Q&A With L.M. Augustine!

Hi guys! Costello here. I recently talked with a friend of mine, a newly published author. Allow me to introduce to you L.M. Augustine! His debut novel Click to Subscribe hit the e-book shelves in May. I asked him a few questions about his book and writing.

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What encouraged you to start writing?

L.M. - I always loved reading and so one day, I just decided to go for it and start writing my own stories. It took me a while before I began writing seriously, but there was no trigger for me other than waking up one morning and deciding it was time to finally write a full novel. So it was reading other people's books that encouraged me to write my own.

How old were you when you started writing?

L.M. - I think I was about six! I wrote a story about an epic battle between fruit and vegetables at the time (don't ask) and it was awful, but it was tons of fun to write.

Do you have any writing role models?

L.M. - I have always been a fan of authors like John Green and Cornelia Funke, and just recently I've been inspired by Colleen Hoover as well!

How does it feel to be a published author?

L.M. - Well, I was hoping it would give me superpowers, but that didn't happen. It feels great, though. It's nerve-wracking, but it's a totally amazing feeling to know you have a book out in the world and some people are reading and enjoying it.

What do you do to deal with Writer's Block?

L.M. - I just take a break. I used to try to fight through it, but it only made both my writing and sanity suffer, so nowadays I either take a break from writing the book for a few days or I skip to the next scene and come back later. It has worked well!

Tell us about Click to Subscribe, your first published novel.

L.M. - The blurb is:

135,789. That’s how many subscribers sixteen-year-old West Ryder has on his web vlog series. But he only has eyes for one of them. 

As one of the internet’s most prestigious video bloggers, West talks about high school relationships under the name “Sam Green.” As far as he knows, no one from school, not even his best friend, Cat, has seen his videos. But the highlight of the whole thing is Harper Knight, who comments every day at exactly 2:02 in the afternoon. He doesn’t know anything about her aside from the occasional deep philosophical messaging on why pizza tastes so delicious, but as stupid as it sounds, he might be falling for her. So when they finally agree to meet in real life, West’s hope for romance seems more and more in reach. But that all changes as soon as he arrives at their meeting spot and sees Cat walking toward him, wearing the same “I *heart* Sam Green" T-shirt Harper promised she'd have on.

To his alarm, West realizes he is falling in love with the best friend who has always been a sister to him.

How long did it take you to write Click?

L.M. - Only a few weeks, actually! I'm a naturally fast writer and Click just flowed. It took me a month afterward to do revisions and everything, of course.

Do you find you write better during the day, or are you a night owl?

L.M. - I'm a total night owl! People say you're more creative when you're tired, and it totally rings true for me.

Do you have any tips for young writers?

L.M. - Start off writing a book or so purely for yourself. You don't want to rush to try and get your work published right away, and I've found that writing some books just for yourself helps you hone your craft and learn about both your stories and writing your abilities. Then, once you write a book you feel especially confident in, get critiques on it, maybe query agents if you want to go that route, and slowly work toward whatever your ultimate writing goal is, publication or something else. Basically: don't rush it. Do what works for you.

Do you have any tips for writing romance?

L.M. - I'd say don't try to force it. Romance in real life shouldn't be forced and neither should it in books; make sure you have a natural progression and the characters' romance feels true to themselves and to the story.

What do you hope to get out of your writing?

L.M. - Ideally, I'd like to make a living out of it--doing what you love as a job sounds pretty incredible--but for now, I'm just so happy to be able to write the stories I love and have a few people who want to read them, too.

Do you write while listening to music? If so, what are your favorite noveling tunes?

L.M. - Yes! I love Gone Gone Gone by Phillip Phillips.

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And there you have it, folks! Thank you Liam for doing this, he's absolutely wonderful! Also, I've read Click, and it's a really great read. You can find his blog here, his Twitter, his Facebook page, and his Goodreads page for Click!  

He's selling signed print copies as well, for $9.99 + $3.99 shipping (USD), but he's only got twenty at the moment, so hurry! 

We're also helping out with the cover reveal for his next book, Two Roads, a NA fiction, so stay tuned for that! ;)

Hope you all enjoyed this! We may do more, if we find more authors. Until then!

-Costello