Inspiration is a funny thing. It can come to us like a lightning bolt, through the lyrics of a song, or in the fog of a dream. Ask any writer where their stories come from and you’ll get a myriad of answers, and in that vein I created the WHAT (What the Hell Are you Thinking?) interview. Always including in the WHAT is one random question to really dig down into the interviewees mind, and probably supply some illumination into my own as well.

Today’s guest for the WHAT is a long-time friend of mine, Bethany Crandell, author of the young adult novel, SUMMER ON THE SHORT BUS, lives in San Diego with her husband, teenage daughters, and two destructive puppies. THE JAKE RYAN COMPLEX is her first adult novel, though still carries the heart and humor of teenage exuberance. For more information, visit Bethany online at www.bethanycrandell.com, Facebook, Instagram, & Twitter @bethanycrandell.

Ideas for our books can come from just about anywhere, and sometimes even we can’t pinpoint exactly how or why. Did you have a specific origin point for your book?

Pfft… No sleuthing required! Jake Ryan, from Sixteen Candles, is the reason this story came to be. I’m not sure if it was his sexy lip bite, the way he wore plaid, or the fact that he was secretly pining after the plain girl with smallish t*ts when he had the beauty queen on his arm, but something about that character stole my heart at a very early age. And since writing this book, I’ve come to find I’m not alone in that sentiment.

It seems that a lot of us Gen Xers still hang onto those toe-tingling feelings that we got as kids when we first met our fictional dream man. And if it wasn’t Jake than it was someone else: Duckie (Some Kind of Wonderful), Ren McCormack (Footloose), Sodapop Curtis (The Outsiders)… No matter who your guy was, he left a mark on your heart. And it’s those same feelings of nostalgia and excitement you still get (even when you’re forty-five and married for twenty years) when you see a picture of your guy that made me want to write this book. 

I mean…just look at him! 

Once the original concept existed, how did you build a plot around it?

I’d been writing young adult books for a decade and toying with the idea of a Sixteen Candles-inspired book for just as long. I knew I wanted to pay tribute to the original storyline—simple girl seeks boy of her dreams, tied-up in family/wedding drama—while still tapping into that glorious 80s nostalgia, but wasn’t sure how to pull that off in a young adult world since many of those readers might not know who Jake Ryan is. (My heart weeps for them!)  Then it dawned on me: write the book for people who know who he is. DUH! So that’s what I did. I took a leap and decided to write a book for the countless women born somewhere between 1965-1985 who fell in love with this character and would appreciate reading about another woman who did too. Once I allowed myself that freedom, the rest of the story just seemed to fall into place. It’s funny how our muses respond when we let them tell a story the way they want!

Have you ever had the plot firmly in place, only to find it changing as the story moved from your mind to paper?

My overarching plots are generally cemented into place, but the nuances of the characters and the sub-plots are what constantly catch me by surprise. For the most part, I’m okay with that—it keeps me guessing and surprised while I’m writing—but there are days when it’s really frustrating.

Do story ideas come to you often, or is fresh material hard to come by?

My brain is literally a dumping ground for ideas (about 2% of them good), and is the most active while I’m under the hairdryer. Because I spend a lot of time blowing my hair (I’ve got a LOT of hair. Mindy can vouch for this. She’s seen the beast in person) my muse has learned to take advantage of the idle time by playing and sorting things out. Quite often it’s related to whatever book I’m working on (I call them “blow dryer epiphanies”) but a lot of my story ideas also germinate under the heat of my beloved Revlon 1875 ionic volumizing hair dryer.  (Available at Amazon for only $20.39. And yes, that’s a blatant plug to buy from my publisher. Ahem)

How do you choose which story to write next, if you’ve got more than one percolating?

Because I’m under contract, my editor’s enthusiasm for a project pretty much dictates what the next story will be, but I will only pitch her ideas that I’m really excited about. I’m not sure I could write something that didn’t get my engine revving.

I have 5 cats and one Dalmatian puppy (seriously, check my Instagram feed) and I usually have at least one or two snuggling with me when I write. Do you have a writing buddy, or do you find it distracting?

I’ve got two dogs and while they’re cute (when they’re not destroying the backyard) they are not good writing companions. One is very needy and cries a lot and the other is an obsessive kisser. If you so much as acknowledge his presence, you will get kissed. Apparently, my old age has turned me into a heartless curmudgeon because dog kisses on every part of my body sort of creep me out.