Author Interview: Joseph Monninger (Finding Somewhere)

Today I welcome Joseph Monninger, author of Finding Somewhere.  Joseph is currently on tour with Teen Book Scene Tour, so check out the other tour stops to find out more about the book and the characters.  Right now join me and find out more about the author.

1.  What was your inspiration behind Finding Somewhere?
Well, I like animals.  But I also like a straight-forward narrative.  There’s nothing better than a trip for a plot device.  It has a natural beginning, middle and end.  Add a horse, and two young women, and you have Finding Somewhere.


2.  What is a typical writer's day like for you?

I wake up early and write.  I have a small shed in a meadow behind our house and I go there and write.  In winter I have to make a wood stove.  It’s a beautiful spot and entirely silent.  I write standing up.  Have for years.  I try to write 1,000 words a day.  I usually manage to do that.  When I finish, I come into the house and have breakfast.  A second cup of coffee or tea.


3.  What is you least favorite thing about being an author?

The hardest thing for me is the time between books.  I am casting around, trying to come up with something new, and I get impatient.  I know the idea will come eventually, but sometimes it takes a while.  I get grumpy.  I’m better off when I am working on a manuscript.


4.  What is your favorite thing about being an author?

When a scene really goes well.  When you know what you’ve written is truthful and honest and has an impact.  That doesn’t happen all the time, but it does now and then and it’s a great feeling.



5. Which character spoke to you the most in Finding Somewhere?

I like Hattie.  I like her vulnerability, but I also kind of like the two main characters together.  They form a third character in some ways.  They have courage, but they are unsure.  Still, they conquer their fears and do what they believe is right.  I like that about them.


Finding Somewhere by Joseph Monninger

Two girls: Best friends Hattie and Delores feel that life in their small New Hampshire town is a dead end.
One horse: Old and about to be put down, Speed gets a reprieve when Hattie and Delores decide to save him.
A road trip: Determined to set Speed free, Hattie and Delores drive him west in search of rangeland. But the road takes some unexpected turns as the girls get their own taste of freedom—and as they confront the reasons they left home.