Meet the author: Gina Andrew

Hi, hi! I’m back with another author interview, this time with a Houston-area writer that I had the privilege of meeting a couple of years ago at a local author fair. She also happens to have written one of the my top ten books of the year, Maybe She Will. A writer of women’s fiction and romance, G.G. / Gina Andrew is fueled by hot tea and good music. She lives outside Houston, Texas, with her husband and two sons, both of whom are autistic and intellectually disabled and provide her with challenges, joy, and laughter each and every day.

In both genres, she loves to play with words, write her way through challenging plots, and watch her characters develop unexpected connections in love and friendship.

When she’s not penning fiction, Gina is a freelance writer for BookBub who also enjoys yoga, cooking, thrift shopping, genealogy, all things Halloween, and that popcorn smell at the movie theater.

What is your favorite part of the writing process and least favorite part of the writing process?

I love what writer K.M. Weiland calls "dreamzoning"--when I'm daydreaming about my story away from the laptop. For me, the best dreamzoning involves listening to music and letting the ideas wash over me while pacing or dancing. I just need to have a tiny part of my brain aware enough to pluck out dialogue or plot twists when I'm immersed in the music and daydreams.

My least favorite part of writing is the waiting and rejection involved in trying to land a publishing deal! I've been doing this long enough I have developed a thick-enough skin for a rejection here and there, but there's definitely a negative cumulative effect. I'm working right now to reclaim some joyfulness and play in my creativity as I ready myself to write a new story.

Where is some place you feel most at home?

This is maybe a non-answer, but I love being at my actual home--preferably curled up in bed with a novel or with earbuds and an audiobook. Second best is being in a library or bookstore, especially when I have unlimited time to browse the shelves.

Your latest novel, Maybe She Will, features a main character who has a child with autism and mental disability. You have a similar life experience. Do you often draw from your own life for story inspiration? 

I do draw on my own life in the stories I write, usually in small ways. It's difficult not to! My brain includes the places I've visited, the heartbreaks I've had, the values I hold. All that informs my imagination, though my books are mostly full of made-up characters, plot, and dialogue. My new release, Maybe She Will, is different in that I deliberately drew from my experiences as a mom to two autistic, intellectually disabled boys. The main character, Josephine, has an autistic son, Jackson, who has qualities inspired by both of my sons (though he's very much his own character!). I also gave Jo many of my own concerns, hopes, and fears, not to mention experiences, like what happens when you're out in the community with a disabled kid or facing down the tension of a special education meeting.

Tell us about someone who has inspired you creatively.

My friend Annie, who's a librarian, always inspires me. She's both crafty and an enthusiastic letter-writer, and I love seeing the cards and collages and decorated envelopes she makes in my mailbox. She reminds me to make time for creativity in small ways on a regular basis.

What kind of books do you gravitate toward in your own reading life?

I read nearly everything, but lately I've been gravitating towards books that are very atmospheric, that have dark secrets and mysteries, complex relationships between women, and a dash of romance. In the past few years, I've read a lot of Texas-set, female-led thrillers in this vein (Night Will Find You, Shadows of Pecan Hollow, May Cobb's juicy thrillers, and Laura Griffin's romantic suspense). Simone St. James is another favorite author blending ghostly mysteries, often historical, with romance, which is such a delicious combination. I'm also a sucker for character-driven, warm-hearted westerns like True Grit or News of the World.

Although it's not so dark, I just finished the audiobook of Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries, which is utterly delightful. It's written as a series of journal entries by Emily, a prickly fairy researcher and academic who's not great with people. Her polar opposite is her charming colleague Wendell, who's simultaneously a friend, rival, and love interest. I fell in love with both of them and their sweet and hilarious dynamic... not to mention their forays into the fairy world.

What is one of the best pieces of advice you’ve ever gotten?

I'm going to go practical here, because practical advice is what impacts my day-to-day life the most. I'm also going to cheat and name two pieces of advice. The first is from author Bryan Cohen, who said in a training for fellow writers recently, "Nothing works like six months of good habits." And it's so true. I'm a big fan in habits, but I'm also a believer in flexibility. I don't generally set daily habits, because they overwhelm me. I try to just do things three or four or five times a week, depending on the goal. That way, if I have an off day, it's not the end of the world. I can decide what to do each day based on my time, energy, and priorities. But doing things even twice a week has an impact, whether it's writing or helping your kid floss their teeth. That's around 100 times you're doing something each year.

The second piece of advice I love is to shoot for a B- in life. I watch a YouTube exercise instructor, emkfit, who's talked about this. This can feel rebellious in our culture which values overachieving and giving a 110%. But perfection is, if not impossible, a route to burnout. So I just aim for doing my habits 80% of the time--honestly, that's where I kind of land, anyway. Do most of what you need to get done, and then go take a nap.

Thank you so much for joining us Gina! And particularly for sharing that last piece of advice. I think you might have changed my life just a little bit.

All right, readers, that’s it for now. Go check out Gina’s books and follow her over at her website.

Talk again soon!