Author Spotlight: Jennifer Gadd

In this "Author Spotlight" I interviewed Jennifer Gadd, author of the recently published book, CAT MOON by Distinguished Press. It is a Middle Grade horror, perfect for kids who like a little touch of spookiness in their stories. 

CAT MOON by Jennifer Gadd

C.J.: Can you tell us about some of the inspiration for your newly released book, CAT MOON?

Jennifer: A few things come to mind on this. One is a long-time interest in the folklore around lycanthropy. Couple that with the character of Remus Lupin from the Harry Potter series and the burgeoning market for teen vampire stuff, and you have a pretty good medium for what I wound up writing.


C.J.: What was your biggest challenge that you faced during writing this book?

Jennifer: When I wrote the book ten years ago, my girls were 11 and 16. And the thing about kids is that they constantly need stuff. Finding blocks of time where I wouldn’t be interrupted was the thing I remember being very frustrating. 

C.J.: Who was your favorite character to write?

Jennifer: Oh, Emma, definitely. I love that girl so much. She sort of sprang out of my imagination fully-formed, as it were, so I always knew exactly how she would react, what she would want, and what she would say without having to think very hard about it.

C.J.:  If you could transform into any animal, what would you choose?

Jennifer: I would like to be a dog who lives in my house. Because that’s a pretty cushy proposition.

C.J.: Who are some of your favorite authors and favorite books?

Jennifer: In my opinion, the finest novel ever written is The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. It is just so tightly written, with hardly even one word wasted. Just brilliant. I do love a lot of “canon” literature—Jane Austen, Charles Dickens, and George Eliot, to name a few. For more popular authors, I would choose Agatha Christie, Douglas Adams,  Candace Robb, and Anne Perry.

C.J.:  How did you get started as a writer?

Jennifer: I don’t remember ever NOT being a writer, to tell the truth. I can remember writing short stories and poems in elementary school. Anytime there was a writing-based choice for school projects, that was my option.

C.J.: What advice do you have for young, aspiring writers? 

Jennifer: Read everything you can get your hands on. Read good stuff, read bad stuff, read easy stuff, read hard stuff. Read. And then write. Write every spare second you have available. And don’t forget to make time for writing. Make it a priority. If you don’t, life will always manage to take the time from you.

You can find CAT MOON here:

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Smashwords