INSIDER AUTHOR INTERVIEWS

An Interview with Author Brittany Westerberg - Into Fire

April 2011

The Insider is a Silver Leaf Books sponsored feature that allows the readers to gain additional information about the authors, books, and projects. This section will consist of live interviews with the authors, and their direct responses.

This Insider interview is with Brittany Westerberg, author of the upcoming release, Into Fire.

SLB: Your debut novel will be released this upcoming May. Why don’t you tell us a little bit about what got you started with writing and how you came up with the idea for Into Fire?

WESTERBERG: I started writing when I was very young. I always kept a journal, since my mom thought it would improve my penmanship if I simply would write more, and then when we got our first computer I discovered how much faster it was to type than to write out my thoughts longhand. I actually originally wrote Into Fire several years ago, when I was in high school. My younger brother found it on the older computer when he was going through files to determine whether to transfer them to our new computer or trash them, and he was the one who did most of the work behind getting it published, which is why this first book is dedicated to him.

I don't remember how the idea came to me for this novel. Back then, when I wasn't participating in sports or school plays, I was reading and writing. I remember many days when I would just sit down at the computer and write for hours. Sometimes it felt like I wasn't actually coming up with what I was writing, but the story was writing itself and I was just along for the ride. I miss those days.

SLB: How was the process of taking your initial manuscript and getting it to the point where it is now?

WESTERBERG: As I said, my brother - who is starting law school in the fall - did most of the work to get it published. He's my agent, sort of. He scoured Writer's Market for publishing companies, looked up what they needed us to send them, and then I would get that together and we would send it in to the company. We got several "no" answers before we got a "yes," from Silver Leaf Books, though many of those "no" answers were more of, "I wish we could say yes, but we've already filled our number of new authors for the year. Keep trying!"

SLB: When your book does finally arrive, how excited are you about having a tangible book in your hands?

WESTERBERG: Now that the book is finally in my hands, it's an amazing feeling. I feel like I can actually be excited now. Before, it was still a little strange, like I wasn't sure if it was really happening or if the rug was going to be pulled out from under me. My parents, brothers and friends were all more excited about it than I was for a long time. Now, though, I think I can safely say that my excitement level exceeds theirs.

SLB: Why don’t you tell us a little about the book?

WESTERBERG: My book is about a teenage girl who finds out she has an amazing new ability - magic - and she has to leave home to learn about it. The people she grew up with feared it, so she has to get over that fear in order to master her powers and use them for good. That's how I would sum it up, I guess, in two sentences or less.

SLB: Even though the print book isn’t officially being released until May, the book has been available on the Kindle already. Have you heard any early feedback about it?

WESTERBERG: I have gotten some very good feedback from friends who have read the book. One person who I grew up with said she saw bits of people in high school in the characters, which makes sense. We create characters based on people we know, or at least I do. That's how you make them real. I haven't heard a lot from people outside of my friends and family, but I look forward to hearing criticisms and critiques. Whether readers like it or not, I'd like to hear from them. How else will I become a better writer than if people don't tell me what they didn't like about what I wrote or if they didn't understand something?

SLB: Why don’t you tell us a bit about what you were thinking when you came up with the concept for the cover art for your book? Who is the artist?

WESTERBERG: Laura Osterloo created the cover art for Into Fire. She was an art student at the same college as my younger brother. I gave her a synopsis of the book, and we told her we wanted something that would catch people's eyes, because with a first time author, people probably aren't going to be seeking out my name exactly. We kind of gave her free reign to come up with something, and she did a very nice job.

SLB: For those readers who would be interested in meeting you, are you planning on doing any signings and/or conventions?

WESTERBERG: I have no conventions or signings that I am setting up as of yet. I am currently finishing up my master's degree in journalism, and I am also planning my wedding in June. I keep pretty busy. I have a Facebook author page that I try to update as often as I can, and I am on Twitter as BrWesterberg. If I make any plans, those will be the first sites to know about it.

SLB: Do you have any plans for another book project? Anything you’re working on now?

WESTERBERG: I am currently working on another couple books, the sequel to Into Fire and another completely different book involving some magic - though very basic; it's not as much involved in the plot of the novel - along with dragons, which I loved reading about when I was younger.

SLB: Other than writing, what are some of your interests and hobbies?

WESTERBERG: Other than reading and writing, I don't have too much time for hobbies right now. I enjoy swimming and knitting, though I'm not very good at either of those pastimes. I also enjoy people watching. I'm not a creeper or anything, but I like to sit at a mall's food court or at a park with a book and just people watch. It's the little things about people that I enjoy noticing, both the good and the bad, because those are the things that make your characters come alive in a novel. No person or character is perfect, and it's the imperfections that make the book perfect, I think.

SLB: Is there anything else that you would like to add about yourself or your book before we leave?

WESTERBERG: That's about all I can think of. Let me know if you need anything else.

SLB: Thanks Brittany, that’s great for now. Enjoy the launch of Into Fire and good luck on the other projects!