Utah Book Month: Author Spotlight with Elana Johnson

It's Utah Book Month. A month-long extravaganza highlighting all the awesomeness that are Utah's writing and book blogging communities. (Which tend to greatly overlap, I have noticed.)

One thing I personally love about these communities is that they exist. I spent 13 months in Denver and while it was bittersweet moving back to Utah, I found myself looking forward to it in some ways. One of those ways was the myriad of book events and writer events. The other was the community of writers and readers who are active and vocal.

Today's spotlight is on the amazing Elana Johnson, whom most of you probably already know. But I worked hard to come up with unusual questions so I think you'll find some interesting new information about Elana.

~ If you could travel back in time, what era would you visit? Why?

Answer: This is a hard question! I really like my modern conveniences, but I think I'd love to go back to when the West was being explored and settled. There's something about all that unsettled land--with nothing. No cities. No way to get water. No buildings. I'd love to experience that "wildness" (I think!).

~ What historical figure would you most like to meet?

Answer: John Adams. I love the movie 1776, and think he had such a vision for our country.

~ Stranded on a deserted island, what's your must-have item? Who's your must-have companion? (You can have one person with you.)

Answer: I would need my phone (so I can play games and tweet and stuff), and I'd definitely have to choose my husband as my must-have companion. Boring, I know.

~ What fictional character would you most want by your side when it comes to surviving the zombie apocalypse?

Answer: R from Warm Bodies. I mean, he could stink me up so they wouldn't know I was a human, right? Yeah, I'll definitely go with that.

~ What's your favorite thing about writing?

Answer: I love the thrill of making all the little things fit. I'm such a list person. I love making schedules and using spreadsheets (not that I do that when writing!). But I love having a whole story, with little details, and character traits, and simple clues that tie in at the end. I love the complexities and difficulties of making those things all weave together into one cohesive whole.

~ What's your favorite thing about Utah?

Answer: The mountains! I never realized how tall and awesome they were until I started traveling. I've realized that they are simply awesome, and I love them.

Thanks, Elana! Those are some awesome answers. I hope you had fun trying to answer them. And it's definitely un-boring to decide to bring your husband with you if you're stranded on a deserted island.

About Elana:
Elana Johnson’s work, including Possession, Surrender, and Regret, published by Simon Pulse (Simon & Schuster), is available now everywhere books are sold. Her popular ebook, From the Query to the Call, is also available for download, as well as a Possession short story, Resist. School teacher by day, Query Ninja by night, you can find her online at her personal blog or Twitter. She also co-founded the Query Tracker blog, and contributes to the League of Extraordinary Writers. Elana is represented by Michelle Andelman of Regal Literary.

Find Elana:
Website/Blog
Facebook
Twitter