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q&a part two

Q & A QUESTIONS

Q: What was your biggest inspiration for Ashley? And will I be crying through chapter 13? -ash19xo

A: My biggest inspiration for Ash was probably myself. I feel like I'm lot like her in a lot of ways. I get really, really upset about how much people hate on her. It makes me feel really sad. I feel like in book one, she was really struggling with how she felt between Richie and Eddie (ooo flashback. that love triangle), and in that particular book, Richie was kind of being a dick to her.

And Ashley had no idea why. She knew there was one boy, Richie, who got mad at her for no reason, yelled at her, was rude to her one minute, and then the next was completely sweet and nice; whereas Eddie was consistent with his actions and didn't give her mixed signals. And lots of people in the first book, when Richie basically told her to die (can we just think about that for a second??) were like, "YES BABE DRAG HER" or "YOU TELL HER". I don't think that's called for at all. She had no idea why he was feeling like that, and yes, she did call him a Trashmouth. But that was because she was completely scared for him, and she was angry with him for scaring her, which is why she yelled at him. Ashley, I think, doesn't know how to deal with her emotions (especially when it comes to Richie) and so just gets angry.

BUT ANYWAY, yes, Ashley was inspired by me and Richie. She can be tough, an asshole, and can be a bitch but also has a very sweet side and sticks up for the people she cares about.

Also, you will be crying through chapter 13. (Sorry for such a long response!)

Q: Which book did you enjoy writing the most? -kat_reale

A: Oh God. You guys and these impossible to answer questions. As I haven't finished this one yet, I can't really say for sure, but my favorite so far has probably been Teens and Things. I really liked how I could go whatever direction I felt like in it (for example, the Stan and Bill relationship. That was completely unplanned), and in Losers Club I kind of had to stick to the storyline or all hell would have broke loose.

Q: What's your writing process, like coming up with ideas and publishing them, ect ect -SolarusMann_

A: My writing process is all over the place. So- and this is going to sound stupid- but I don't believe in rough drafts. I feel like with me, rough drafts feel like work. I like to dive right into what I've planned out in my head and start writing it out. Some things are harder to write than others (like chapter two for this book. I have no inspiration. At all.) but for some of them, it's so easy (chapter thirteen? I have that all done. In my head, I know exactly what's going to happen, how it's going to happen, iconic lines I want said, and it's 12 chapters away.) The process I have is to put in my headphones, turn on my playlist (the one I have on spotify for Richie and Ash) and just go into it. It's hard at first to know where to start, but after you're just typing away (*inserts gif of Kermit on typewriter*). I'll be posting a list at the end of this of my "writing" songs!

Q: Did you originally decide on the name Ashley or where you going to name her something different? -finskata

A: Oh my God, this was such a long time ago, holy crap. But yeah, it took me a longgg time to decide that Ashley was the name I wanted. I knew I wanted to give her a nickname that just Richie called her (ex. Ash) but Ash ended up being the name everyone used for her, and so I gave Richie a variety (ex. the infamous Beautiful, but others include Gorgeous, Angel, Baby, Babe, Babygirl). Also, I felt like Ashes was a nickname people like Pennywise, Bowers, and later, Allen, would use to insult her, just like I knew instead of Bucky Beaver (which doesn't have as much sensitivity towards Richie in it, although I know he hated his teeth) I would use Trashmouth for Richie, something that would make him really angry or upset; something that no one would dare use because of how sensitive he was to it. So I guess, yes, Ashley was always the name I wanted to use for her!