Author Interview with Jennifer R. Hubbard

Here with us today, we have, Jennifer R. Hubbard, author of The Secret Year and soon to be released, Try Not To Breathe. After reading her debut, The Secret Year and really enjoying and then discovering she had a new book coming out, I asked her if I could possibly interview her and she kindly accepted! So without further ado, the interview:

What’s the best thing about being an author?

Getting to tell stories. The writing is the fun part—but it’s an honour to be read, also. I love when people send me messages that show they have read and really thought about the book.

What do you do when you are not writing?

Hiking and reading are my favourite non-writing pastimes. I also have a day job.

Tell us about the first time you saw The Secret Year in a store.

Honestly, it felt as if someone had snuck into the store and put my book up there next to all the “real” books! But over time, that has flipped. Now I think the book looks like it belongs there, but it feels less like it came from me.

Describe Try Not To Breathe in five words or less!

Recovery from suicide attempt.

What are some of your favourite young adult books currently on the market?

I have a list of twenty recommended books up on Goodreads which you can view here. 

But right here, I’ll give you three titles from that list: Someday This Pain Will Be Useful to You (Peter Cameron); A Love Story Starring My Dead Best Friend (Emily Horner); Saving Francesca (Melina Marchetta).

Your books deal with real issues and don’t shy away from discussing the tough issues. Why do you choose to write darker contemporary rather than about boys, love and high school drama?

I think my subjects choose me more than I choose them. I write a lot about loss and about moving on from past difficulties because I think those are important things to deal with. It's endlessly interesting to me how people deal with the tough times in their lives and move on. Especially when they move on through ordinary believable means--most of us don't win the lottery or have someone drop the answers to all our problems right in our lap. And also, I like how we keep finding love and happiness in the middle of life's troubles.

Is there anything you’re working on after Try Not To Breathe is released? Can you tell us anything about it?

I am writing—I’m always writing—but I’m not ready to talk publicly about what I’m writing now. I do have a few short stories out in the world in addition to my books: two stories in Hunger Mountain online, one in the Truth & Dare anthology.

I hope you’ve enjoyed getting to know more about Jennifer and her books, and also enjoyed my first author interview here on the blog!