An Interview with Tom Dolby

Hey Everybody! Today we have an interview with Tom Dolby, the author of Secret Society which released on Tuesday, September 29.

This is a picture of Tom

And this is his book

And these are his cool links

His site: http://www.tomdolby.com
His HarperCollins Author Site is at:http://www.harperteen.com/authors/34987/Tom_Dolby/index.aspx
Secret Society Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/bradfordtrust
His Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/tomdolby
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/SecretSocietySeries
HarperTeen feature: http://www.harperteen.com/secretsociety

And this is his very amazing interview

The Basics

1. When did you know you wanted to be an author?

I knew when I was in high school, when I was about seventeen.

2. What’s the best part of being an author?

You get to work at home (if you wish), you make your own hours, and you have an excuse to be curious about just about anything!

3. What’s the hardest part of being an author?

You have to be almost entirely self-motivated.

4. What’s the most surprising part of being an author?

There's a lot of business type stuff that authors have to learn about -- contracts, publicity, stuff like that -- beyond simply writing.

5. What is your typical day like?

I write three pages in the morning and then I try to get to work on my novel-of-the-moment as early in the day as possible. Usually there is some exercise thrown in, and a walk, and ideally a little trip into town or into my NYC neighborhood later in the afternoon.

6.*anything else you want to say about being and/or becoming an author*

We love hearing from fans! It means so much to an author when you hear from readers.

About the Book

1. What inspired you to write Secret Society?

I had always wanted to write an adventure series set in NYC.

2. What is your all time favorite part of Secret Society?

I love the initiation scene!

3. What was the hardest part to write?

Sometimes the more action-oriented scenes can be challenging -- there's one scene where a character gets kidnapped, and it was hard to write, but I'm happy with how it turned out.

4. How long did it take you to write and publish this book?

This one was very fast -- one year.

5. What is your latest project that you’re working on (if you can tell us anything)?

I'm working on the sequel to SECRET SOCIETY, which is really fun.

6.*anything else you want to say about any of your books*

I'm so excited to be writing for teens in addition to adults. I had always written ABOUT teens and twentysomethings, but now that I'm writing specifically for teens, it's exciting to connect with that audience!

Extra Stuff

1. What is your favorite part of writing?

I love completely losing myself in a chapter, and I find that an hour has flown by, the words are on the page, and I don't even know how it happened.

2. What’s your favorite piece of advice?

I love the bit about success being mostly about showing up. I think Woody Allen said it.

3. Why did you choose to write YA novels?

I wanted to try a little departure from writing for adults, and this story seemed to work well for teens.

4. What’s your most favorite part of high school?

I had some wonderful friends, and going to boarding school, I was so much closer with them than I might have been if I had gone to a day school.

5. What’s your least favorite?

The social pressure! It could be horrible. At the time, it seems like it all matters so much, and looking back, it really doesn't.

6.*Anything else you want us to know about your life in general*

Being a writer is a lot more fun if you have a dog. They remind you not to take yourself too seriously.

5, 4, 3, 2, 1…..

5 of your favorite books

Catcher in the Rye

The Great Gatsby

Lolita

The Year of Magical Thinking

The Bell Jar

4 things you can’t live without

Moleskin notebook, my iPhone, a good book, a great pair of sunglasses

3 things readers probably don’t know about you

I mostly drink iced tea, I always work on a Mac, and I carry a pen everywhere.

2 of your favorite YA authors

Melissa de la Cruz and Scott Westerfeld

1 other career you probably would have chose if you weren’t an author

Private detective

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thanks so much for stopping by Tom!

-Jill