Mindy McGinnis didn't hold back in her YA Debut novel, Not A Drop To Drink. She didn't shy away from the cruelty her characters' faced and I LOVED that about her book! She wasn't afraid to "go there."  Mindy is a fearless ROCKSTAR.

We are so excited to have Mindy on the blog today as part of the Authors ARE Rock Stars blog tour!! She was gracious enough to answer a few of our questions =) Take a look!

Favorite book when you were a child:

That's a tough one. I'm going to go with A WRINKLE IN TIME. Although, if I may fudge the question a little, my favorite book from that *series* is A SWIFTLY TILTING PLANET.  I think I read those books at least four times apiece.

What do you like to do when you’re not working/writing?

I'm an outdoorsy girl, and an athlete. So if the weather is good you can find me in the woods, the garden, the softball diamond or the pool. If the weather is bad I'll be reading.

Do you have any unique hobbies or talents?

I'm a knitter. And because of this I've learned that I have really acidic sweat and / or skin. Whenever I use a crochet needle, a stitching needle, or a knitting needle I rub the enamel off in fairly short order and am down to the actual metal. I don't really know that this is useful information, or even considered a talent. Also I have very fat thumb pads.

Your top five authors:

      1.Stephen King

      2.Diana Gabaldon

      3. George RR Martin

      4. Chuck Palahniuk

      5. Donald Ray Pollock

Favorite line/quote from a book:

"Wild nights are my glory." - A Wrinkle in Time

What was the hardest part of writing Not A Drop To Drink?

Honestly the book pretty much fell out of my head, which I realize is an attractive visual. It was a breeze to write. I really can't complain on this one!

What was your favorite chapter to write and why?

Any time the character of Stebbs has a monologue or trades barbs with Lynn was fun to write. He was the easiest character in the world, because he produced natural dialogue all by himself and the other characters *wanted* to interact with him. 

What advice would you give to your younger self?

Don't be so confident. Do your homework. Realize you're not done when you type THE END.

What can we expect from you in the future? 

I'm calling for a nervous breakdown in 5 to 10 years.