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Introduction
Megan Gaudino works in a high school library by day and on her own books by night. She’s made up of a mixture of black clothing, iced coffee, and a desire to go adventuring. Those things sort of come together naturally to form a writer. She lives in Pittsburgh where you can find her reading, writing, and Instagraming.
Megan’s Books
Interview with Megan Gaudino
Q: Let’s get started with an introduction. Can you tell me a little about how you first got into writing and what it felt like publishing your very first book?
A: Like most writers, I think it started with a love of reading. After being an avid bookworm for so long I started getting ideas for my own stories. This was before I had an iPhone so I’d take a notebook with me everywhere and jot down all these ideas. Eventually, I pieced them together and plotted out a book. That was also around the same time I discovered Wattpad. I quickly got very into it and posted chapters almost daily. That first story gained over 2 million views and people were posting so many positive comments and sending me kind messages. I decided then that maybe I should do something more with this story.
Publishing my first book was such a wild experience. It was a little scary, and a lot of hard work, but overall so much fun. You spend so much time working on this story alone and then you open it up to other people and that can be so intimidating, but luckily my editor really got my story, so my edits weren’t as scary as they could’ve been. It’s also almost indescribable to have other people reading your story and connecting with it. When people would post about it or write reviews it was just the greatest thing. And then, of course, being able to hold a physical copy of a book I wrote with this beautiful cover and my story inside was incredible.
Q: What are some of your favorite hobbies (other than writing)?
A: Reading, of course. I also really enjoy going to new libraries. I’m a big fan of road trips, both long and short, and it’s impossible to drive past a library in a new place without stopping in. I also love taking pictures of my trips and editing them into short videos for my social media channels. I usually get a lot of inspiration from places for my books so I love having some aesthetically pleasing content to pull from.
Q: What’s your favorite unusual food combination?
A: I don’t know if this really counts but people always tell me it’s strange. I like to eat a bowl of Cheerios, with milk, and a glass of Coke. There is just something about this combination to me that I just think works really well together.
Q: What book (other than your own) do you recommend to everyone that they have to read?
A: Just one? This is so hard. So I’ll cheat and say any book written by Abby Jimenez.
Q: Can you tell me a little bit about your writing process? Note taking; favorite place to write uninterrupted; etc?
A: I love taking notes. I have an embarrassing amount of Google Docs with story ideas. Some are fully developed plots with extensive notes and detailed character descriptions and some are just a couple of sentences. You never want to forget an idea. But, when I’m sitting down to actually write a story I like to have as much of it plotted out as possible. I’m very open to things changing, it never fails that I realize there is a plot hole I missed, but I like to go in prepared. And I definitely don’t need quiet to write. I actually need background noise.
Q: Tell us a little about what inspired your latest release.
A: The Sea Became Restless is a loose, modern retelling of The Little Mermaid. I’ve always loved the story and the Disney movie so it was something I was thinking about doing for a long time. This was actually the tenth novel I’ve written and I felt like everything was leading up to it. While there are no actual mermaids in the book, the themes are all there and I’m very happy with the end result.
Q: Which one of your books was your most favorite to write?
A: This is so hard! But I’m going to have to go with my current manuscript. I’m switching it up and writing an adult romance. This is another story that I’ve been thinking about for a long time and finally sat down to write it last year. That was when I realized this wasn’t a YA book anymore. And as much as I love YA, I’m branching out. I’ve ghostwritten many romance novels before, but this one is all me. It’s a fake dating story with a twist and I’m really excited about it.
Q: If you were to ask your friends or family, what would they say your greatest “Superpower” is?
A: My memory! It might annoy some of them, but I swear I can recall whole conversations word for word that happened years ago. I also think this is a writing superpower because I can easily remember what happened in the last chapter and what I already wrote, plus character details, without always referring to my notes. I always remember everything.
Q: If you could be any fictional character (cartoon, movie, show, book, etc), who would you be?
A: Right now I’m very much in my small town romance era. I’ve been doing a rewatch of Gilmore Girls after finishing up Hart of Dixie so I’m longing for a quirky small town. I’m going to have to say Piper Bellinger in It Happened One Summer. IYKYK
Q: What advice would you give to a new writer just starting out?
A: I think it’s so important to read. Reading different genres and new authors and something that you wouldn’t normally pick up. Reading will definitely make you a better writer. I also feel like I learned SO much from working with freelance editors. Having someone read your writing critically and give you feedback is the BEST way to improve your craft. I love working with talented and skilled freelance editors but this also works with anyone who likes to read. Find a writer friend and exchange manuscripts and I promise you’ll learn so much.
Q: You have 50 words or less to convince an audience why they should read your books. Go!
A: Because my mom has read them all and she loves them!
Follow Megan
Megan Gaudino works in a high school library by day and on her own books by night. She’s made up of a mixture of black clothing, iced coffee, and a desire to go adventuring. Those things sort of come together naturally to form a writer. She lives in Pittsburgh where you can find her reading, writing, and Instagraming.
Looking for book recs…
Adventures in Literature 
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