Author Insight: People Preference (Real or Imaginary?)

Have you ever blown off a social event with real people to stay home with ones you made up?

"I'm not even going to lie.  YES.  But in my defense, I was on deadline." - Kay Cassidy, author of The Cinderella Society.

"Yup! But only if I didn't really want to go to the social event in the first place, or if I was working for a deadline." - Beth Revis, author of Across the Universe.

"I’m not sure 'blown off' is the right phrase, but since I signed my book deal, I have felt a greater sense of obligation to my writing than I did when it was merely an avocation. I have at times chosen to stay home and work rather than attend social events. Never, however, was it really a matter of preference but of necessity. I have found that deadlines with paychecks are powerful motivators." - Ty Roth, author of So Shelly.

"Of course." - Cynthia Omololu, author of Dirty Little Secrets.

"I haven’t. Although I have sat around at social events and thought, 'Man, I wish Character X were here.' Which is especially interesting when Character X is a zombie football player and you’re stuck at a dinner party with a bunch of doctors talking in extreme detail about their staff meetings. I’ve made it through some pretty laborious events on fantasies like that." - Carrie Harris, author of Bad Taste in Boys.

"Um, No. Not at all. Where did you hear that? I really was deathly ill that time...yeah." - Maurissa Guibord, author of Warped.

"Hundreds of times, and I've only regretted it once or twice, so I think it's generally a good decision. Real people are exhausting." - Hannah Moskowitz, author of Invincible Summer.

"No, but I’ve sometimes found it hard to shake them off me when I leave them!" - Tracy Barrett, author of King of Ithaka.

"It’s more a matter of having to say 'no' a lot in the first place. I have regular deadlines, public events, and other responsibilities (like publicity and working with gatekeepers). Being a full-time author is a job, an incredibly competitive one that’s demanding on a lot of levels." - Cynthia Leitich Smith, author of Blessed.

"I can honestly say no.  I'm a social creature by nature.  Though I love to write, being out with real people will always take precedence.  When I'm working on a manuscript, it's always a battle between the two.  Besides, I find my best inspirations in the outside world." - Gretchen McNeil, author of Possess.

"Oh yes. Many times." - Jaclyn Dolamore, author of Between the Sea and Sky.

"Oh goodness, yes. I like real human beings, but there are times I definitely prefer my made up ones!" - Inara Scott, author of Delcroix Academy: The Candidates.

"A friend of mine once referred to me as 'an indoor cat' and I think that’s hilariously true. I’m a homebody by nature, so when there is a rare social event to go to, I always go. (But that doesn’t mean I don’t think about the fake people in my head while I’m there!)" - Kim Harrington, author of Clarity. 

"I do it all the time. Too often, probably." - Sara Bennett Wealer, author of Rival.

"Oh, of course, all the time! Too many to count, really." - Stacia Kane, author of City of Ghosts.

Stop by Thursday to see if our other authors have ever skipped out on real people to hang with made up ones!
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