Author Interview: Nancy Scrofano

Earlier this week I had the pleasure of reviewing Nancy Scrofano's latest novel, American Honey (you can check out my review here if you missed it). Today Nancy is here to answer a few of my questions. I hope you enjoy it!

Five Favourites

Chick Flick: The Proposal

Alcoholic Beverage: I don’t drink alcohol.

Travel Destination: Las Vegas is my favorite destination that I’ve been to because it’s so lively and exciting. It isn’t that far from Los Angeles, so I’ve been there many times.

Book from your childhood: Berenstain Bears series

TV show: Hard to choose just one! But my all-time favorite TV show is I Love Lucy.

Books Etc.: American Honey can be considered a New Adult title. What do you think of the current trend in NA and what would you like to see change? 

Nancy Scrofano: New Adult fiction tends to be racy and intense. From the covers to the content, they are similar to romance novels. I would like to see more variety in NA, and especially more lighthearted books. That’s part of the reason why I wrote American Honey. I know the age range of 18 to 25 can be an intense period of change and transition for people, but it’s also a really fun time, too. NA fiction needs to have more fun and more humor.

BE: What's your writing process like? Do you like to write at a certain time of day or in a certain place? 

NS: I write a lot more at night than I do during the day. I’m a night owl. I write the most on my computer, but occasionally, I jot down ideas the old fashioned way with a pen and paper, then later input them into my computer. I wrote all the songs for American Honey on paper first.  

BE: Do you find yourself giving your characters qualities that you or people who are close to you have? 

NS: Sometimes. I’m a people watcher. I’m not very outgoing, so in social situations, I’m usually the quiet one observing all the other people instead of being the center of attention. I make mental notes of their characteristics, mannerisms, and personality traits to incorporate into my characters.  

BE: How do you come up with your story ideas? What inspires you? 

NS: I’m really inspired by music. I listen to a lot of different types of music, and I always pay attention to the lyrics. There’s a story in every song, and I make sure to listen for it. I love trying to find the meaning behind the lyrics and interpret them in different ways. Music plays a huge role in my writing process.

BE: Do you create outlines for your work or do you write by the seat of your pants? 

NS: I make an outline before I start writing, and then I follow it as best I can while I write. Things always change as I go along, but it helps to have a general idea of what needs to be happening and when. I’ve tried to write without an outline, but it hasn’t worked out for me. I like to know the end of the book before I begin writing it. I need to know where I’m going.

Add American Honey to your Goodreads shelf. Follow along with the American Honey Tour via Fictionella. Connect with Nancy at nancyscrofano.com.

Review: American Honey

New Adult has become the latest trend in the book world. These stories feature protagonists who are in their late teens/early twenties, are out of high school, and are trying to navigate the real world. Right now these books seem to be stuck on sexy, angst-ridden stories and, while some of those stories can be good, I'm sort of tired of the norm. Enter American Honey, Nancy Scrofano's latest novel. This is the kind of New Adult title I want to read!

Here's the synopsis:

After graduating high school, Olivia “Ollie” McKenna leaves her small town roots in Summerville, Georgia, to pursue her dream of becoming a professional singer. With her best friend and older sister in tow, wholesome Ollie travels to the big city to compete in singing contest Atlanta Idol. There she meets nineteen-year-old Jack Bradley, a fellow country singer who quickly becomes a close friend. The connection between them is magnetic and an opportunity to sing together could change their lives forever. But what about Ollie's mama's fear of the music business? She's been burned by the lures of the bright lights before and doesn't want Ollie anywhere near that world. And Ollie's growing feelings for Jack as more than just a pal could ruin everything. Despite her own doubts, Ollie is determined to win. Can she make her dream come true or will she return to her hometown empty-handed and brokenhearted?

I've been craving stories about characters who are out of high school but still haven't figured out their lives for awhile now. This is why I was so excited when New Adult became a thing. However, like I said, these books all seem to follow a similar format - at least the ones that are getting all the attention - and they aren't doing a whole lot for me. I was so happy when Nancy told me she was writing a NA novel that was going to be more contemporary and chick lit-like in feel. I think she did a really great job in capturing the emotional ups and downs Ollie would have been feeling. She's at a very sensitive point in time - she should be leaving the nest and following her own dreams but she still feels like she needs her mama's approval for everything. The feelings Ollie had really came through the writing and I was very happy about that.

The best part about this book was reading about Ollie and Jack's journey into the music business. I may not watch singing competition shows but that didn't stop me from thoroughly enjoying this part of the story. Every time Ollie and Jack moved on to the next round, the stress and emotions were heightened and Scrofano did a great job of making sure I was feeling those emotions as well. I was totally rooting for them and was really happy with the way their careers ended up.

There were a few things that kept me from absolutely loving this novel, unfortunately. I felt like the musical/career portion of the story was so strong but all the other, smaller, storylines just didn't measure up. Or even add up. I felt like there were too many little plot holes and not enough explanation. This feeling is probably magnified because I didn't really like the ending. There were way too many loose strings and I needed more of them tied up. I honestly turned the last page and said, "Seriously?" I found it very odd that Scrofano chose to end it when and how she did. Having a few more scenes before the final one would have made it almost perfect. (Update: I've learned that American Honey will be the first in a series so that explains the really unresolved ending. Phew! And yay! more books about Ollie and Jack!)

I really wanted Ollie and Jack to get together, romantically. I appreciated the "Will they? Won't they?"...to an extent. I needed proper resolution and I don't feel like I got it. Of course, I think this is one of those personal opinion things. I can handle vague endings, sometimes, but this was a time when I wanted to know for sure how they were feeling and what they were going to do about it. It was still really sweet to read as the two tried to work out their feelings for each other.

While I didn't love American Honey as much as I'd hoped, I still enjoyed reading Nancy Scrofano's latest novel. Country music fans, American Idol fans, and chick lit fans will all enjoy this book. Make sure you check back on Friday for my Q&A with Nancy!

And for those of you who, like me, didn't realize that American Honey is an actual song (by Lady Antebellum), here's the video. Enjoy!

*A copy of this novel was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.*