Autobiographical bits sometimes sneak into stories. What part of your novel would no one guess is autobiographical?
"Oh wow, there's a scene from my first novel that is autobiographical, but I think maybe I got that out of my system?" - Bethany Griffin, author of Masque of the Read Death.
"That my exuberant characterization of Egbert, the lovably opinionated, book-loving walrus is based on my own love for the opinionated, book-loving critic Harold Bloom." - Barry Wolverton, author of Neversink. 
"The whole thing! It all actually happened to me.
Kidding.
Ana's struggles with music and wanting to be better come from a real place, though. I started playing the flute when I was 11 and I knew I wanted to be good, I knew it took time, but I didn't want to wait. I wanted to be perfect immediately. This was incredibly frustrating! And the more I learned, the more I realized I still had a lot of room to grow. The same thing later applied to dance, and then writing." - Jodi Meadows, author of Incarnate.
Kidding.
Ana's struggles with music and wanting to be better come from a real place, though. I started playing the flute when I was 11 and I knew I wanted to be good, I knew it took time, but I didn't want to wait. I wanted to be perfect immediately. This was incredibly frustrating! And the more I learned, the more I realized I still had a lot of room to grow. The same thing later applied to dance, and then writing." - Jodi Meadows, author of Incarnate.
"The utter heartache and humiliation of realizing that what you thought was love...well...wasn't. That came from a true place inside me. Also Em's love for Broadway musicals." - Elizabeth Miles, author of Fury. 
"I set Harbinger and Holbrook Academy on my college campus. Well, on a super creepy version of my college campus!" - Sarah Wilson Etienne, author of Harbinger.
"So much of it! The quest for identity—for figuring out all the “self” questions, such as why am I here? Where do I fit? What gives my life meaning?—are all present in the story, and in my life, and, I think, in most of our lives. There’s a strong sense of finding place in the story, of searching for home and safety, and having moved almost constantly growing up, that feels very 'me.'" - Veronica Rossi, author of Under the Never Sky.
"So much of it! The quest for identity—for figuring out all the “self” questions, such as why am I here? Where do I fit? What gives my life meaning?—are all present in the story, and in my life, and, I think, in most of our lives. There’s a strong sense of finding place in the story, of searching for home and safety, and having moved almost constantly growing up, that feels very 'me.'" - Veronica Rossi, author of Under the Never Sky.
"Ha, there’s a scene in Catastrophic where my main character Brie washes up naked on a beach. Yes, this was taken straight from my high school days. My best friends Jesse, Leah, and Chesnee convinced me to go skinny-dipping at a crowded beach the summer before senior year and a giant wave came out of nowhere and crashed me to the shore completely naked. Sigh. Maybe I should write a memoir called The Accidental Nudist." - Jess Rothenberg, author of The Catastrophic History of You and Me.
"There are parts of Soul Enchilada, whose narrator is black Tejana female, that come out of my past. I'm not saying which…" - David Macinnis Gill, author of Invisible Sun.
"I do a lot of public speaking, so I think people would be surprised to know that I’m actually as shy as the main character in my second book, Jekel Loves Hyde." - Beth Fantaskey, author of Jessica Rules the Dark Side.
"I grew up with someone very much like my character, Zak, from Shattered Souls. Addiction was a powerful and destructive element from my youth." - Mary Lindsey, author of Shattered Souls.
"Illuminate takes place in a ritzy hotel that’s always playing host to swanky soirees. Whenever my protagonist is at a party feeling overwhelmed by its fabulousity, that’s pretty much taken from my days covering movie premieres in my first magazine job out of college. I always had to pinch myself and couldn’t believe I was actually there sipping champagne, nibbling on canapés and interviewing celebs. I kept waiting for them to realize I didn’t really belong there!" - Aimee Agresti, author of Illuminate.
"Illuminate takes place in a ritzy hotel that’s always playing host to swanky soirees. Whenever my protagonist is at a party feeling overwhelmed by its fabulousity, that’s pretty much taken from my days covering movie premieres in my first magazine job out of college. I always had to pinch myself and couldn’t believe I was actually there sipping champagne, nibbling on canapés and interviewing celebs. I kept waiting for them to realize I didn’t really belong there!" - Aimee Agresti, author of Illuminate.
"I had a weight problem and got made fun of at school when I was about 10. I hit puberty and grew out of it, so I didn’t have to work hard at making a lifestyle change like Gemma does in The One That I Want, but I do know how it feels to be picked on." - Jennifer Echols, author of The One That I Want.
On Tuesday, you'll learn what kind of storyline the authors always fall for!
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I liked this question. It's always fun to find out how much of the authors personality is in their book.
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