It’s my recommendations for shows and books and things I found interesting that month, plus my own creative updates. So, please sign up! You can find the link to my newsletter, my socials and other stuff all here: https://linktr.ee/anniewood

I’ll leave you with my 3 Keeps:

Keep creating. Keep Positive. Keep Showing Up.

love and good vibes, annie wood

BLURB:

A 17 year old girl is overwhelmed with responsibilities trying to keep her messy family together. Everything spins out of control when her addict actor dad who bailed on the family three years ago leaving her with her lovable but bi-polar mom and her two little sisters, comes back into town and wants to reconnect.

Writing poems is her only escape. Just a girl in the is about family, forgiveness, and having enough courage to live your own life, your own way.

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EXCERPT:

In the past 747 days I’ve made 747th breakfasts for my family. I barely have to think about what I’m doing anymore, the eggs just poach themselves. Doing the same thing, day in and day out, gives my life the feeling of being stuck in slo-mo. In fact, I’m moving so freakin’ slowly I may as well be standing still. It’s like I managed to step into a vat of cement while everyone around me is coasting along on one of those people movers they have at the airports. Also, my particular vat of cement happens to be on a carousel, going around and around and around. So, sure, there’s movement, only I’m not getting anywhere.

“Damn it.” I bend down to pick up yet another broken glass. My bad. As usual. When my mind wanders, it takes my coordination with it.

“Lauren. Don’t say damn.” my kid sis reprimands.

“You’re right, Sara. Sorry. Finish your scrambled eggs, okay?”

“Okay.”

“Ouch.” I cut my pinkie on a sliver of broken glass.

“We’re out of Band-Aids,” Matty informs. “You should get more.”

“Gee, thanks, sis. Don’t bother getting up.”

“I won’t,” she tells me as she continues scarfing down the food I made her.

Yep, this is my brood. Not on purpose, though. I mean, I didn’t plan this brood or birth this brood, it just sort of turned out that they’re now, mostly mine.

My eighteenth birthday is in 99.3105497 days away and then I’ll be free.

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Annie Wood is an Israeli-American, Hollywood native, and a lifelong actress and writer. The web series she created, wrote and stars in, Karma’s a Bitch, was Best of the Web on Virgin America (anniewood.com/Karma)

Wood was part of the NBC DIVERSITY SHOWCASE with her comedic scene, That’s How They Get You. She’s written 100s of scenes for actors that have been used by Emmy Award-winning TV director, Mary Lou Belli in her UCLA course and casting director, Jeremey Gordon in workshops all around town.

As an author, she has three books out: Dandy Day, Just a Theory: a quantum love adventure and her first YA novel, Just a Girl in the Whirl (Speaking Volumes Publishing)

Annie’s also an Internationally exhibited mixed-media artist, a produced playwright, and was the third female solo dating game show host in the history of television with the nationally syndicated show, BZZZ! that she also co-produced. (Which just re-ran in 2020 on BUZZRTV!)

Annie writes and creates art daily.

anniewood.com

Writing: medium.com/@anniewoodinhollywood

Twitter: https://twitter.com/anniewood

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anniewoodworld/

Art: ArtistAnnieWood.com

Shop: https://www.etsy.com/shop/GoodVibesByAnnieWood

She also runs the Twitter account for the Women of the Writers Guild West Follow us here —> @WoWGAW

She is part of the Middle Eastern Committee at WGA

and a Dramatist Guild Member and an Authors Guild Member

Get the book!

https://amzn.to/3xL4hMI