Inspired Friday with Lynn Weingarten

This is an idea that I came up with one day when I was home sick from school in January. I have always wondered what inspires authors to write their books. So, I thought, why not do something were the author talks about their latest book and what inspired them to write it? Hence, Inspired Fridays' were born. This is going to be a weekly or every other week feature depending on how many authors agree to do this. Also, if the author offers up a copy of their book for a giveaway, there will be a contest.

So, without a further ado this is Lynn Weingarten talking about her newly released book, Wherever Nina Lies. You can check out her myspace page here.

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I was a book editor for five years before I started writing full-time. When I was leaving my editing job, I sent an email to everyone I knew who worked in publishing saying, "Hey! If anyone might want me to write anything, I'm over here!" Some people at Scholastic got in touch with me and told me they were looking to do a YA novel that would have drawings in it that would play a pivotal role in the story. They asked if I'd be interested in trying-out to write it. I said, "Oh boy would I ever be!" A lot of my inspiration for the story came from trying to figure out a plot that would naturally lend itself to this specific format. That said various things in my own life inspired various parts of the story -- I was a barista in high school, I have an older sister, I've been on road trips, I had a couple friends who ran away for a while during high school (but very, very luckily they ended up coming back okay).


The book ended up being about a girl named Ellie whose older sister, Nina, vanished two years before the book begins. Nina was a wild and crazy party girl, but also a really good artist. All the illustrations in the book are meant to be her drawings. Quite early on in the plot, Ellie finds a drawing of Nina's tucked in between the pages of a book at a vintage shop, and this starts her off on a hunt for her sister. Accompanying Ellie on her trip is a hot and mysterious stranger whom Ellie barely knows and various scandalous things happen along the way.

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Thanks so much, Lynn! Your book sounds great. :)

If you are an author and would like to be a part of Inspired Friday, please contact me at laurenscrammedbookshelf@gmail.com.