Summary: Becky Howard is a teen under pressure. Pressure from her best friend not to breathe a word about the abuse she’s suffering by her mother. Pressure from her sister to understand her marital difficulties. Pressure from her boyfriend to get more physical than she’s ready for. And pressure from the rumors about her boyfriend that are eroding her trust in him. As she prepares for the biggest track meet of her life, Becky’s about to learn that sometimes growing up is about more than having sex, and that clinging to ideals might not be as helpful as learning to expect whatever is MOST LIKELY.
MOST LIKELY is approximately 63,000 words long and contains light Christian themes.
The first sentence of the novel: "Runners to your marks!"
1) What inspired you to write this story? I wrote the first version of MOST LIKELY about twenty years ago, when I was in my master's degree program. It was my creative thesis. I updated it extensively since then, but at the time I was reading a lot of coming-of-age novels, a genre I enjoyed. My one caveat with these novels was that most tended to narrowly define coming of age as having one's first sexual experience.
My thought then, as now, is any lusty teenager can decide to have sex; that alone doesn't mean they've matured at all, or understand what it is to accept adult responsibilities. So in large part, MOST LIKELY was written as a reply to those concerns. I wanted to craft a novel that took a more holistic approach to entering adulthood.
2)What is your advice to aspiring authors? Stephen King has said that for anyone to become a really good writer ... not a part-time, not a hobbyist, but a really good writer ... they need to set aside at least four hours a day to devote to their craft. I tend to agree with that. What I would add to it is that, out of those four hours, the best way to invest that time is to spend three hours a day writing, and one hour a day reading the best writers possible.
Some folks will say, "Read within your genre," but I'd correct that. Only read within your genre if you're reading the best possible writers within your genre. But it's more important to read the work of great writers than it is to read within your genre, because when you read great writing, you can apply what you learn about the craft of fiction writing to any genre.
However, if you read bad or mediocre writing ... novels rife with sloppy characterization, littered with adverbs, lots of expository telling instead of scenic narrative showing ... then those bad examples are what you'll end up emulating. Seek out the work of great writers, effective storytellers, and read those folks. What you learn about great storytelling and concise writing can be used in any genre you decide to write in.
For example, the most influential writers I've read are Stephen King, James Patterson, John Irving, Terry Davis and William Goldman. See, it doesn't have to be the sort of list that makes a literature professor happy. It just has to be a group of writers who really know their craft. MOST LIKELY is young adult coming-of-age with Christian themes and my next books are young adult paranormal suspense; other than some of James Patterson's stuff, none of those five writers worked in my genre. But what I've learned about writing well is reflected in what I do write, and those were my top five instructors.
Some folks will say, "Read within your genre," but I'd correct that. Only read within your genre if you're reading the best possible writers within your genre. But it's more important to read the work of great writers than it is to read within your genre, because when you read great writing, you can apply what you learn about the craft of fiction writing to any genre.
However, if you read bad or mediocre writing ... novels rife with sloppy characterization, littered with adverbs, lots of expository telling instead of scenic narrative showing ... then those bad examples are what you'll end up emulating. Seek out the work of great writers, effective storytellers, and read those folks. What you learn about great storytelling and concise writing can be used in any genre you decide to write in.
For example, the most influential writers I've read are Stephen King, James Patterson, John Irving, Terry Davis and William Goldman. See, it doesn't have to be the sort of list that makes a literature professor happy. It just has to be a group of writers who really know their craft. MOST LIKELY is young adult coming-of-age with Christian themes and my next books are young adult paranormal suspense; other than some of James Patterson's stuff, none of those five writers worked in my genre. But what I've learned about writing well is reflected in what I do write, and those were my top five instructors.
3)What are you currently working on now? I'm in the editing and revision stage with the first installment in the EMBER COLE young adult paranormal suspense series, the short novel, SHADA. That's out in September. And I'm hard at work on the second novel in that series, which is a much longer novel called EMBER. The EMBER COLE series is where a lot of my energy will be going both this year and into next year. I have some other project percolating, but I really want to launch that series strong and well, build an audience for it, and get it out there.
4)What is your favorite guilty pleasure? TRUE BLOOD on HBO. It's naughtier and more graphic than Charlaine Harris' novels, but fast-forward past the naught bits and it's a very fun show.
5)What were the last five books you read? If I remember correctly, it's been RIPPLER by Cidney Swanson, COEXIST by Julia Crane, THE PRACTICE DATE by Victorine Lieske, POSTCARD KILLERS by James Patterson and Liza Marklund, and SAVING RACHEL by John Locke.
His work has appeared in the Meadowbrook Press anthology, Girls to the Rescue, Book 1, as well as the true crime journal, Ripper Notes, in volume 28.
His first novel, Most Likely, was released in May. Shada, the first installment of the Ember Cole series of young adult paranormal suspense novels, is scheduled for release in September. Hansen is hard at work on the next installment in the series, the novel-length book, Ember.
Hansen recently moved to Oregon with his wife, a dog, a cat, and his
Author Bio: Craig Hansen wrote stories from an early age, but when his SF short story, "The S.S. Nova," was published in the Minnesota Writers In the School COMPAS program's 1981 anthology of student writing, When It Grows Up, You Say Goodbye To It, he decided to dedicate himself to writing. Several unpublished novels and short stories followed.
Hansen earned two degrees at Minnesota State University at Mankato under the mentorship of young adult novelist Terry Davis. In the years that followed, Hansen worked a variety of jobs related to writing, including editorial work at a small publishing house, holding a position as a Web site editor, and five years in journalism in northwestern Wisconsin, where he earned several state awards for his writing and editing.
His work has appeared in the Meadowbrook Press anthology, Girls to the Rescue, Book 1, as well as the true crime journal, Ripper Notes, in volume 28.
His first novel, Most Likely, was released in May. Shada, the first installment of the Ember Cole series of young adult paranormal suspense novels, is scheduled for release in September. Hansen is hard at work on the next installment in the series, the novel-length book, Ember.
Hansen recently moved to Oregon with his wife, a dog, a cat, and his
89-year-old father, a World War II veteran.
Hansen's interests include the music of Johnny Cash, reading the novels of other independent authors, blogging, and the study of Messianic theology. On his Web site, you can sign up to receive an email newsletter that will notify you when he releases new novels.
Hansen's interests include the music of Johnny Cash, reading the novels of other independent authors, blogging, and the study of Messianic theology. On his Web site, you can sign up to receive an email newsletter that will notify you when he releases new novels.
You can learn more about Craig Hansen on his website. Also, look for him on Twitter: @craigahansen.
Thanks everyone! I hope you all have an awesome weekend!
Jennifer,
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for the opportunity to talk with you. You were a gracious host.
Craig
It was wonderful learning more about your novel, Craig, so thank you!
ReplyDelete