Q&A With New York Times Best Selling Author Ellen Hopkins
By Mara Dobyns
Ellen Hopkins is a #1 New York Times Best selling author of fourteen young adult novels, two middle grade novels, and four novels for adult readers. Writing this introduction will in no way do her work justice. She has been one of my favorite authors since I was a teenager and is well known for her first novel, Crank.
Crank is loosely based on Ellen’s oldest daughter’s story and
addiction struggles. It began as a personal exploration of the “why’s” behind her daughter’s decisions and what role Ellen may have played in them. By writing the story from her daughters perspective, she learned a lot, about her daughter, herself, and the nature of addiction. Ellen states on her website that she knows the road to recovery is not easy but there is help. She encourages others with loved ones struggling with addiction to learn as much as they can about how a substance works on the brain and how this can help you divorce the overwhelming emotion involved.
Ellen has been called the bestselling living poet in the country by Media Bistro. I love the way she fearlessly captures real emotion and the heartache of it all. Her novels, often in the style of poetry verse – told through the medium of poetry rather than prose was created to give her poems some structure on the page and to allow her readers to be brought directly inside the heads and unique thoughts of her characters.
Her latest Novel, Sync, is set to release August 27th, 2024. If you want to learn more about her, her books, or if you wish to inquire about guest appearances, please visit her delightful website here
Q: What can you tell our readers about your upcoming release, Sync?
A: SYNC is about twins separated by the foster care system. It follows them from the time they’re removed from their abusive mother’s care and through a series of placements. Along the way, Storm’s anger nets him time in lockup, but he also finds tentative love. When the book opens, Lake has also found love. But her girlfriend, Parker, has her own issues. The two run away from a placement and deal with life on the street. Storm and Lake struggle to find their way back to each other and into safe harbor until each is offered one last chance at both.
Q: As a #1 New York Times best selling author of 14 young adult novels, 2 middle grade novels, and 4 novels for adult readers can you tell us which has been your favorite to write and why?
A: Hard question, but probably People Kill People because it’s a verse/prose hybrid. The verse (some of the best poetry I’ve written!) is the voice of violence, calling the characters to pick up a gun and use it. The six characters are written in prose, and in second person. So I’m inviting readers to BECOME those six people. Quite perplexing, and I loved that.
Q: Out of all the books you’ve written which was the most challenging and why? How did you overcome that?
A: Glass, which is the sequel to Crank. The books were inspired by my daughter’s story of addiction, so hit very close to home. Had we been able to turn the tide where Crank ends, all our lives would have been so much better. But Glass is where we lost her for too many years, and where her dreams died. She did survive and has been clean for a few years. But there were 25 years of hell in between. I managed to write the book, which I knew was important not only to my readers, but for my own clarity. But I had to step away from the computer many, many times, and look for creative peace.
Q: What helps you overcome creative blocks?
A: In the short term, walking my dogs or gardening or something physical. I find working the body frees brain freeze. If it’s more long term, I try to go somewhere new or different to write. Take a laptop to the beach or mountaintop or even a hotel room.
Q: What advice would you offer to other writers who want to achieve success as you have?
A: First off, patience. Very few writers find instant success. You have to learn from rejection and critique. And you also have to believe in yourself and the stories you want to tell. Then write from the heart. Speak universal truths. And always start with character. Let plot evolve from there. If readers don’t care about your characters, they won’t care about your stories.
Q: Lastly is there anything you’d specifically like to add or include?
A: I’ll finish with, you’re never too old, or too young, to start writing.
All it takes is a passion for the work.