Jasmine Sierra Shouse has graced us with an author interview this week – we’re so excited! Have you checked out Insanely Sane yet? You should, it’s available as an ebook on Amazon right now, and in print form this fall.
Tell us what we want to know!
How did you know you had this book in you?
Insanely Sane started out as a way of capturing the depressed feelings I had as a teen. After my own stay in a hospital years later, I wanted to tackle the rewrite.
Can you describe your writing process?
Some days it’s a slow drizzle of words. Some days it’s like a fire hydrant exploded in my brain, and I can’t type fast enough to get it down.
Ready for readers?
How do you know your piece is ready to be shared/complete?
This is the part I struggle with the most. I’ve missed incredible opportunities because I missed the mark on the ending. Thankfully I have several friends who have helped me sort out the right stopping point.
Who is your expected audience?
Insanely Sane is for teens and adults who enjoy Young Adult books. It’s for the people who know what it’s like to have their mental health ignored or dismissed, and it’s for the ones who have either started the journey to heal from trauma or want to start.
Who has been your strongest supporter?
Anyone who knows him would probably be surprised because he is NOT a reader, but my husband has absolutely been my strongest supporter. He encourages me to keep writing, goes to book festivals with me, helps promote my books, and helps me work out plot problems even when he doesn’t know or understand the story.
What is your greatest challenge in writing?
I battle with several health and mental health issues (including depression, PTSD, and anxiety), so getting through that enough to get words down is probably the biggest challenge I face.
What surprised you in the writing process?
Insanely Sane started out as a singular point of view story, but I realized fairly quickly during the rewrite that it needed to be multi-POV. I didn’t realize when I started that it would end up with so many characters, but it ended up working out pretty well. I really enjoy patterns, which made it easy to switch from one character to the next.
Secret weapon!
Is there something that you found particularly helpful?
Writing Insanely Sane was actually my first NaNoWriMo win, so that helped immensely. Afterwards, I got Scrivener as a prize and that made the editing and revisions so much easier to manage. And, of course, music always helps. I have a whole playlist for songs that inspired parts of the book.
Research is necessary…and fun!
I know we tend to write what we know, but did you need to do research for this book?
Although a good chunk of the story was based on my own experiences, yes, I had to do research on some things that weren’t as familiar to me.
If so, what was the coolest or most surprising thing you learned?
One of the most surprising things I learned was that Dissociative Identity Disorder affects roughly 1% of the population, but there is still so much unknown about it. It also is constantly misdiagnosed as bipolar or schizophrenia.
Influences
If you could have any author (alive, dead, or fictional) read your book, who would you like to read it?
Laurie Halse Anderson
What author, or book, or series most influenced you?
James and Deborah Howe and Marguerite Henry. My copies of their books are practically falling apart from how often I read them as a kid.
What else is important to share about your book?
This is about what it’s like to start healing from trauma and, more importantly, that healing doesn’t need to be done alone.
When and where do we find you?
When can we expect more from you?
I’m currently working on some fantasy short stories, including prequels to my next novel, but none have a release date currently.
Where can we find your book?
Insanely Sane is available digitally on Amazon and will be available in paperback and hardcover beginning September 13.
Where can we find you?
My website is jasmineshousewriting.com or on social media:
Twitter: @jazzyjbox
TikTok: @jazzyjbox
