1. If you could have
coffee with any character from your novels, who would it be and why?
Mira. She’s only a secondary character in Ten
Below Zero, but she’s in He Saved Me quite a bit and she is a total
scene stealer. She’s got fun body language and is completely no-nonsense. I
really enjoy writing her because she’s got so many layers and so much history,
but is also very secretive about some things.
2. At what age did you decide you wanted to pursue a writing career?
I’ve always thought about it, but I didn’t fully commit to the idea until I was twenty-six.
3. Do you remember the first book you ever wrote? And if so, what was it about?
It was a book about a girl who visits Montreal.
I think I was fifteen when I wrote it and it was silly. A girl who chased a boy
band through the streets of Montreal, Quebec.
4. Are you an outliner or a pantser?
TOTAL pantser. I write organically. I don’t
know where my story it taking me when I write “Chapter One.” There’s something
really beautiful about that, to me.
5. How long did it take you to write He Found Me?
He Found Me is complicated. I
started it nine months before the date I published it, but I didn’t devote a lot
of time to it because I didn’t believe I could actually do it, until about two
months before I published it. Then I kicked my butt in gear.
6. What is your favorite social media site and why?
Facebook – because of my fan group. I love the
group of ladies in my little group. It feels like a bunch of girlfriends. They
really lift me up even when they don’t know I’m down. Being a writer is full of
ups and downs, and having a good support system is essential.
7. You seem to enjoy writing realistic fiction as much as I do, is this stemmed from your real life experiences?
I leak a lot of myself in all my characters and
I’ve gone through some of the situations I put them in. My readers email me and
tell me they relate to these characters. That’s why I write realistic, hopeful
fiction. I want readers to connect, to feel.
8. What is your favorite thing about new adult fiction?
I like seeing new adult characters going
through more adult relationships and situations. I feel like there is a lot of
NA that is similar to YA, in relation to the characters’ behavior. New adult
characters aren’t in high school, so I like seeing them transition from the
drama that those teenage years are full of into something more realistic for
that age and time in their lives. I quite enjoy watching a character fall into
that sticky trap of love – real, deep, meaningful love. And heartache, too.
9. What would you say has been your biggest success since you began writing?
Sales-wise, Ten Below Zero has been, by far, my
biggest success. Personally, my biggest success has been my growth as a writer.
How to visualize a scene and write it descriptively, using not just setting but
also a character’s body language and way of speaking to deliver their side of
the dialogue in a way that’s not only natural to the character but also a way
to move the story along with important information.
10. What gives you inspiration?
I find a lot of inspiration in poetry. I actually never cared about poetry until I was writing Ten Below Zero and needed inspiration. Christopher Poindexter, Tyler Knott Gregson, and Mary Kate Teske are always on my Pinterest inspiration boards.
Phoebe
Tonkin --- Andra
Simone
Bredariol --- Julian
Kelly
Slater --- Six
Aaron Hill
--- Dylan
Sela Ward
--- Rosa
Whitney Barbetti is a wife to one and a mom to
two humans and one cat. When she’s not changing diapers or cutting food into
tiny bites, she escapes to Starbucks for hours.
She writes character-driven New Adult novels,
heavy on the emotional connection. She LOVES writing about broken characters
who find their soul mates.
Connect with Whitney:
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