Adventures in Debsland: Jenny Moss

Today's interview is with none other than Jenny Moss, author of Winnie's War, a more middle grade novel set during the 1918 flu epidemic.

Without further ado, here's how Jenny got here:

Did you always want to be a writer?

Yanno -- I think I did!

What was the most difficult part about writing Winnie's War?

The story takes place during the 1918 influenza epidemic. It wasn't easy to write the scenes centering around the sick and the dying.

What is something that helped in you actually finish writing your story?

One of the last scenes I completed before sending it to my agent was . . . well, I can't say. :) But it was an emotionally difficult scene to write. I kept putting off the writing of it. I think what helped me, finally, was doing the research needed for the scene and also thinking about the scene a lot before I wrote it.

Did you also want to write for young adults, or did you just get lucky it turned out that way? ;)

I love writing for teens (and tweens!). I didn't originally focus on writing MG & YA. But I rediscovered MG/YA literature when I began reading to my children -- I saw what amazing things were happening and felt compelled to be a part of it.

Can you describe your road to getting agent and publication?

It was a long trip. :) I wrote many books, but had trouble finishing them. I would get another idea and hurry off to start writing that one and leave the others collecting dust. Finally, I finished a novel, which was a big accomplishment for me. I sent it off to editors and got many rejections. I put that one aside and began two more. My agent, Nancy Gallt, pulled one of those out of slush. That one is a YA fantasy that will be published by Scholastic next year.

What was your reaction when you first heard you got an agent/publisher?

When my agent called to tell me that Scholastic had made an offer, I had trouble absorbing that this dream I'd had since I was a kid would finally come true. I remember very little of that conversation. :)

How has the blogging community and fellow authors helped you in your journey?

I lovelovelove being part of the Debs (Debut 2009). We've been on the same journey this year, and it's been great to share our experiences with one another. Before the Debs, there was LJ. I've been a member of that community for almost three years and have really enjoyed it and become good friends with many people I have never actually met.

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Thanks so much, Jenny! :D

You can check out Jenny's website, blog, or follow her on twitter.

And here's a description of the book, straight from Amazon:

A debut novel set against the backdrop of the Spanish Flu epidemic of 1918.

Life in Winnie’s sleepy town of Coward Creek, Texas, is just fine for her. Although her troubled mother’s distant behavior has always worried Winnie, she’s plenty busy caring for her younger sisters, going to school, playing chess with Mr. Levy, and avoiding her testy grandmother. Plus, her sweetheart Nolan is always there to make her smile when she’s feeling low. But when the Spanish Influenza claims its first victim, lives are suddenly at stake, and Winnie has never felt so helpless. She must find a way to save the people she loves most, even if doing so means putting her own life at risk. Winnie’s take-charge attitude will empower and inspire readers, as Jenny Moss’s lyrical writing beautifully captures the big-time worries of a small-town girl.

Walker Books for Young Readers/Hardcover/$16.99/Amazon/Barnes and Noble/Borders/IndieBound