Nothing Special Blog Tour - Interview with Geoff Herbach

As part of the blog tour for Nothing Special, I have had the opportunity to ask author Geoff Herbach some questions about writing and his books. Here is what he had to say.

Why did you choose to write young adult books as opposed to other genres?

It really happened because my son sort of quit reading and I was freaked out. I didn't really know I was writing "YA"--I wasn't sure exactly what YA was. I'd done a lot of writing before for other audiences, but his one was aimed squarely at his concerns. I want the boy children to read! So, I started writing stuff for them.

Has your own background influenced your writing in any way?

Yeah, for sure. I am from a small town and I played sports as a kid. At the same time, I was a serious, natural dork. Jumpy as they come. There's a lot of me in the Felton character. I am not nearly as good at sports as he is, though.

Where does your inspiration come from? Even though they are in the same series, did it come from different places for Stupid Fast and Nothing Special?

Stupid Fast came in a flash. I sort of knew the story all at once and it flowed. I wanted Nothing Special to be a more thoughtful book. Once Felton gets going, it's hard to slow him down, so I really had to think through his changing perceptions more. Still, the initial idea, and the one I'm working on the third book, sort of flashed at the very beginning. I just really want people to be kind and forgiving and Felton has a lot to forgive. So, that initial inspiration is still at work.

Did you always want to be a writer or was there something specific that made you want to write?

Always. I wrote like crazy as soon as I could write. I wrote my high school career paper on "How to become a playwright." That's not easy. I tried to be other things after college, but writing is where I am. So, yup. Writer.

How would you describe your books to encourage people to read them?

They're funny ad sad and if you're into the voice (not everybody is--that's got to be okay), they'll make you all jumpy and happy.

Thank you to Geoff Herbach for answering my questions. Be sure to follow the rest of the blog tour for Nothing Special through The Teen Book Scene.